Chapter 6

It wasn't until they arrived that Alison realized the party Ivan and Josh had brought her to was Jessica's birthday party.

Not only that, but Ivan's parents and friends were all here too.

She stared at the familiar faces from her memory, all gathered around Jessica, doting on her. So this was what Ivan meant when he said he wanted her to be happy?

They seated her near the sound system, handed her a bottle of water, and a small slice of cake.

"Honey, just rest here for a bit. I'll take our son to go around the room to meet the others."

Cold and composed, Alison watched as Ivan knelt before Jessica, kissed her stomach, and whispered something Alison couldn't quite hear.

Beside them, Josh bounced with excitement, calling Jessica "Mom."

Ivan's friends joined in, laughing and teasing Jessica and Ivan.

Ivan shot a quick glance in her direction, then raised a finger to his lips to shush them.

"Watch what you're saying. If Alison hears—"

Ivan's mom, who had once kept vigil by Alison's bedside for a whole week after she was injured saving Ivan, now slapped him on the arm with a scowl. "So what if she hears? What can she do? She's blind. Where could she possibly go without you? Besides, Jessica is carrying my grandchild now."

His friends chimed in with no hint of shame. "Exactly. It's common for men like us to have more than one woman! You've only taken one more; that's pretty generous toward Alison."

Ivan's face darkened. "Alison is my wife, and she will remain my only wife. None of you are to breathe a word of this outside."

They waved off his warning with casual promises.

"Sure, sure. Our lips are sealed. Besides, you keep Alison locked up at home. It's not like we ever see her."

They assumed Alison couldn't hear from where she sat near the speakers. But ten years of blindness had sharpened her hearing beyond that of an ordinary person.

Alison listened to their laughter in silence. It wouldn't be long now. Her escape was near.

What she hadn't expected was for Jessica to be brazen enough to approach her while Ivan and Josh weren't paying attention.

"Alison, do you even know who I am?" Jessica sneered. "Your darling husband, Ivan, climbed out of my bed just this morning. And now, you're sitting here at the birthday party he organized for me.

"Ivan's parents already see me as their daughter-in-law. And the son you suffered so much to bring into the world? He calls me 'Mom.'

"Ivan and I have been together for nearly two years. I moved into your villa a year ago. Every night, we roll in the sheets right downstairs while you lie in bed upstairs, blind to the way he looks at me with obsession. Just now, he even kissed my belly and teared up—so moved he could hardly speak.

"I was willing to stay quiet. After all, compared to you, I've always lived more like Mrs. Hardman. But now I'm pregnant. I want a name for my child.

"If you're smart, you'll step down and hand over the title. Do that, and maybe, just maybe, I'll convince Ivan to set you up in a nice apartment and keep you like a discarded pet out of pity for the fact that you lost your sight saving him."

Alison stared at Jessica's smug, victorious expression, her lips sealed in perfect silence.

Jessica seemed surprised by her calm. "You don't believe me? I—"

Before she could finish, hurried footsteps approached. Ivan glared sharply at Jessica, then forced a relaxed tone as he spoke.

"Honey, what are you two chatting about?"

Alison offered a faint smile. "Nothing much. Jessica was just saying how much her husband loves her. I was feeling a little envious, that's all."

Ivan visibly relaxed.

A trace of mockery flickered in Alison's eyes. Ivan believed she was still the same woman who couldn't tolerate betrayal. If Jessica had truly said something offensive, he expected Alison would've already confronted him about it.

But he'd forgotten she was no longer the same woman from ten years ago. People change.

Ivan pulled Alison into his arms. "There's nothing to envy. Haven't I treated you well enough?"

Alison didn't answer.

"I want to go home. I'm tired."

…

Later that night, Ivan went to shower.

A voice message popped up on Alison's phone.

"Do you really think Ivan still loves you? It's all just an act. He's already promised to make it up to me."

Alison didn't respond. Instead, she reread a message from Elise.

Elise: [Everything's ready. My brother will pick you up at the agreed time.]

A sudden voice above her made her jump. "What are you doing with your phone? Can't find your book?"

Ivan's voice was right overhead. Alison quickly locked the screen and pretended to fumble around with her hands.

But instead of handing her the book, Ivan scooped her into his arms. His warm breath brushed against her neck.

"Honey…"

A wave of nausea surged. Alison instinctively furrowed her brows and pushed him away coldly.

"I'm tired."

What did he mean by this?

Was it because Jessica was pregnant, and he didn't want to exhaust Jessica?

In the middle of the night, Ivan got out of bed and went downstairs.

Soon after, sounds began echoing from the bedroom below—the deliberate, exaggerated moans of a woman, followed by muffled gasps, the kind made when someone covered her mouth.