Chapter 2

The next morning, Eugene arrived to pick Valerie up for her medical check-up. They did not even try to hide it, walking out hand in hand before getting into his car. Watching them together, I realized just how laughably naive I had been.

Back in high school, Valerie used to spend a lot of time at Susan's house for tutoring. Over time, she and Eugene got together, and their relationship lasted all the way through college.

However, when they started talking about marriage, Valerie's mother, Gloria Keller, stepped in. She could not accept the idea of her daughter marrying a guy from a single-parent household with no house or car in the city, so she broke them up.

Later, I fell for Valerie at first sight. I spent six months pursuing her before I finally met her family. Given my wealthy background, Gloria wasted no time pushing us into marriage.

In my past life, I had foolishly believed Valerie had cut ties with Eugene long ago. I assumed she only found out about Susan's illness through a class group chat. It was not until I stumbled upon several gigabytes of messages on Valerie's phone that I realized the truth that they had never truly ended things.

Eugene texted her every day, and their conversations had long crossed the line of mere friendship.

Once their car disappeared down the street, I called my lawyer and asked him to draft the divorce papers. Just as I hung up, Caleb Larson's car pulled up to my house.

Caleb was Valerie's younger brother. He had a reputation for being carefree and reckless—the kind of guy who could stir up trouble anywhere he went.

Valerie and I had been married for five years, and every year, she would take money from our joint account to give to Caleb. The latter could easily burn through hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

In my past life, I had once loved Valerie so much that I convinced myself her family was my family, that a little money here and there would not hurt. Because of this, Caleb had gotten used to showing up at my doorstep with his hand out.

If memory served right, he came today to pitch me on an investment idea. He and a friend wanted to start a small factory, promising quick returns with a modest upfront investment. However, I had seen the proposal before. It was a financial trap, a slow-bleeding scam that would leave anyone involved bankrupt.

In my past life, I had firmly rejected this scheme. This time, I took the papers he handed me, glanced through them, and said, "Sure, it seems like a decent investment."

Caleb's eyes lit up. "Really, Austin? Alright, just give me fifty grand. We'll split the profits seventy-thirty."

I closed the document, pretending to be regretful. "Ah, I just put a lot of money into a new batch of equipment. I can't free up that kind of cash right now. But this does seem promising.

"You still have that house, right? Sell it. Once I have more funds next month, I'll buy you an even better one."

Caleb, who had grown used to my generosity, did not even hesitate. All his money came from me anyway, and I even paid for the house. By that afternoon, he had sold his place and dumped the entire sum into his shady business venture.

I was satisfied with how this played out. I knew I would never see a return on the money I had spent on him, and since I could not have it back, I sure as hell would not let the Larsons keep it either.

Later that evening, my private investigator called. He informed me that Valerie and Eugene had not even gone to the hospital that morning. I just grunted in response.

Over the next few days, Eugene picked Valerie up every morning, and I made a point of asking them how their 'preparations' were going, acting every bit the supportive husband.

Two weeks later, Valerie walked up to me, clutching a positive pregnancy test. She announced, "I'm pregnant."

"That's wonderful," I replied, glancing at the two solid lines as a strange feeling crept into my chest.

I had already looked into this. For IVF, the initial preparations alone would take at least two months, and successful implantation would not happen overnight. The fact that she managed to get pregnant in just two weeks made it clear enough what had really happened.

Valerie was relieved that I did not question her. Then, she seemed to suddenly remember her own health concerns.

She asked, "Austin, you know I have a heart condition. Now that I'm pregnant, I want to stay home and rest. Also, Mrs. Dyer's condition has worsened, and she really wants to see Eugene get married before it's too late. I want to fulfill that wish. Would that be alright?"

I nodded. "Of course."

Valerie threw her arms around me. "You're the best, Austin! But weddings are expensive, and you know Eugene's situation... Maybe we could cover the costs?"