Chapter 3

Joyce cleaned up the wall and cleared the last scraps of trash. When she returned, Edward's tone was just as sharp as before. "What are you walking around with that gloomy face for? I'll let it slide today, but don't you dare show up like that for tomorrow's charity gala. If you bring shame to the Gray family, I won't let it pass so easily." Joyce listened quietly, not talking back for once. After several years of marriage, it was time to end it tomorrow. … The next day, when Joyce arrived at the gala, Nathan and Bianca were already there. Hand in hand, they were surrounded by the crowd. Every small movement of theirs was sweet and intimate. Reporters pressed them again and again for the secret to their enduring love. Nathan did not answer. Instead, when the flashes of the cameras grew too harsh for Bianca, he lifted a hand and called off all interviews as he stepped in front of her. "My wife is due soon, so she can't be overexerted. Thank you for understanding." His voice was warm, but anyone could hear the bias in his tone. Bianca leaned against him, her face full of bliss. "He's impossible, always wanting to stick with me 24 hours a day. Last time, when my sister-in-law was in the hospital, I had to talk him into visiting her. "I have him for company. It's my sister-in-law who's alone right now. Instead of swarming me, why not go keep her company?" The words finally drew the media's attention to Joyce. They closed in on her, asking her about her late husband. On stage, Nathan did not react, shielding Bianca without giving her even the slightest glance. Joyce drew a deep breath. "The dead can't come back, and I've already accepted that. Thank you for your concern. I'll move on in time." That was when Nathan's expression shifted at her words. … On her way back from the restroom, Nathan blocked Joyce at the door. "What do you mean, the dead can't come back? Joyce, I told you I'll come back once Bianca has the baby. Can't you at least try to understand?" She looked at him in silence. Her tears had long since dried, and her eyes felt parched. Joyce pushed him away. "Have some respect, Julian." He froze, then his expression surged with emotions as he pressed her into the corner. "Joyce, I didn't have a choice. Do you have to be this stubborn with me? Do you have any idea—" Before he could finish, his phone rang. It was Bianca. "Babe, where are you? Another batch of reporters just showed up. I'm scared." One sentence, and Nathan dropped everything to rush back to Bianca. … When the event ended, Bianca came over with Nathan, her hand in his. "Joyce, we have something to do, and we've already called a driver for you. Can you head home on your own?" Before Nathan could say a word, Joyce answered, "Sure!" Her reply caught him off guard. "If you feel lonely, we could drop you off on the way, too. It's no trouble!" However, Bianca immediately clung to his arm. "But you promised to take me to that new high-end club tonight." Joyce swallowed down the wave of revulsion rising in her throat. "There's no need to trouble yourselves."