Chapter 5
The post-operative exhaustion and persistent abdominal pain left Lena lying in a daze at home for days.
When she finally woke, the only thing on her nightstand was a crumpled sticky note from Jason, "Swamped these days—take good care of yourself."
Ding.
Lena unlocked her Messenger.
A screenshot popped up from Lisa.
It was a side-by-side comparison, a photo of Jason and Lisa from two years ago, and one of them now. The comments were flooded with "Congratulations on staying together!"
Jason's caption read, "Time flies, but it still feels like the first day we met."
The post was hidden from only Lena.
This was Lisa's usual trick. Before her mother died, Lisa had constantly taunted them with photos of their father with her and her mother, flaunting the warmth of a "real family" that only they shared—warmth that belonged to Lena's father, yet was denied to her.
Lena had been jealous, had hated it, had even confronted her father.
But she was no longer that naive child who'd beg for humiliation.
She stared blankly at Jason's note, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash.
Four days later, Lena's fragile peace was shattered.
Jason's assistant arrived in a panic, handing her a formal gown and informing her the banquet would start in two hours.
She frowned at the dress, then silently slipped it on.
Standing in front of the mirror, she noticed the waist was noticeably loose.
The assistant said Jason had chosen it specially—he remembered she was pregnant and hated feeling suffocated by tight gowns.
But there was no longer a little life in her belly.
By the time she arrived, the banquet was already in full swing.
In the center of the hall, Jason knelt half-crouched beside Lisa's wheelchair, feeding her a bite of cake with his own hand, then casually wiping a smudge of cream from her lip with his fingertip.
Whispers of admiration rippled through the guests, "What a handsome couple!" "They're made for each other!"
Every word cut through Lena like a knife. She, the legal wife, could only watch from the sidelines like an outsider.
Jason's brows furrowed as he noticed the loose-fitting gown on her. He hesitated for a moment, about to walk over—when the music suddenly faded, and Bob Miller stepped onto the stage to give a speech.
"Tonight's banquet is to celebrate my daughter's victory over illness—waking up after two long years in a coma."
"Lisa, come here to Daddy." Bob waved with a smile.
Lisa smiled shyly, rising slowly with Jason's support and walking toward the microphone.
She was just about to speak when a shrill electric buzz erupted from the large screen behind her.
The warm photos on display vanished instantly, replaced by a distorted close-up of Lisa's face—
Slashed with bright red X's, accompanied by bold, blaring text,
"Like mother, like daughter—another homewrecker!"
"Comatose for two years and already stealing someone else's husband? Have some shame!"
"Lisa, villains always get their comeuppance!"
The hall erupted in an uproar.
Lena froze. Lisa was Bob's beloved daughter—who would dare do something like this at his event?
Murmurs from the guests beside her drifted into her ears,
"Could this be Bob's younger daughter's doing?"
"Who else? Just like her mother, who stole Bob from his first wife—she's learned well."
"Can't keep her man, so she resorts to such dirty tricks?"
"It's not me!" Lena blurted out instinctively, but her voice was too soft, swallowed up by the chaos.
On stage, Lisa's face turned as white as a sheet. Her fingers trembled as she clutched the microphone,
"Lena, if I hadn't been in that car accident, I wouldn't be relying on Jason like this. You really have misunderstood us." "If you're angry, take it out on me—but you shouldn't have done this in front of so many people. You, you..."
Before she could finish, Lisa collapsed to the floor, fainting.
"Lisa!"
Jason rushed over instantly, lifting her into his arms and barking orders to his subordinates to prepare the car. His face was contorted with a panic and grief Lena had never seen before.
In an instant, Lena became the target of everyone's accusations.
Bob stormed off the stage, grabbing her arm angrily,
"Lena! She's your sister! Just like your lowly mother, you only know how to use such dirty tactics!"
Lena stumbled as he pulled her. The sudden accusations left her mind blank—she couldn't react, could only stare dumbly at her father's furious, twisted face, as if she couldn't understand a word he was saying.
"You have no right to speak of my mother—least of all insult her!" "I said it wasn't me!"
"The evidence is right there, and you still dare to lie!"
Veins bulged on Bob's forehead. He raised his hand as if to strike her. "Someone! Drag this unfilial daughter away and—"
"Dad."
Jason appeared out of nowhere, stepping in front of Lena.
"I'll handle this personally."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lena. A complex emotion flickered across his eyes, gone as quickly as it came.
"She's still... pregnant, after all. I'll get to the bottom of this and give Lisa and her family a satisfactory explanation."