Chapter 1

During dinner, my son Jeffrey suddenly spoke up in Lorynian.

He asked, "Dad, why don't you divorce Mom? She's not even my real mother anyway."

Richard frowned and replied calmly, "Why? Isn't it nice to have someone taking care of you?"

I sat there quietly, listening, and wiped away a tear without anyone noticing.

Jeffrey grew up bilingual and often spoke Lorynian at home.

So I secretly took Lorynian classes to fit in.

Little did I expect to uncover this secret—the boy I'd been spoiling for six years turned out to be Richard's and the nanny's child.

That very night, I called my business partner.

I said, "Sell the company. Richard has enjoyed being CEO long enough."

*****

I ate bite after bite, each mouthful tasteless and joyless.

Jeffrey Evans and Richard Evans kept chatting away in Lorynian.

Jeffrey said, "Dad, I really don't get why you married Mom. She can't do anything right."

Richard glanced over at me with a smile.

He said, "Your mom's cooking tastes amazing."

I tightened my grip on my lap, managing a strained smile. "Honey, what are you two talking about?"

Richard smiled and filled my glass with milk.

"We're just saying I'm lucky to have a wife like you, and Jeffrey's a lucky kid to have a mom like you," he replied.

I couldn't help but scoff, but before I could say a word, Jeffrey pouted.

"No. We were saying Mom doesn't know anything—she can't even understand Lorynian," he said.

I muttered his words to myself, a bitter smile creeping across my face.

Jeffrey was right. I knew nothing. Richard and I started dating in high school, and the year we graduated, I ended up pregnant with his child.

I gave up college for the child and threw myself into being a full-time housewife. A high school diploma was all I had to my name.

The family company—meant to be my legacy—got passed entirely into Richard's hands. All I was now was an heir in name only.

Funny, wasn't it? That was the reason Jeffrey resented me.

Richard, who'd always known exactly what was on my mind after so many years together, shot me a look, grabbed his fork, and slammed it down on the table.

He barked, "Jeffrey, how dare you talk to your mother like that? You're so rude."

Jeffrey was used to being treated like a prince—nobody had ever raised their voice at him before. The sudden scolding caught him off guard, and his temper instantly flared as he snapped,

He said, "She's not my—"

"What's going on?" Before Jeffrey could finish, a soft, flirtatious came.

"Why are you getting so worked up at the kid?" Melissa Shaw slipped one arm around Jeffrey's shoulders, soothingly ruffling his hair—just like she was comforting her own son.

In fact, that was exactly what she was doing.

Richard calmly took a sip of water. "Jeffrey was complaining about his mom's educational background, so I set him straight."

Melissa's face flashed with anger, but she quickly hid it behind a calm smile.

She eased herself beside Jeffrey, pouring him a glass of milk in a sweet way—even though every word was laced with sarcasm.

She said, "Mr. Evans, he's just a kid. He always says what he wants. There's no reason to take it so personally.

"Besides, Mrs. Evans only finished high school, doesn't have a job, and relies on you for everything. To get angry over a simple statement of fact seems a bit—"

Melissa let out a chilly laugh, not bothering to finish her sentence, but everyone at the table got her drift.

Richard just kept his eyes down and stayed silent—he didn't even try to deny what Melissa said, so I guess he agreed with her.

I gave a sarcastic smile. After all these years, he truly seemed to have forgotten who had given him everything he had now.

Jeffrey drank the milk Melissa gave him, shooting me mocking faces as if I didn't even exist. For a moment, I felt completely shut out of their little world.