Chapter 3

When Nina was discharged from the hospital, Jayden did not show up to pick her up.

Instead, his assistant, Vincent Quinn, arrived, explaining that Jayden was in a meeting and told her to go home to rest first, then return to the Landon Manor for dinner that evening.

As Nina stared at the scenery speeding by outside the car window, memories flooded back of the first time she stepped into the Landon Manor as Jayden's wife three years ago. Jayden's stepmother, Fiona Landon, had openly sneered in front of all the guests. "Jayden married you out of pity for your broke family. Know your place, and don't delude yourself into thinking you're anything special."

How had she responded back then? She had smiled and said, "I'll take good care of Jayden," like a typical doormat wife.

Now, thinking about it, she felt nothing but contempt for her own cowardice.

The Landon Manor, a sprawling hillside villa in the western part of the city covering acres of land with elegant pavilions and gardens, looked like a small palace. When Nina arrived, the living room was already filled with people.

Fiona sat in the main seat, wearing a tight emerald green dress with her hair styled perfectly. At sixty-two, she maintained a flawless appearance, and her gaze when looking at people was like appraising a commodity up for sale.

"You're here?" Fiona lifted her eyes slightly. "Sit."

Nina chose the farthest corner seat. She had just recovered from a high fever, felt weak all over, and just wanted to fade into the background.

But someone refused to let her be. A sweet, cloying voice rang out as Mila walked down the stairs, linking her arm affectionately with Fiona's.

"Mrs. Fiona Landon, I hope my sister didn't cause you any trouble? She's never had any sense of propriety, no matter how much my mom tried to teach her over the years," she said.

Nina looked up at her half-sister, who was dressed in a red dress with delicate makeup.

Three years younger than Nina, Mila was the daughter of Nina's father and his second wife, spoiled rotten since childhood. Her gaze toward Nina always carried a condescending pity.

"Mila, my dear!" Fiona immediately smiled, patting her hand, "Come sit next to me. Unlike some people, who can't even bother to greet others when they arrive."

Nina stood up and whispered, "Mom."

"Don't call me mom." Fiona frowned. "I don't deserve that title. You've been married for three years and haven't gotten pregnant once. How dare you call me mom?"

Soft snickers echoed through the living room.

Nina clenched her fists tightly. It wasn't that she didn't want a child; Jayden simply refused to touch her. Except for that one night on their wedding day when he was drunk, they had slept in separate rooms for the past three years.

"Mrs. Fiona Landon, don't blame Nina." Mila feigned sympathy. "I heard Jayden's been really busy lately, hardly ever coming home. How can my sister have a child all alone?"

The innuendo in her words was clear to everyone in the room.

Fiona's expression turned even colder. "Nina, I don't care what you have to do. You must conceive this year. The Landon family doesn't tolerate dead weight, and certainly not a woman who fails to give the family an heir."

Nina hung her head and said nothing.

She had long since learned to stay silent in such situations. Arguing would only bring more humiliation, and Jayden would never stand up for her.

"Mom, I'm home," a deep voice called from the doorway.

Jayden walked into the living room, with Claire following closely behind him.

Nina looked up suddenly at her husband, dressed in a dark gray suit with a cold, indifferent expression, as if he hadn't noticed the tense atmosphere in the room.

Claire, in a white dress, stood obediently behind Jayden. When she saw Nina, she gave an apologetic smile. "Nina, I... I tagged along for dinner. You won't mind, will you?"

Before Nina could respond, Fiona was already waving enthusiastically. "Claire, my dear! Come sit, come sit. I haven't seen you in ages. Jayden, why didn't you tell me Claire was coming? I would have asked the kitchen to add more dishes."

In contrast, Nina felt like an extra outsider.

Jayden sat down next to her, leaving a seat's distance between them. He glanced at her, his brows furrowing slightly. "You look terrible. Didn't you rest well?"

Nina was surprised. It was the first time Jayden had spoken to her voluntarily at a family dinner.

"I'm fine," she replied quietly.

Fiona cut in. "Jayden, you're just in time. I was just telling Nina that you two should have a child. Claire, don't you agree?"

Claire's smile froze for a split second before she said gently, "Yes, Nina. Children are the bond of a marriage. Unlike me, I'm used to being alone and always envy couples like you who... "

She paused, as if she had said the wrong thing, and looked at Jayden anxiously. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant..."

Jayden suddenly spoke up, his voice cold, "What Claire means is that she envies us having a marriage."

Claire's face turned pale instantly.

Nina was also stunned. Was Jayden defending her? Or was he mocking Claire? She couldn't read him at all.

*****

Dinner began, and dishes were served one after another. Nina had no appetite and only picked at the greens in front of her.

"Word reached my ears recently of your jewelry design work, Nina," Fiona stated mid-meal, abruptly.

Nina's movements stilled at once. She had taken private freelance commissions for niche luxury jewelry brands under a simple alias, guarding this secret fiercely to avoid scandal. How Fiona uncovered the truth baffled her deeply.

"Merely casual sketchwork in my spare hours," she answered vaguely.

"Casual sketchwork?" Fiona let out a mocking scoff. "The Evans family teeters on financial ruin, yet you waste precious time doodling aimlessly? I also know you accepted a necklace commission commissioned personally by Mrs. Todd."

Nina's heart sank. That job was supposed to be confidential. If Fiona knew about it, someone must be snooping around behind her back.

Mila chimed in brightly, "I was the one who connected Mrs. Todd with Nina in the first place. I saw my sister idling around the manor endlessly, so I sourced small opportunities for her. Though..." A smug smile was on her face. "I credited all finalized blueprints under my own name. Surely you hold no hard feelings over such trivial details, Nina?"

Shock and rage surged through Nina all at once.

The iconic "Stellar Galaxy" collection had cost three sleepless nights of relentless drafting, with dozens of discarded failed sketches left behind. Sally Todd had sung endless praises for the original designer's talent, eager to arrange an in-person meeting. She had thought she could finally stand on her own two feet with her talent, only to have Mila steal her credit.

"You..." Nina's voice trembled with rage.

"What's wrong?" Mila blinked innocently. "Nina, it's just some sketches anyway. Does it matter whose name is on them?" She turned to Jayden, "Besides, isn't Jayden negotiating a cooperation with the Todd family lately? By helping you out, I'm also helping Jayden, right?"

Jayden put down his fork and looked at Nina. "You took a commission from the Todd family?"

Nina tightened her fingers. She hadn't told Jayden because she knew he'd disapprove. If people found out Jayden's wife was out there working as a designer, it would be embarrassing for the Landon family.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Would you have agreed?" Nina asked quietly.

Jayden fell silent for a moment.

That silence chilled Nina to the bone. She'd known the answer all along. So why did she even ask?

Fiona said, "Jayden, I hate to say this, but your wife is so irresponsible. Do you know what kind of status the Landon family has? Her going out to work is a slap in your face! She should stay at home and focus on having a baby. That's her real job."

"Mrs. Fiona Landon, Nina is just trying to help out the family. But designing is really hard work. Last time I saw Nina's hands, they were covered in calluses," Claire said softly.

On the surface, she sounded sympathetic, but in reality, she was reminding everyone that Nina had fallen so low that she had to work with her own hands to make money.

Nina looked around the table and suddenly felt absurd.

Her husband, his mother, her half-sister, her husband's first love—everyone sat there chatting and laughing, while she was the one being judged, criticized, and pitied.

"I'm full." She stood up. "I'll go back to my room to rest."

"Stop right there. I haven't left the table yet. Don't you know any manners?" Fiona said coldly.

No hesitation slowed Nina's retreat.

Swift footsteps carried her up the grand staircase, Fiona's furious scolding and Mila's fake soothing words echoing faintly behind her. She locked herself inside the guest suite assigned permanently to her within the manor before rushing to the bathroom, overcome with violent waves of nausea.

Sickness held no blame for her distress. Pure revulsion festered deep within her soul.

Revulsion for this toxic household, this suffocating loveless marriage, and above all, the endlessly compliant version of herself trapped beneath endless mistreatment.

A pale, exhausted woman stared back from the bathroom mirror. Sunken eye sockets and ashen skin aged her far beyond twenty-five years of life. Was this all her devotion amounted to? Grinding herself thin into a hollow shadow simply for unrequited love?

Her phone buzzed with an unknown multimedia message moments later.

Attached photographs captured Jayden and Claire lingering inside a private clinic corridor that afternoon, the exact window of time he had claimed meetings occupied his schedule. Claire leaned tenderly against his shoulder, while his arm wrapped protectively around her waist.

Beneath the image lay a short, cruel line: [Jayden admits deep regret over marrying you, Nina]

A hollow laugh escaped Nina first, followed by unstoppable tears spilling down her cheeks.

She sank weakly against cold tiled flooring, knees drawn tight to her chest like a lost, lonely child adrift in despair.

"Jayden, I regret it. too. I regret falling for you. I regret marrying you, and I regret the scar I earned because of you," she murmured.