Chapter 6

Harold's words were like a knife that stabbed Beverly right in the heart. She watched as her son kneeled before her for the sake of the woman who'd seduced her husband and destroyed her family.

Her breathing grew erratic from her heartache, and her voice shook. "What did you say?"

"You have so many pieces of jewelry that you'd never be able to go through all of them, Mom. What's the big deal about giving Cindy a ring?" Harold said with a pout, completely oblivious to his wrongdoing. "Besides, you keep saying that you want to reward her for taking such good care of me. I just did it on your behalf."

That day, after coming back from kindergarten, Cindy had been absolutely delighted by the ring when she'd seen it in the entryway. She'd even said that it was something she would never be able to afford in this lifetime, which Harold had found pitiful.

Beverly had always told him to be generous to the people around him, so why was she now mad at him for this?

Beverly had to place a hand on the sink counter to keep herself upright. She looked down at Harold and asked, "Did you ask me for permission before giving away what's mine, Harold? Didn't I tell you that taking something without someone's permission is akin to stealing?"

"Everything that's yours will become mine once you're dead, Mom. That means your stuff is mine. How can you call that stealing?" Harold protested.

"Who told you that what's mine will definitely be yours? Didn't I tell you that ultimately, everyone has to depend on themselves?" Beverly felt bitter when she saw how matter-of-fact he was. He had no idea he was in the wrong.

She'd thought that he would at least be saddened if she were to up and leave without a word, but he didn't seem to care at all. In fact, he was already thinking about what he could do after her death.

Harold was upset at being lectured. He pouted, and tears brimmed in his eyes. He looked at Beverly stubbornly.

Heather had told him that he would one day inherit Gray Corporation and everything Evan and Beverly had. He decided that once he grew up and inherited everything, he would buy Cindy all the jewelry in the world. Beverly wouldn't be able to boss him around then.

He said carelessly, "The ring is already back on your finger, Mom. Just let Cindy go. She won't be coming over to our house anymore, so you can just act like nothing happened."

Act like nothing happened?

Beverly looked at him with disappointment. He wasn't on the receiving end of this, so he had no idea how much agony she was in.

"Your father is the one who wants to file a case against her. I'm not the one you should be speaking to." With that, she left the restroom. She didn't spare Harold another glance.

Ultimately, Cindy wasn't charged. The police concluded that although Harold had given the ring to Cindy without Beverly's permission, it wasn't something he'd done maliciously. They let him off the hook because he was still young.

That was what Evan told Beverly.

…

Later that night, Evan caught up with his work in the study at home. It had been restored to pristine condition, and even the wedding photo that Beverly had shattered was back to its original state. He didn't notice that anything was off.

Beverly gave Alfred and the maids a raise. After going into the master bedroom, she didn't step out again. It was the only place Evan and Cindy hadn't tainted and now felt like a temporary sanctuary for her heart.

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing two figures standing there. Harold held a teddy bear as he threw himself into Beverly's arms. Behind him was the new nanny Heather had hired, Janet Lane.

He complained, "Mom, I hate her! She can't squeeze out toothpaste the way I like it, and she has no idea which pajamas I want to wear or which toy I want to play with. She even threw my teddy bear into the wash and ruined it! I don't want her to care for me! I don't!"

Beverly caught him habitually. She looked at his face, which was crumpled in anger, then at Janet, who looked uneasy. She said to Janet, "You can step out for now."

Janet nodded and backed out of the room.

Beverly watched her leave. Janet wore a neatly pressed shirt and pants, and her buttons were done up to the very top. She rested her hands on her belly when she spoke, and her respect for Beverly was clear.

Beverly remembered the V-necks and short shorts that Cindy always wore. The neckline of her tops was so low that her cleavage was always on display, and her shorts were so tiny that her butt cheeks showed each time she crouched. The memory of it nauseated Beverly.

It turned out that Cindy had made her ulterior motives clear from the very beginning. At the time, the maids had found her clothing to be inappropriate and had suggested that Beverly make her wear a uniform.

However, Beverly had vetoed the suggestion. She'd thought it was understandable that Cindy didn't want to be restrained given how young she was. She'd even told the maids not to talk about Cindy behind her back.

In hindsight, she was such an idiot.

Beverly snapped out of her reverie when Harold grabbed her arm and shook it. She looked down to meet his guileless eyes and said, "No one told Janet about your preferences, so it's natural that she can't give you exactly what you want.

"But you're already five years old. You should be squeezing out your own toothpaste. And if there's anything that she's not sure of, you need to tell her."

He pouted. Even though Evan had warned him not to bring up Cindy in front of Beverly, he still thought she was the best. They'd only been apart for one night, but he already missed her.

He grumbled, "I didn't need to tell Cindy anything when she first came. She knew what I wanted to do and knew everything I liked. That just goes to show that Janet is dumb!"

A hint of surprise flickered in Beverly's eyes. Why had Cindy known so much about Harold's preferences? Had Evan told her?

"You're not allowed to talk about others behind their backs." She didn't want to continue the conversation. "It's time for you to go to bed."

Harold started kicking up a fuss and refused to get up. "Sleep with me tonight, Mom. Read me a bedtime story!"

He'd turned down all of Beverly's offers to accompany him when Cindy was around. Now that Cindy was gone, he finally remembered that he still had a mother.

"You're old enough to learn to sleep independently," Beverly said.

Harold looked at her in disbelief and grievance, seemingly stunned by her rejection. He burst into tears and clamped down on her arm, shaking it incessantly.

Evan heard the noise and hurried into the room to pull Harold away. The teddy bear in Harold's arms fell to the floor, revealing a mesh net on its belly that held a photo in place. Its colors had faded after the teddy bear was washed, but the image was still clear.

It had been taken below a Ferris wheel on a day when Harold's kindergarten had organized a field trip without any parents joining them. Heather had been worried about Harold's safety, so she'd sent Cindy on the trip as a volunteer.

That same day, Evan should've been on a business trip to a neighboring city. Yet there he was, in the photo with Cindy and Harold.

The three of them had long since become a family; they didn't even need Beverly around. In the photo, they snuggled together and smiled happily at the camera. The sight stabbed Beverly in the heart.

She watched as Evan picked up the teddy bear and returned it to Harold. She no longer wanted to shed tears for the two of them, so she looked away.

However, Evan stepped closer to her and explained, "Honey, I received a call from Mom right after I got off the plane that day. She told me Harry went missing halfway through the trip, so I immediately flew back to search for him. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. Thankfully, I found him in the end."

Harold chirped, "Look, Mom. I made a new friend that day too."

Pulling the photo out of the teddy bear's mesh pocket, he flipped it over and held it out to Beverly. The image on the back showed two children with their arms around each other, looking like the best of friends.

Beverly had barely caught a glimpse of it when Evan snatched it and ripped it into pieces, throwing them into a trash can. He said sternly, "Cindy misled you and took your mother's wedding band—I won't allow any photos of her in our home. Do you understand me, Harry?"

Whenever Beverly was around, Evan acted as if she were his priority and that her feelings were all that mattered to him. This didn't warm her at all, though.

She just watched coldly as Harold burst into tears when the photo was torn to pieces and he was lectured. Crying, he ran out of the master bedroom. Beverly remained unmoved even as Evan comforted her and told her he would educate Harold properly.

Once they were both gone, Beverly called out, "Take the trash can out."

The photo disgusted her, and she didn't want it around. She just had to put up with this for another 29 days. Soon, she would be able to leave.

Janet entered the room and picked up the pieces of the photo that had fallen onto the floor, wanting to throw them into the trash can.

Suddenly, she froze and held up a piece, asking in surprise, "Isn't this Cindy Beech's daughter?"