Chapter 2

"Honey! You're awake? I want to change the sheets for you - I just saw a cockroach!"

"I'm taking a shower, be right out."

Frederick, hearing Nora stir awake from the bathroom, abruptly pulled away from Claire. “Is the carpet uncomfortable? Wait here, I’ll change the sheets immediately.”

As Frederick spoke, he prepared to move Nora to the wheelchair by the bed.

Nora glanced at the diamond-studded wheelchair. Thinking about how they had just been having sex on it, she felt a wave of nausea in her chest.

Nora quickly grabbed his hand.

"Take me to the guest room next door. This room has cockroaches, it's disgusting."

Frederick followed Nora's gaze to the wheelchair.

Under the dim bathroom light, Frederick noticed faint white stains speckling the wheelchair. His gaze lifted to Nora, suspicion creeping in as a troubling thought formed, had she somehow found out about him and Claire.

Remembering that Claire said she'd given Nora sleeping pills safe for pregnant women before bed, he dismissed his unease.

"Okay, whatever you want."

Frederick carried Nora to the bed in the guest bedroom and kissed her forehead.

Just as Frederick lifted the covers to sleep beside Nora, Claire in the next room dropped a bottle of shampoo on the floor.

Frederick froze at the sound, his movement stopping mid-action. He understood Claire’s silent urging and hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his face.

Nora recalled how over the past few months, whenever she fell asleep at night, there would be mysterious sounds of heavy objects falling in the house.

Before catching them cheating, she had asked Claire about it, but each time Claire said it was just an unclosed window causing the wind to knock things over.

She had always believed Claire.

Because Claire became her caregiver, they had been close friends all the way from elementary throughmiddle, and high school.

Though they lost touch in college, she was quite happy to see her again.

They had known each other for over ten years. Nora knew Claire had come from a modest background. Back in elementary school, her family couldn’t even afford to give her a room of her own.

Her parents had to set up a tent outside the door to give her her own space.

These past few months, Nora thought she'd been very good to Claire.

Initially, Frederick wanted Claire to leave at night, but Nora worried about the inconvenience of her going back and forth, so she specially had a guest room prepared for her.

Usually, whatever Nora ate, Claire ate too. She had always treated Claire like family. When she learned Claire still had student loans to repay, Nora even had Frederick advance her a full year's salary at once.

On her birthday, she would carefully prepare surprises and gifts for her.

She had always been nothing but genuine, so it made no sense to her why Claire would ruin her marriage when she hadn’t wronged her in any way.

"Honey, I haven't changed the sheets in the master bedroom yet. I'll come keep you company later."

While Nora was lost in thought, Frederick chose Claire.

After saying this, he tucked Nora in and hurriedly left.

Before leaving, worried Nora might hear more sounds, he even locked the guest room door from outside.

Though Nora had braced herself to leave after the baby was born, the sound of the door locking still sent tears streaming down her face.

She hadn't loved Frederick before, but since agreeing to be his girlfriend and accepting his proposal, she had unknowingly fallen in love with him through their daily life together.

The moment she chose to protect him in the car accident, she had even thought that as long as Frederick was safe, she would be willing to die.

Now, she wished she had never thought that; gripping the recorder tightly, Nora urged herself to endure just a little longer.

Once she collected enough evidence, she would definitely strike Frederick down at his happiest moment!

Nora didn't sleep that night.

Because even though Frederick had closed the door, it still couldn't block out their sounds of pleasure.

As dawn neared, Nora drifted into a fitful sleep, and by the time she woke, Claire was already dressed in her caregiver's uniform.

"Nora, how did you end up sleeping in the guest room? You don't look well - did you not sleep well last night?"

Claire pretended to know nothing, facing Nora with a face full of concern.

While showing concern for Nora, she handed her a glass of warm milk.

Over the past few months, Claire had behaved this way exceptionally attentive in Nora’s presence, so convincingly that Nora never sensed anything amiss between her and Frederick!

Thinking of last night, when Claire had also handed her milk like this.

Nora took the milk and splashed it all over Claire's face.

"Nora, what are you doing?"

Milk was suddenly splashed onto Claire, and fury flashed in her eyes before she quickly buried it, remembering her role and forcing a smile.

"Is it late pregnancy discomfort? Should I call a doctor for you..."

"Why? Claire, tell me - I've been so good to you, why would you do this to me?"

After a night of torment, Nora had reached her breaking point and no longer cared to restrain herself she needed to know why Claire was involved with Frederick!

What had she ever done to wrong her?

"Nora, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

Claire pulled out a tissue to wipe the milk off her face. While wiping, she raised her hand to hide the viciousness in her eyes. When she lowered it, her face had recovered its usual pretense of gentleness.

“I left the milk untouched last night. I stayed silent all month only to see how far you’d push things,” Nora said, and in that moment, everything became clear to her.

Claire had no bottom line at all!

She had never truly understood her!

Right in front of her, seducing Frederick, having sex with Frederick - this was her way of provoking her, taking revenge on her! But she honestly believed she had never done anything to wrong her!

"Didn't drink the milk? So you heard everything last night? Nora, how did it feel listening to your husband having sex with me?"

In an instant, Claire dropped her gentle act, her expression turning cold and calculating as a sinister glint filled her eyes; as she spoke, she tugged down her collar, revealing the marks on her skin.

Looking at Nora, there was no more concealment in her gaze.

Only pure malice.

"You thought you had everything, but you never expected it was all fake! I'm not as good as you in anything, but I'm better than you in one thing - right now, I can satisfy your husband better!"

"So you do know Frederick is my husband! I honestly don't think I've wronged you in any way. Why would you do this to me?"

Nora snapped, grabbing a book from the bedside and hurling it in Claire’s direction, her gaze locked on her as she demanded an answer.

Claire let the book Nora threw come at her, then dodged it gracefully just before it hit.

"You're asking me why? Why is it that we grew up together, but your food, clothes, home, everything was so much better than mine? It's one thing that your family had money, but they all loved you so much too!"

"While I couldn't eat or dress well, I also had to endure my parents beating and scolding me every day! Do you know that every time you helped me, it made me resent you even more! If you had never helped me, maybe I could have accepted my miserable life. But it was you who showed me that people could live like you do! So I want to take everything you have, replace you, and live the good life you have!"

"Nora, aren’t you always so eager to help others? So when do you plan to divorce Frederick? Your legs don’t even work properly anyway,” Claire said coldly. Do you really think that even if you have the baby, you can keep this marriage going? Instead of waiting to be abandoned by Frederick someday, why not leave while he still has some feelings for you? At least then, when he thinks of you later, he'll remember you fondly!"

kindness toward you was just taken as arrogance,” Nora said bitterly. “Claire, you want Frederick, don’t you? Then let's make a bet. I won't tell Frederick about this - I'll act like I don't know anything."

Frederick had clearly sworn he would always be good to her, that Nora would be the only one to carry his child in this lifetime!

It turned out he hadn’t just cheated with Claire, he had even broken his vow for her. Nora swallowed the sharp sting in her eyes and forced herself to stay composed.

"I want to see just how much Frederick really loves you. Whether he'll ask me for a divorce for your sake!"

As she finished speaking, Frederick walked in, fastening his cufflinks.

He didn’t hear Nora’s full sentence, only the word “divorce,” and panic immediately set in. His eyes darted to Claire, fear creeping in that she might have revealed their affair to Nora.

"Honey, what divorce? What are you talking about? I made a vow - we'll never divorce in this lifetime!"

Frederick shot Claire a warning glare, then lifted Nora onto the new wheelchair. Kneeling in front of her, he picked up her hand and kissed it lightly.

His bright eyes were filled with deep affection, completely focused on Nora.

Nora looked at the man pretending to be affectionate and wanted to pull her hand back and slap him hard.

She wanted to end the marriage on the spot, but without solid proof of his affair and knowing he would never confess, she forced herself to hold back.

Quietly crumpling the test results in her hand into a ball and hiding it in her palm, Nora turned to look at Claire.

"Nothing, just chatting casually with Claire, right?"

Claire had just been very fake in front of Frederick.

She only dared to show off in front of Nora. Deep down, she knew it clearly, even though Frederick kept returning to her, his love had always belonged to Nora from the very beginning to end.

Telling herself there was plenty of time, that she was already pregnant, and that she had Frederick's mother's support - becoming his wife was just a matter of time.

With this thought, she smiled and grabbed Nora's wheelchair handle.

"Yes, Mr. Kennedy. I was just having a casual chat with Nora, nothing important. Her legs are still weak, so I’ll go downstairs and help her massage them,” she said. Come home early tonight - we'll be waiting for you."

Claire adjusted her emotions. As she pushed the wheelchair past Frederick, she pretended it was accidental when her fingers brushed his hand.

"Okay, I won't work late tonight. I'll come home right after work. Honey, you and the baby be good today and wait for me at home."

Frederick recalled the position Claire had brought up the night before, and a flicker of interest crossed his mind, though he disliked her taking the lead, especially with Nora nearby.

He avoided her hand and gave her a warning look.

He bent down and kissed Nora's forehead.

Nora watched Frederick's eyes full of deep affection, her nails digging hard into her palm.

This was the same husband who repeatedly claimed he loved her and would never divorce her in this lifetime yet here he was, openly arranging a date with his mistress right in front of her.

What did he take her for!