Chapter 2

Three years into our marriage, I found out I was pregnant.

Richard was ecstatic, and even his mom, Jolie Saunders, had a big smile on her face.

But while I was carrying a steaming bowl of soup, Jessica was zooming around with her toy car and rammed right into my foot. I stumbled and crashed to the ground.

I had a miscarriage in the early weeks, and my arm got badly burned.

Jessica was so terrified that she burst into tears, threw herself into my arms, kept saying she was sorry, swearing it was an accident. She said she hadn't seen me coming out of the kitchen when she pressed the remote to drive the car.

She was just ten back then, her face covered in tears and panic written all over it.

I believed her.

But after that, I just couldn't have kids anymore.

I wasn't really hung up on it, though, since, to me, Jessica was already like my own daughter.

Back then, she was so clingy, always sticking by my side and calling out "Mom" again and again.

Whenever I was busy, she'd lean her chin against me and look up at me.

But Liz and Jolie would always find a way to kill the vibe. Whenever we were having the best time, they'd "accidentally" steer the conversation to Jessica's birth mom, Helen.

They'd go on about how much Helen adored Jessica when Jessica was little.

Then Helen started showing up, claiming she wanted to see her daughter, and would take Jessica to her place for the weekends.

Little by little, Jessica grew increasingly resentful toward me.

Once she started middle school, that resentment morphed into outright hostility.

After the graduation party, on the drive back home, Jessica was sprawled out in the back seat and told me she'd be staying at a friend's place for a couple of days.

I didn't even blink at her saying that.

Because the guy who was about to become the center of her universe was about to make his grand entrance—Ryan Foster, the local troublemaker.

She was all set to take Ryan up on his offer to hang out at his family's mansion for a couple of days.

Back in my previous life, I did everything I could to keep Jessica away from Ryan, and that was exactly when she started holding a grudge against me.

Her first year of high school was a downhill spiral. Her grades collapsed, she got a secret tattoo, and she started smoking behind our backs.

It was only after talking to her classmates that I realized she was hooking up with Ryan.

Once I found out what was happening, I kept a close eye on Jessica and really cracked down.

I even told Ryan straight up to keep away from Jessica.

I knew the truth. Guys like Ryan, dripping in cash, would never actually settle down with girls like Jessica. Rich folks only ever marry for connections and reputation, teaming up with their equals.

No way was I going to let Jessica become just another plaything for him.

I kept urging Jessica to let go of Ryan and put all her energy into school instead.

But then, out of the blue, Ryan packed his bags and moved overseas three months later.

Jessica was sure it was all my fault. She blamed me for driving Ryan away.

After that, with the help of some pricey tutors I hired, her grades slowly started to bounce back.

But as soon as she got that guaranteed spot at Camfordelle University, the first thing she did was kick me to the curb.

When I got hit by that car and was lying there, dying, all I could think about was what I had done wrong to make her hate me so much.

Now, I finally had the answer—Jessica was purely ungrateful, no matter how much I did for her.

But the reality was, Jessica was still underage, and as her guardian, it was my responsibility to keep her safe.

Even though deep down I already knew she was heading to Ryan's place for that sleepover, I couldn't stop myself from asking, "So, where exactly are you going? And who's going with you?"

Jessica gave me an irritable look and snapped, "Seriously, you think you're my mom now? I already told you. Just a friend, okay?"

I pressed on, "So is this a boyfriend's house or a girlfriend's you're going to?"

Seeing me get all interrogative, Jessica suddenly changed her story. "Honestly, I just want to go spend a couple of days at my mom's place before school starts. I only lied because I figured you wouldn't let me go otherwise."

"Then have her send me a message. When you're leaving, how long you'll be staying, and exactly when you'll be coming back. I want every detail in writing," I told her.

I just didn't want to be the one getting blamed if anything happened and Richard or Liz started giving me grief over it.

Jessica rolled her eyes while tapping away on her smartwatch, muttering, "So annoying. It's not like you can have your own kids. All you ever do is obsess over controlling me..."

I caught her utterly exasperated look in the rearview mirror.

I was so angry I felt like my chest might explode. I seriously wanted to tell her, if it weren't for my legal responsibility as her guardian, I wouldn't care what she did. She could launch herself into space for all I cared.