Chapter 3

The cameras were installed overnight. Aside from the bathroom and my bedroom, there were no blind spots.

Marco was efficient as well. He promised to uncover her background within a week.

With everything set, I lay restlessly in bed, waiting for May 18 to arrive. It was the day that had condemned me to eternal ruin in my previous life.

I did not sleep at all. When I got up in the morning, the woman who stared back at me in the mirror had two deep, dark circles under her eyes.

Megan was not a live-in housekeeper. She usually arrived around nine in the morning.

In my previous life, on this very day, I had left early to go to the airport to pick Daniel up. Today, I followed the same path as before.

Before heading out, I even gave Megan a call.

"We won't be home at all today. You don't need to cook lunch or dinner. Just clean up."

On the other end of the line, she sounded gentle and respectful, completely different from the woman who would later cry in front of the courthouse.

I told Daniel to go straight to the university after landing and not come home.

I did not go to the airport either. Instead, I turned and walked into a cafe.

Once inside, I took a seat in the corner, pulled out my tablet, and connected to the home surveillance feed.

Today was my only chance to catch her slipping, and I did not dare miss a single second.

Megan arrived right on time at nine. As usual, she began by cleaning the house.

Up until noon, everything looked normal.

Just as disappointment began to creep in, she suddenly strode straight into my bedroom under the camera.

When she came back out, she was wearing my silk sleepwear. She had also put on my jewelry, around her neck and on her hands. She sat on the sofa, elegantly lifting a glass of red wine, every bit the mistress of the house.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. She rose unhurriedly and went to open the door.

A young woman walked in.

When I saw her face clearly, I nearly dropped the coffee cup in my hand.

The person who had come to my home was Daniel's prized student, Sophie Ward. The diligent, hardworking student that Daniel often praised was now clinging affectionately to Megan's arm.

"Mom, you really do look like some kind of rich lady wearing that." She took out a bottle of cold-pressed juice and pulled her to sit on the sofa.

When Sophie saw the red wine on the coffee table, she frowned. "Mom, why are you still drinking red wine? If someone finds out, they'll start questioning the pregnancy."

"What are you worried about? The child isn't going to be born anyway. Once the paternity test is done, the task is complete."

As she spoke, she took another small sip of wine and casually poured a glass for Sophie. "Sophie, after today, it's all going to be brighter days ahead. This house will be ours sooner or later."

Sophie glanced around the room. Greed flickered briefly in her eyes. "Hmph. After scheming for so long, this is the day we have been waiting for so long.

"Mom, this afternoon, just follow the plan and post everything online. I've already hired paid commenters. By tomorrow, the two of them will be completely ruined."

Megan laughed even more brightly, placing a hand over her lower abdomen. "You really are a clever one to have come up with a trick like this. Now that no explanation would ever clear that professor’s name."

"Mom, you still need to be careful. Remember, after the paternity test, you must immediately go and... deal with that thing... otherwise... the two of us will..." Sophie leaned close to her ear, whispering.

Was this the truth behind the pregnancy?

I hurriedly turned the volume in my earpiece all the way up.

Megan patted Sophie's shoulder, brimming with confidence. "Don't worry. I've been very careful. I definitely won't slip up. Once the test results come out, I'll go take care of what I prepared..."