Chapter 3

"Did you freeze the fund?" he demanded directly. I retorted, "Didn't you say your business was making money and you won't be using the fund anymore?" Matthew choked on his words. Before, I had never kept track of such things with him. Compared to money, I cared more about him. From the other end of the line came Angela's pretentious voice. "Forget it, Matthew. I don't need this diamond bracelet." "No, you look pretty wearing this. We have to buy it," Matthew replied firmly. He then walked aside and started persuading me, "Renee, I know you're still jealous that I kept the pregnancy from you, but the baby is yours. How could you be this stingy toward your baby?" He then added, "The baby may not be growing in your belly, but you still have to step up as a mother by taking responsibility and caring for them. Even if the child stumbles upon the truth later on, they won't blame you. They'll still love and look after you. Now unfreeze the account, or I'm really going to be angry." Afraid that I would argue, Matthew quickly ended the call. Ever since the accident, the moment he so much as mentioned getting angry, I would lose all composure and obey him without question. I was terrified he would dump me, a cripple who had nothing. Now, I merely found his actions ridiculous. Soon, I saw Angela's post on Instagram, with the caption reading, "Today, both the big and the little babies had their tummies filled." In the photo, she and Matthew were snapping a mirror selfie at the hotel. One of Matthew's hands was resting on her belly, and the other was stroking her head. I let out a mocking laugh. Was this supposed to be a prenatal checkup? Was he doing this for our future? Right then, I was notified that my resignation was approved. After packing up, I headed to the dance company to pick up my stuff that I had left behind before. When I got there, I realized that Matthew had called me a few times, asking me to unfreeze the account. Since I hadn't answered the calls, he had started texting me, scolding me for being heartless and ignoring the baby. How absurd! The baby wasn't even mine. I kept a low profile and headed toward my locker. I ran into Matthew with his arm draped around Angela's shoulders. Everyone crowded around them, offering their congratulations. "Ange is only two months along, and her pregnancy isn't stable yet. Matthew, you shouldn't overdo it." Blushing shyly, Angela buried herself in his arms. Matthew chuckled before sighing. "I can't bear to see Ange go on stage and wear herself out again, but the dance company is about to go on tour. "If it had been before, at least she would have had someone to share the burden with. But now, I have to see if there's another suitable female partner." That "someone" he referred to was me. From the moment Matthew pulled strings to bring Angela into the dance company as an exception, he kept using the excuse that she was his mentor's daughter to push all kinds of troublesome tasks onto me. At first, he would give me massages and praise me for being considerate. Over time, though, he had started taking Angela's side instead. He would accuse me of sabotaging her and not allowing her to go on stage because I was jealous of her youth and looks. With Matthew and Angela spreading rumors every day, the members of the dance company came to believe I was terrible and had malicious intentions. If it hadn't been for my skills, I probably would've been forced out of the dance company long before the accident. After grabbing my stuff, I turned and was about to leave when I heard my colleague congratulating Matthew and Angela. "You two should've gotten together long ago. Matthew, your talent speaks for itself. No matter how talented Renee once was, she's now a cripple and doesn't deserve you. Angela is your perfect match." How ironic. Back when I first started dating Matthew, he was an outcast who had been rejected by other dance companies for failing to meet professional standards. Meanwhile, I had already made a name for myself after a few tour performances. I was the one who convinced our company director, Timothy Grafen, to bring Matthew on board, and he was only able to become my dance partner because I had insisted on it. I was also the one who, slowly but surely, performed hard show after show on tours to help shape him into the dancer he was today. If I could turn back time, I wouldn't even spare him a look. Holding my stuff, I made my way to Timothy's office. Timothy was happy for me, but he also felt sorry to see me leave. "Does Matthew know that your legs have recovered?"