Chapter 3

I read those words over and over, feeling as if I had been struck by lightning.

In our first year of marriage, I had begged Jack repeatedly, saying I wanted to have a baby.

When he heard this, he looked terrified and stroked my hair.

"No, I'm afraid it would hurt you to give birth. I can't bear to see you suffer, darling."

At the time, I thought he truly cared for me.

Now I realize he simply didn't want to have a child with me.

All these years, he said he didn't want children. Because of this, his mother would scold me, calling me a "hen that can't lay eggs" and hurling insults at me to this day.

But I loved children, so Jack adopted Lily from an orphanage.

At first, Lily was very attached to me. She would cling to me and call me "Mommy" in a sweet voice.

Later, when she realized her grandmother didn't like me, she started disliking me too.

Her way of addressing me changed from "Mommy" to a cold "you" and "her".

Jack had tried to mediate at first, but after he got busy starting a company with his friends, he never bothered again.

My heart ached, and tears fell in large drops.

Jack came in, carrying a plate of food. He crouched down and looked at me, "Stop crying. I was a bit harsh earlier. You haven't eaten, have something to fill your stomach."

My voice was hoarse as I asked, "You don't want me to have a baby because of Emma, right?"

His eyes froze, and he was speechless.

I already knew the answer.

Seeing his reaction now, I calmly accepted this reality.

I didn't take the chopsticks he offered.

"No need to answer. I'm not hungry."

He looked troubled, "If it's about the greenhouse, I'll have someone fix it up tomorrow. There's no need to throw such a tantrum."

Looking at Jack in front of me, I suddenly remembered how I used to watch him silently.

Back then, he only had eyes for Emma and never looked at other girls.

After we got married, he seemed cold but would show moments of tenderness towards me.

He would kiss my forehead when I was asleep and prepare surprises for our anniversaries.

I thought I had finally earned his affection.

Now that Emma was back, I realized what I had wasn't much at all.

I didn't respond to him anymore. I lay down on my side, turning my back to him.

He made no attempt to comfort me, just put the bowl and chopsticks on the nightstand and left.

After struggling for a long time, I finally messaged my best friend: "Can you help me find a lawyer to draft divorce papers?"

I couldn't sleep that night. Jack slept in the study.

In the morning, Lily ran into my room, demanding that I make her breakfast.

"If you don't make me breakfast, I'll be late! If I'm late and the teacher scolds me, it'll be all your fault!"

I looked at my daughter calmly. Even though she wasn't my biological child, I had always cared for her wholeheartedly over the years.

She often complained about my cooking, saying my fried eggs were too hard one day, or my wraps were tasteless the next.

She would pout and say, "I've had breakfast made by my classmates' moms. Why can't you learn to cook properly?"

Unfortunately, my sincere love couldn't win her genuine affection.

I said, "Ask grandma to make something for you. If not, your dad can..."

At this, she burst into tears.

"Dad! She's bullying me, she won't make me breakfast!"

Jack immediately came in and picked her up, soothing her gently.

Then he turned to me and scolded, "Rose, I thought you had gotten over your anger from yesterday. Are you still targeting Lily? She's just a child."

I had seen this scene countless times before.

Whenever Lily was unhappy, it was always my fault. Jack would always argue with me to appease her.

Now I felt powerless.

I didn't answer, just looked at him coldly.

He didn't look at me again, just prepared some milk and bread for Lily, then turned and left with her, closing the door behind them.