Chapter 3

The cameras were installed overnight, covering every room except for the bathroom and my own bedroom. There wasn't a single blind spot. The private investigator I hired was efficient too. He promised to get me a full background check on Celeste within a week. With everything in place, I lay down in bed nervously. I was bracing myself for May 18th, the day that doomed my past life. I didn't sleep a wink that night. By morning, I barely recognized the person staring back at me in the mirror. Dark circles hung under my eyes like bruises. Celeste wasn't a live-in housekeeper. She usually arrived around 9:00 am. In my past life, I had left early that day to pick up Howard from the airport. This time, I decided to follow the same path to avoid rousing suspicion. But before I left, I made a call. "Celeste, Howard and I won't be home today. There's no need to cook lunch or dinner. You just need to tidy up the place a bit." Her voice on the other end was polite and gentle, nothing like how she was before the media outside the courthouse. I told Howard to go straight to the university after his flight landed and not to return home. Meanwhile, I didn't go to the airport either. Instead, I made my way to a quiet cafe. There, I sat in a corner and pulled out my tablet. I connected it to the home surveillance system. This was my once chance to catch Celeste slipping up, and I wasn't going to miss a second of it. Celeste arrived at 9:00 am sharp. As usual, she started by cleaning the house. Up until noon, she did everything normally. There were no suspicious activities. Just as disappointment started to creep in, she suddenly strolled straight into my bedroom. When she walked out of the room, she was wearing my silk nightgown, and my jewelry sparkled on her neck and wrists. She plopped herself down on the couch like she owned the place, elegantly swirling a glass of red wine. She behaved as if she were the real lady of the house. That was when the doorbell rang. Calm and composed, she stood up and opened the door. A young woman walked in. When I saw her face, my hands went numb, and I almost dropped the coffee in my hand. It was Stella Voss, Howard's prized student—someone he always described as diligent and modest. Now, here she was, affectionately wrapping her arm around Celeste. "Mom, you really do look like a rich lady dressed like this." Celeste handed her a bottle of tonic and pulled her onto the couch beside her. Stella saw the wine on the table and frowned. "Mom, why are you drinking that wine? What if someone finds out and starts questioning whether you're actually pregnant?" "What's there to worry about? I'm not keeping the baby. Once the paternity test results are out, my job's done." Having said that, she casually took another sip and poured a second glass for Stella. "Stella, we'll be set for life after today. This house will eventually be ours." Stella glanced around the living room, her eyes flashing with greed. "We've been planning all this while for this very day. Mom, remember to post everything online this afternoon, just like we discussed. I've already hired paid commenters to blow things up. By tomorrow, both of them will be completely ruined!" Celeste grinned even wider and rested her hand on her stomach. "Sweetie, you're truly a genius to come up with such an idea. It'll be impossible for Mr. Anderson to talk his way out of this," she said proudly. Stella leaned in close and whispered in Celeste's ear, "Mom, you still have to be careful. After the paternity test, you must take care of… you know… that thing. If you don't… we'll both…" Was this the truth behind the so-called pregnancy? I quickly turned up the volume on my earpiece. Celeste gave Stella's shoulder a reassuring pat, her expression brimming with confidence. "Don't worry. I've got everything under control. I won't make a single mistake. Once the results are out, I'll go take care of that thing…"