Chapter 2

Early the next morning, Linda barged into the room. She didn't even bother to knock.

She was carrying a plate of millet oatmeal. She set it down heavily on the nightstand. "Get up and eat."

Her tone was sharp, like she was giving an order.

I pushed myself up, slowly sitting up. Every movement felt like my incision was being sliced open all over again. "You can leave it, Linda. The nurse will take care of it in a bit."

Linda's eyes widened. "Maternity nurse? Is a nurse really going to care about you as much as I do?

"You love wasting money, hiring a nurse for no reason. Can't I take care of you myself?"

Even as she said this, her eyes kept drifting over to my daughter, who was sleeping peacefully beside me.

She didn't even bother to hide the disgust in her eyes.

I knew all too well why. Because I gave birth to a girl, not the grandson she wanted.

Michael was the one and only male heir in their family.

From the moment I got pregnant, Linda started praying day and night for a grandson.

But in the end, I had nothing but a girl.

She didn't even set foot in the delivery room. She stormed out with a scowl and went straight home.

"Just a money pit. Raise her all you want, and she'll only end up as someone else's family," Linda sneered.

I still remember her saying that to Michael as I was being wheeled out of surgery, barely conscious from the anesthesia.

I took a sip of the oatmeal. It was basically cloudy water, hardly any rice at all. "Linda, did Michael tell you about the cruise?"

Linda's expression finally looked a little less sour. She pulled up a chair and sat down by my bed. "Yeah, Michael told me all about it.

"At least you know how to act properly and didn't make a scene."

She acted like my "good behavior" was nothing out of the ordinary. "Michael is such a good son. He's always got his dad and me on his mind.

"Not like some women nowadays. Once they're married into a family, they want their husbands to forget their own parents and put them first."

That jab was clearly aimed at me.

I kept my mouth shut, lowered my head, and kept eating my oatmeal.

"We're not going on this trip for nothing." Linda pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. She unfolded it right in front of me.

It was a shopping list crammed with stuff.

"Michael said the ship has duty-free shops, so everything's a steal.

"I've had my eye on this designer bag for ages. It goes for over ten thousand dollars back home, but I heard you can get it for six thousand on the ship.

"And this gold bracelet. I want the chunkiest one they've got.

"And for your dad, the old smoker. Pick up two cartons of the good stuff for him."

She pointed at the list and read off each item one by one, as if she were bossing me around. "Oh, and Michael said the cosmetics on the ship are dirt cheap. Want me to get you anything?

"I can toss one in for you if you want."

She made it sound like she was being super generous. But I knew she didn't mean a word of it.

If I actually asked for anything, she'd immediately run to Michael and accuse me of being wasteful.

I shook my head. "No thanks, Linda. I don't need anything. Just enjoy yourselves. Do you have enough money? If you need more, I can transfer you some."

I opened my mobile banking app, ready to send her some money.

Linda's eyes lit up instantly. "Oh, Sarah, you're really becoming so thoughtful. See, I always knew you were a good kid.

"We brought enough money with us, so we're good. Keep your money for the baby's formula."

She insisted she didn't need it, but couldn't help sneaking a look at my phone screen.

I smiled. I sent her fifteen thousand dollars on the spot. "Linda, a little something from me.

"Make sure you treat yourself while you're out there. If you see anything you like, go ahead and buy it."

I used my own savings from before I got married. Michael and his family had no idea about this money.

Linda stared at the transfer notification on her phone. She was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, you're being way too generous. Alright, I'll hold onto it for you."

She wasted no time pocketing the cash. Her wrinkled face broke into a huge grin.

Just then, Michael walked in. He'd finished washing up, and his hair was still dripping wet.

Seeing us getting along so well, he looked really pleased. "Mom, Sarah, what are you two chatting about that's got you both in such a good mood?"

"Talking about how filial you are," I replied.

Linda jumped in right away, "Yeah, Sarah finally knows how to be sensible now. She even gave me fifteen thousand dollars to spend however we want."

Michael froze for a second, then looked at me. His expression was complicated. A bit of surprise, a touch of guilt, but mostly he looked smug, like, "See? My wife totally adores me."

He walked over and took my hand. "Honey, I know it's been tough on you. Don't worry, when I get back, I'll make it up to you. I promise."

I quietly pulled my hand back, keeping my expression neutral. "We're family. There's no need for all that 'making it up' talk. You should get started packing so you don't end up rushing."

Robert hadn't said a word. He was sprawled out on the couch in the living room, smoking and watching TV.

The air was so smoky that I could barely breathe.

The smell of smoke made my stomach churn.

"Robert, could you please not smoke in the house? The baby's still so young." I couldn't help but speak up.

Robert looked up from the TV and glanced at me. "She's just a girl. What's the big deal?"

But he still stubbed out his cigarette.

Linda quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Alright, let's not argue.

"Michael, go check if your suit's been dry-cleaned. There's a formal dinner on the cruise.

"Robert, quit watching TV. Go dig out your fishing gear. I heard you can do some deep-sea fishing on the ship."

The whole house was buzzing with excitement over the upcoming trip. Everyone was totally swept up in the hype.

No one even spared me a glance or gave a damn about the newborn baby.

I lay in bed, listening to them rummaging through drawers and closets, arguing over which clothes to bring. My heart felt frozen.

Just then, another line of blood-red text drifted across my vision. It was a short line.

[There's something hidden in the compartment of the suitcase at the back of his closet.]

My heart skipped a beat.

Everyone was in the living room. When the maternity nurse took the baby for a bath, I made my move. Gritting my teeth, I leaned against the wall for support. I slowly made my way to Michael's closet.

This was the first time I'd set foot on the floor since giving birth. Every step sent a thousand needles through my wound.

I opened the closet. All the way in the back, sure enough, there was a black suitcase. It looked like it hadn't been used in forever.

I hauled it out, struggling with every inch, and opened it.

There was barely anything inside, only some old clothes tossed in.

Going off the floating text's hint, I started feeling around the lining of the suitcase.

Sure enough, right at the bottom, my fingers brushed against something hard and square. I found it: a solid, boxy object hidden away.

The compartment was sealed with Velcro. I tore it open. A package wrapped in brown paper tumbled out.

I tore open the paper. Inside was a property deed and a small USB drive.

The name on the property deed wasn't mine, and it wasn't Michael's either. It belonged to someone else entirely, a woman I didn't know at all.

The address was for an upscale apartment complex not far from our home. It was bought six months ago and paid in full.

My hands began to tremble, completely out of my control.