Chapter 2

Whenever I used to cook for Arthur in the past, he always hugged me from the back and whispered, "You've worked hard, baby." Although Arthur seemed gentle, he had never even gotten me a cup of warm water over the past five years. After all, he was the youngest professor teaching heart surgery at the country's top medical school. Arthur often said, "I need these hands to operate on patients. I must take care of them at all times." Even when holding my hands, he would do it cautiously. But now, he had made an exception for Jenny by cooking for her. As soon as Arthur saw me, he scoffed to himself. He shot me a look that seemed to say, "I knew it." Meanwhile, Jenny greeted me warmly, "Susan, you're back! Shall we eat together?" I quietly walked past her and headed straight for the bedroom. "Hold up!" Arthur suddenly got to his feet, his expression looking rather terrifying. "Jenny was talking to you. Could you please respond? Don't you have any basic manners at all?" I slowly turned around and sneered, "What kind of response are you looking for? Do you want me to thank her for giving birth to my fiance's baby? Should I thank her for making me a mother without needing to go through the pain of giving birth? Or should I just disregard everything and slap her a few times? Should I call her a shameless mistress and then kick her out of my home?" "You!" Arthur choked at my words. The vein on his temple bulged. Suddenly, Jenny covered her mouth and began to dry heave. Crying seemed to come easily to her. Arthur panicked and asked, "Jenny, what is it? Do you feel awful?" "Arthur, I'm fine…" Jenny shakily held onto his sleeve, but she was looking at me tearfully. "Susan, it was all my fault. I don't want to stay at your place either, but I don't have anywhere else to go. Once the baby is born, I'll leave right away. I definitely won't disturb you and Arthur in the future." With that, Jenny suddenly caressed her stomach and sniffled. "Little one, I'm so sorry. I don't want to leave you behind either, but I've done something terrible. I must suffer for it. I'm sorry…" After saying all that, Jenny suddenly began dry heaving violently while lying in Arthur's arms. His gaze directed at me was full of hatred. It was as if I had committed some unforgivable crime. "Are you happy now?" I snorted before walking away. My attitude had infuriated Arthur completely. He immediately picked up a glass from the table and violently threw it at me. I immediately felt a sharp pain at the back of my head before hearing the sound of glass shattering. I fell on top of the staircase, hard. Thanks to the sharp pain, I instantly broke out into a cold sweat. For a moment, I was unable to stand up. "Why are you pretending? Quickly get up!" Arthur yelled impatiently behind me. Meanwhile, Jenny feigned concern as she approached me. "Susan, you're okay, right? I saw that the glass merely grazed past your shoulder—" "Shut up!" I interrupted, hissing through gritted teeth. Then, I forced myself to stand up. Seeing how rude I was to Jenny, Arthur's gaze turned icy. "Jenny doesn't have much of an appetite. You should prepare your special chicken noodle soup for her. Remember not to add onions. She doesn't like those." "No way." I objected without hesitation. "This is an order!" Arthur's expression looked horrifying. "Susan, do you really think you have a choice?" I clenched my fists as I met his gaze. "I refuse to cook for Jenny. What are you going to do about it?" An icy glint flashed through Arthur's gaze. He strode forward and grabbed me roughly by my arm. Then, he shoved me hard into the kitchen before shutting the door with a slam. "As long as you don't prepare the soup, don't even think about leaving!" "Arthur, have you lost your mind?" I banged my fists against the door. I kept yelling with all my might, demanding him to let me out. But all I heard was silence. My palms were burning and swollen from hitting the door. In the end, I slumped to the floor weakly and leaned against the cold door panels.