Chapter 2

"Wronged? What's there to be wronged about? She disappeared over such a small matter back then. Now she's back because she couldn't make it on her own. A little hardship is what she deserves."

My heart practically stopped at those words.

Even now, did he still think getting married to Seraphina was a "small matter"?

The Julian who once loved me was long gone.

He was no longer the boy who, despite his own injuries, carried me across half the city.

Nor the young man who, with nothing, loudly proclaimed his love and promised me everything.

And certainly not the successful man who once willingly cooked for me with his own hands.

But it was fine. It was all in the past, no need to dwell on it.

After all, I was about to have my second child.

Pushing down my thoughts, I really didn't want to waste time bickering with them here. It was pointless.

I looked at Julian, my voice calm.

"Aren't you here to pick me up? Let's go."

The scene went silent for a moment. They exchanged glances, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Seraphina scoffed, her voice cold.

"Wait for *you*? You think you're worthy?!"

She pointed at the sign. "Look closely, we're waiting for Helina. Do you even know who that is?"

That was my English name. Of course, I knew.

"Helina is Mrs. Montgomery, the lady of the Montgomery family, Mr. Montgomery's rightful wife."

"Mr. Montgomery is a fierce decision-maker in the business world, but personally, he's a true romantic. Rumor has it he didn't marry for years because he was waiting for Helina."

"Everyone in our circle knows it's better to curry favor with Mrs. Montgomery than with Mr. Montgomery. Mrs. Montgomery is the apple of his eye."

Hearing their chattering, a happy smile touched my lips.

Three years into our marriage, Asher's business had grown exponentially, and his reputation as a doting husband had only gotten louder.

Seraphina, always wanting to one-up me, seized the opportunity to show off:

"To win Mrs. Montgomery's heart, Mr. Montgomery once bought a 'True Love Forever' bracelet at Christie's, valued at 20 million... dollars."

"Mrs. Montgomery is the envy of women everywhere."

She paused, then pointed at my wrist, her voice shrill.

"It's this one!"

The crowd suddenly fell silent, everyone staring at my bracelet.

Julian roughly grabbed my hand, scrutinizing it for a moment, then sneered.

"Pretty good fake! Which broke delivery guy got this for you? Gifting knock-offs, seriously."

"Trash."

I yanked my hand away from him, a faint smile playing on my lips as I gently caressed the bracelet.

Seeing my happy smile, Julian's pupils constricted. He grabbed my wrist again, violently ripping the bracelet off.

I hadn't expected such a sudden move and he succeeded in one swift motion.