Chapter 3
Preston said, "If only I were rich, at least you and the babies wouldn't have to suffer with me.
"Honey, once I make it big, I'll give you and the baby the best life."
What did I say back then?
I said, "It's fine. Even a ten-dollar pillow from Amazon works fine. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Preston held my hand, visibly moved.
"The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was marrying such a good wife like you," he said.
I leaned against the wall, unable to stop myself from gagging.
So, he could casually spend 1.5 million on a party for Gabrielle, but wouldn't even spend 15 dollars on a pillow for me.
The chatter in the banquet hall suddenly died down.
Preston made a grand entrance, arm in arm with Gabrielle, surrounded by a crowd of admirers.
Gabrielle looked as fragile and beautiful as ever, her fingers slender and pale. Anyone could tell at a glance she'd been pampered all her life.
I glanced down at my own hands. The hands that once held a paintbrush were rough and dull, looking like they belonged to someone twice my age.
Eddie had slipped into the banquet at some point and stood beside me.
He sneered, "See that? Preston dropped 30 million dollars on that dress Gabrielle's wearing.
"She was scared of getting stretch marks from pregnancy, so Preston hired the top OB-GYNs from all over the world to be with her every step of the way, to make sure she wouldn't have a mark on her body after giving birth."
"And you? What has he ever done for you?"
Every word cut into my heart, leaving it raw and bleeding.
I dug my nails into my palm.
When I was pregnant, I kept coming across videos about birth injuries online, and they freaked me out so much that I almost lost it.
Preston shot me a disapproving look and snapped, "Don't be so dramatic. Giving birth is never painless for any woman."
Seeing my eyes red from crying, he softened his voice to comfort me.
He said, "Those lines on your belly? They're your badges of honor for becoming a mom.
"To me, no matter how you change, you'll always be the most beautiful."
He kissed my stretch marks like they were precious, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.
But watching Gabrielle up on stage, pampered and untouched by any hardship, looking as fresh as a young girl, it hit me.
Preston would never let the woman he truly loved go through any hardship in life.
Suddenly, Gabrielle spotted me from the stage.
She paused for a moment and then gave me a taunting smile.
She grabbed Preston and kissed him right there.
Preston froze for a second and pulled her into a fierce embrace, kissing her back eagerly.
Whenever we got intimate, he hated it if I tried to kiss him on the lips.
"I'm a total germaphobe. Sorry, babe," he'd say.
I looked up at the two of them kissing on stage, my eyes so dry I couldn't squeeze out a single tear.
Suddenly, a ringtone blared. Gabrielle shook her phone at me with a smug smirk, daring me to react.
My phone buzzed with an anonymous message. [Meredith, thanks for the 150-thousand-dollar earrings. I love this wedding gift.]
I froze for a moment and then jerked my head up, staring in disbelief at the dazzling earrings sparkling under the lights.
It was 150 thousand dollars.
Three months ago, my adoptive mom was diagnosed with a tumor.
I tried to use the 150 thousand I'd saved to save her, but Preston kept stopping me again and again.
It wasn't until I broke down and threatened to divorce him that he finally confessed, his eyes reddened with guilt.
He said, "I'm sorry, Meredith. I used that money for a down payment on a house.
"I never expected the project to fall through, and I couldn't bring myself to tell you.
"All I wanted was to give our kids a home. You don't blame me for that, right?"
I hit up everyone I knew for money, trying to save my adoptive mom.
I even sold my blood, desperate to scrape enough cash.
Finally, I scraped together $150,000.
But by the time I had it, we'd missed the window. Her cancer had turned late-stage.
150 thousand dollars meant the life of the person I cherished most.
In Preston's eyes, that money didn't mean as much as a pair of earrings for Gabrielle.
I let out a bitter laugh.
Yeah, if he truly loved me, he couldn't have let me go through even a bit of hardship.
He couldn't have watched, cold as ice, while I was ripped apart by losing the only family I had left.
Eddie was right. I had terrible taste in men.
But he forgot one thing.
I was the kind of woman who always got my revenge.
I shoved open the half-closed doors to the banquet hall.
The loud bang made the whole place go dead silent.
Every pair of eyes in the room snapped to me, shocked and curious.
A nervous waiter hurried over and blocked my way at the entrance.
"Ma'am, you can't go in," he said.
I smiled, held up my marriage certificate, and calmly challenged the whole room.
"I'm Preston's wife," I said. "If I can't get in, who else has the right to be here?"