Chapter 2

Edward was quick to pick up on my off mood. "It was just a work trip—Lisa and the legal director were there too. If there was anything between me and her, I never would've married you in the first place."

His expression was calm and open. Then he smiled, "Charlie, I rushed back just to spend our anniversary with you. I got you a gift—it's in the suitcase."

I reached in and rummaged around. Under the shirt, I found an elegant box inlaid with small diamonds. Inside was a gold-plated necklace with a teardrop diamond pendant.

I recognized this necklace. It had belonged to one of my favorite foreign actresses when she was alive. After her death, her family sold it, and it passed through the hands of several collectors.

Not long ago, it had been sold at an auction held by a top institution for 15 million dollars—an event that made a huge splash. News of it had spread like wildfire on social media both at home and abroad.

I never expected Edward to be the one who bought it. He bought it as my fifth wedding anniversary gift.

But there was no trace of surprise in me at receiving it. Instead, my heart sank. I'm allergic to gold and diamonds. When Edward proposed to me, he knew about this allergy—and even picked out a pair of silver rings specifically for that reason.

I clenched my fists tightly. There was no way he'd chosen this gift himself. And it couldn't have been his assistant Lisa Thompson either—she knew about my allergy to diamonds and gold.

The answer was quite clear. "Natalie picked out this gift, didn't she?" I asked.

Edward frowned. Seeing that I was still hung up on Natalie, he lost his patience. "Even if I didn't pick the necklace, I paid for it. A 15-million-dollar diamond necklace for you—and you're still not satisfied?"

I said softly, "I never said I was unhappy with the gift. But you forgot I'm allergic to diamonds and gold."

Edward froze. He felt guilty, but refused to swallow his pride and apologize. He just frowned and said, "If you're allergic to them, then don't wear it. You can sell the necklace, give it away, or keep it as an investment—whatever you want."

"I gave you this necklace to make you happy," he said. "Not to have you kick up a fuss over something so trivial."

I paused, but in the end, to keep this from hurting our marriage, I chose to back down first. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

Edward's frown softened slightly. He reached out and hugged me, his voice gentle as he reassured me. "Don't worry. Natalie and I are a thing of the past. There's no way I'd fall for someone who dumped me for money and cheated on me again."

The next morning, when I woke up, Edward had already left for the office. He'd made me breakfast and left it on the dining table.

Even though we kept our personal items strictly separate, Edward had always been thoughtful to me.

A warm feeling spread through my chest. I took a bite of the scrambled eggs—but as soon as they hit my tongue, a wave of nausea washed over me.

I rushed to the bathroom and threw up. Only then did I realize that my period had been late for ages.

I went to the hospital for a check-up and found out I was seven weeks pregnant. I walked out of the hospital in a daze.

Edward was in good health, and he wasn't impotent, but he was born with a low sperm count.

To have a baby, I'd long ago mentally prepared myself for IVF. Edward couldn't bear to see me go through the pain of it, so he'd shielded me from his parents' pressure to have a child. I never expected I'd get pregnant naturally.

I was both excited and thrilled, eager to tell Edward the good news right away. But when I got to his company, Lisa told me he was in the boardroom for a meeting.

"If you're not in a hurry, please wait for him in Mr. Grant's office," Lisa said, pouring me a glass of warm water. "The meeting will be over in ten minutes at most."

Lisa had worked for Edward for five years, and we'd always gotten along well. Edward usually asked her to handle most things related to me. But for this business trip, he'd specifically let Natalie pick out our fifth-anniversary gift instead.

Thinking about that, I joked casually, "Ms. Levenson is really capable. If you don't step up your game, you might end up being replaced."

But Natalie happened to overhear this—and misinterpreted it completely. "Mrs. Grant, what do you mean by that?" she asked.

Immediately, Natalie stood up, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked at me with a humiliated expression. "If you have something to say, say it directly. Why do you have to hint that I'm a homewrecker?"

I was stunned for a second, too late to defend myself. Then I saw Natalie glance at me, before bursting into tears and running toward the window. "Will you believe that I never seduced Mr. Grant if I die?"

I was about to explain that wasn't what I meant, but Edward's voice cut in first. "Natalie, get down first, okay?"