Chapter 3
Watching me fasten the bracelet, Charles produced a bottle of perfume.
"I heard this is the hottest new release this season. Take a whiff," he said.
He was about to spritz some, but I held up my hand to stop him.
I replied calmly, "Don't you remember I'm allergic to fragrances?"
Jessica was obsessed with rose-scented perfume. Even her new motto was "Roses never fade."
Charles apologized. "Whenever I see something nice, I just want to get it for you. Sorry, I wasn't thinking."
He claimed to love me, yet he always mixed up my preferences with Jessica's.
It was obvious he never truly cared about me.
The nausea got worse. I couldn't help but sneeze, instinctively pushing the perfume bottle aside.
Charles totally freaked out, instantly calling for the family doctor to check me over.
Only after the doctor confirmed I was fine did he finally relax.
"Helen, you should rest for a bit. I'll go make you some soup," he said.
As soon as he left, I tossed the perfume straight into the trash.
After a while, I heard shouting coming from downstairs.
I went to the window and saw Jessica. Her face was ghostly pale.
She was trembling as she threw herself into Charles's arms.
I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Charles's face flushed with rage.
Soon, he was pounding on my door.
As soon as he barged in, Charles smacked me hard across the face.
He snapped, "Still going to pretend you weren't talking to anyone?
"Funny, isn't it? You reached out to some contacts overseas just days ago, and now, all of a sudden, someone's stalking Jessica?
"I know you're eating yourself up with jealousy over Jessica's life. She married Samuel, and she was my childhood sweetheart. Not like you and that unlucky kid of yours..." He suddenly realized he was saying too much, sucked in a breath, and tried to calm down.
"Your crappy luck isn't Jessica's fault. Your kid's safe with you. What more do you even want?" he added.
He hadn't even used much force, but I still collapsed to the floor, unable to move.
The dull pain in my ankle got even worse. I was about to burst into tears.
I looked up and saw Jessica, who was pale-faced but now wearing a triumphant grin.
That was when I remembered—someone in her family worked at the telecom company. She must have gotten access to my call records.
She'd gotten her wish by marrying Samuel, but even then, she still wanted to keep Charles's love all to herself.
How greedy could she get?
Charles towered over me, forcing me to apologize to Jessica.
All the fake smiles were gone now. Everything was out in the open.
I said nothing.
I grabbed my phone, scrolled for that number they'd mentioned, and pressed dial.
"Auntie, why are you calling me so early? Did you miss me?" my niece asked.
Her cheerful voice rang out from the other end.
Charles and Jessica both looked surprised.
I hung up and choked back a sob, wiping my eyes. "So what if my family isn't rich? Am I not allowed to have relatives living overseas? What are you nervous about?
"Someone's following Ms. Lane, and you immediately jump to blaming me? Maybe she pissed off the wrong person herself.
"Or maybe Jessica actually sees me as her biggest enemy?" I retorted.
Charles fumbled awkwardly. "No, it's just that we thought you—"
I cut him off. "Doesn't matter what you thought. I want Jessica to say sorry to me. That's not too much, right?"
Charles quickly stepped in front of Jessica, shielding her.
He said, "Helen, Jessica was frightened too. She didn't do it on purpose.
"Just let it go, okay? Don't make this a big deal."
My ankle was throbbing, and my face was swollen from his slap. All I wanted was a simple apology, yet Charles acted like I was asking for too much.
I scoffed, about to say something, when Jessica started crying.
She sobbed, "Charles, Helen's probably mad because I married her ex-husband. That's why she's coming after me.
"It's fine, I won't make things hard for you. I'll even get down on my knees and beg her for forgiveness."
Just as she was about to drop to her knees, she suddenly crumpled sideways to the floor.
Charles sprang forward, scooped her up into his arms, and stormed out of the room. He gave me one last glare before he left.
I don't know how much time passed before the nanny came in. When she saw the swelling on my face, she panicked and rushed to get me some medicine.
"Mrs. Weston, I'll call Mr. Weston right away," she blurted out.
"No need. He's the one who hit me," I said, but my voice was calm.