Chapter 2

The livestream had gone on for nearly five hours. Fans flooded the comments. "I'm so jealous. That postnatal center costs 50 thousand dollars a month. Her husband is by her side, too." "She's so lucky." "Where do I sign up to get a husband like that?" Landon had been a military officer serving the country before he took over the Ferguson Group. What he hated most was showing his face in front of a camera. Even when I asked him for a photo together, he'd coldly reject my request. Yet, he was now making an exception for Lydia, who was broadcasting live nationwide. Lydia beamed as she answered her fans, "He's very thoughtful!" Was Landon thoughtful? A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. I smiled as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Landon had never been a patient or considerate lover around me. I remembered asking him to watch a movie with me once, and he finally agreed after much coaxing and pleading. But in the end, he slept through an hour and a half of the two-hour film. When he woke up, he rubbed his temples and said impatiently, "Spending time with you is a waste of my time." He was capable of caring for others. After all, he was constantly by Lydia's side. I was simply the exception. Landon must have recognized my Instagram username. He called me. "You have half an hour. Come to the postnatal center for your mother's belongings." The pair had ended the livestream by the time I arrived. Lydia greeted me with a warm smile, "Did you come to see me, Annette?" I ignored her and walked straight toward Landon. I held out my hand and said, "Hand them over." The smile on his face faded as his expression darkened. "Lydia was talking to you. Did you go mute or what?" I forced a smile and looked at Lydia. "Congratulations, Ms. Thompson. You've succeeded in seducing my fiance and giving birth to a baby. I suppose your next step is to use the child to climb your way to the top." Landon hurled the teacup in his hand to the floor. "Watch your mouth or shut up!" Lydia suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, tears hitting the floor. Landon instantly grew anxious. "What's wrong, Lydia? Where does it hurt?" She bit her lip and looked at me with eyes red from crying. "Annette, I never meant to come between you and Mr. Ferguson. It's just that the doctor said this might be my only chance to be a mother. Don't worry—I'll leave once I've recovered. I won't bother Mr. Ferguson again." Then, she turned her gaze to the baby in the cradle. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You lost your daddy the moment you were born. I didn't mean to… Please forgive me…" She sobbed uncontrollably as if she had been overcome by pain and sorrow. The look Landon gave me was venomous, making him seem monstrous. "Are you happy now that you've made her cry?" I let out a scornful laugh. "You're the only one who would find such a pathetic performance moving." My behavior infuriated him. He yanked off the pocket watch my mother left me from around his neck and raised it into the air, poised to throw it to the floor. My pupils contracted as I cried out in panic, "No! Don't!" He didn't stop. Instead, he flung it violently into the distance. The pocket watch shattered on impact into pieces on the floor. I stumbled on a sharp corner of the table, hitting my bone. The piercing pain shot through me and made me gasp. Landon sneered. "That's what you get for the disrespect. Get out. Stop faking it for attention." Lydia shot me a hypocritical look of concern. "You should get up, Annette. Mr. Ferguson saw you pretending to fall…" I gritted my teeth and glared coldly at her.