Chapter 5

Tears welled up in Hazel’s eyes.

She had only ever hand-washed Julian’s clothes. Seraphina’s demand now was clearly meant to humiliate her.

“Julian, do you really want me to hand-wash Seraphina’s clothes?”

Julian’s tone was cold. “What’s so bad about washing clothes? It’s just as Seraphina said, you just want something for nothing!”

The phrase “something for nothing” felt like a harsh slap across Hazel’s face.

For three years, to better care for Julian, she had quit her job and devoted herself to being a full-time wife.

Though she didn’t work outside the home, she kept their house meticulously organized, ensuring Julian always had a meal ready when he returned from work and neatly ironed clothes to wear when he left.

Yet, all this effort, in his eyes, was “getting something for nothing”?

Hazel swallowed her heartache and tears, taking a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll earn this money with labor!”

She resignedly took Seraphina’s clothes to hand-wash. The icy water, sharp and biting, covered her hands.

Tears fell, one by one, into the water. Hazel was sobbing uncontrollably.

Just then, she noticed a kingfisher brooch on Seraphina’s clothes, identical to the brooch Julian had given her for her birthday two years ago.

Except Seraphina’s brooch was heavier, and the gems on it sparkled with a more brilliant fire.

In an instant, a chill spread through her entire body, and her heart felt like it was being slowly flayed.

So, everything Julian had given her was fake. His sincerity was fake, their marriage certificate was fake, and even a simple brooch was fake!

After washing the clothes, she returned to her room and unhesitatingly threw her own brooch into the trash can.

Along with the fake marriage certificate, she tore it into pieces and tossed it into the bin.

Hazel handed the washed and dried clothes to Seraphina, saying to both of them coldly, “Can I take the children’s clothes now?”

“Ah!!” Seraphina suddenly shrieked, pointing to a barely visible tiny black spot on the clothes. “My new clothes are ruined! How am I supposed to wear them now?!”

Hazel quickly interjected, “But the stain isn’t obvious. It doesn’t affect them at all!”

“Julian, this is a limited-edition dress you bought for me, and now it’s stained! How can I wear it?!”

Julian indulged Seraphina completely, turning to Hazel. “Go wash these clothes again!”

“But…” Hazel’s eyes welled with tears, and she gasped, choking out, “I’ve only ever washed *your* clothes before. When have I ever washed anyone else’s?”

Perhaps that sentence jogged Julian’s memory, and a flicker of reluctance appeared. He tried to reason with Seraphina. “Seraphina, let’s just forget it. I’ll buy you another one.”

Seraphina was furious, but her eyes quickly darted around, and she came up with a new idea.

She smiled, looking perfectly understanding. “Hazel, I heard you’re going to a class reunion tomorrow, right? I don’t think you have any nice clothes. Why don’t I give you this dress, so you can make a splash at your reunion tomorrow?”

Hazel was too upset to go to the orphanage and instead chose to rest at home for a day.

This university reunion was set at a bar.

Hazel went to the reunion wearing the expensive dress Seraphina had given her. She had never worn such a fine dress before.

It was laughable, really. She’d never realized that Julian, who constantly claimed to love her, hadn’t even bought her a single decent piece of clothing or jewelry. And she, foolishly and happily, had been immersed in that ‘love.’

How pathetic, how pitiful, how ridiculous!

At the reunion, everyone was clinking glasses and boasting to each other.

Hazel huddled in a corner, silent, trying to make herself invisible.

She didn’t want to talk to anyone; mainly, there was nothing to say.

Yet, someone still noticed her.

“Hey, isn’t that Hazel Miller? I heard you married into a wealthy family and became a socialite?”

This single comment immediately drew whispers and gasps from the crowd.

She and Julian had kept their marriage quiet, so hardly anyone knew she was married.

“No way? Hazel Miller, weren’t you from the orphanage? How could you marry into a wealthy family? She couldn’t possibly be a mistress to some rich guy, could she?”

“Hahahahaha! Look how expensive that dress she’s wearing is! How could *she* afford it? She definitely must be a rich man’s mistress!”

“Julian Thorne is rich and handsome. Why would he ever look at a woman from Hazel Miller’s background? If you ask me, he and Seraphina, the Miller family’s eldest daughter, are the perfect match! So, Hazel Miller, are you really a mistress?”

These malicious words filled Hazel with shame and indignation. She suppressed her emotions and calmly stated, “I’m not a mistress. I am Julian Thorne’s lawfully wedded wife.”

However, no one believed her.

Just then, someone sharp-eyed saw Julian and Seraphina entering the bar and shouted, “Mr. Thorne, Mr. Thorne, please come over! Hazel Miller here says she’s your wife. Is that true or not?!”

Hazel had never so desperately hoped Julian would confirm their marriage.

She asked expectantly, “Julian, tell them. Am I your wife?”