Chapter 4
Alfred and I both know the password to this safe.
All the valuable things in the house are stored here, and I never felt the need to hide anything from him.
“You took all the gold jewelry you gave me?” I asked.
Alfred answered calmly, without a hint of guilt, “I bought those for you after we got married. They were never meant to be just your personal gifts. They belong to both of us, so I have the right to manage them.”
I reached further inside and found that all the gold bars that were once stacked there were gone.
“The gold bars are my own property,” I said.
Alfred tried to come closer and hug me, but I quickly stepped aside.
His voice grew gentler. “I used all my money to buy this house. The baby’s due in a few months. I need to prepare a good present.
“We have to pay the price to achieve our goals. Gotta send a little something to show our care.”
The moment those words left his mouth, my heart sank.
I nodded and asked, “Did you take the emerald pendant I wrapped in a cloth bag?”
“Oh! That, I didn’t take. But Melissa accidentally broke it.
“She checked it and said it wasn’t very valuable, so I didn’t ask anyone to
fix it.”
As he said that, he took out a cloth bag from the drawer of the bedside. table.
When I opened it, the emerald pendant that was once whole now had three cracks.
My head was buzzing with anger.
“This was a keepsake from my mom,” I said quietly.
Alfred replied calmly, “It’s just cracked, not lost. It’s fine.”
I put the emerald pendant inside my bag’s inner pocket, grabbed my ID, and prepared to leave.
“Melissa worried you might be upset, so she asked me to say sorry for her. I know you are always kind and won’t mind this, so I’ve forgiven her on your behalf.”
Alfred stopped me from going and tried to see if I was really mad or not.
Seeing his anxious face made me laugh until tears came.
“You already handled it, so I don’t have
any objection.”
Alfred nodded happily, “I knew you were the most sensible one.
“Wait a bit more. When the baby is born, I’ll pick a day to host a family welcome party. That way, we’ll have a child in the future.”
When Alfred talked about having kids, his eyes looked hopeful.
But he forgot that our seven children never even got to be born.
Why would I be eager to become the mother of someone else’s child?
I said nothing and walked out the door.
Everything in this new house was bought by Alfred. Not one thing. matched what I liked. This place didn’t feel like mine.
I was exhausted and just wanted to return to my own home.
Before I got on the plane, Alfred sent me a message asking for the secret recipe for beef pasta.
He said Melissa’s taste changes all the time and she wanted to eat it now.
I blocked him on social media.
Then a message popped up on my phone. It was from my billionaire father.
“Today is the final day of the three–year test.”
