Chapter 1

1

The day before the wedding, Eric accompanied me to the bridal shop to pick out my gown. I had just stepped out of the fitting room. Eric, in a rush, stripped off his suit jacket, turning to leave.

“Manon is in trouble. Ava can’t handle it alone. I need to get to the hospital. Tomorrow’s wedding is off.”

Once, I would have stopped him, demanding to know who was more important: Ava and her daughter, or me. But this time, watching his retreating back, I didn’t try to hold him back. This was the ninety-ninth time he had canceled our wedding for Ava and Manon.

Half an hour later, Ava updated her social media.

[You are my only reliance in this world.]

The photo in the post showed Eric hugging Ava, with Manon calling out “Mommy, Daddy.” They looked exactly like a family of three.

My parents sighed helplessly at this. “Summer, is the wedding canceled again tomorrow? But we’ve already sent out the invitations.”

My expression was calm as I shook my head. “The wedding will proceed as planned. My groom isn’t him.”

…

Hearing my words, Mom quickly pulled out spare invitations from her bag. Dad’s gaze fell on the groom’s name section. Both of them visibly relaxed. “If you’re marrying him, your dad and I will finally be at ease.”

“Summer, Dad always said Eric wasn’t worth your lifelong trust. You’ve finally realized it.”

Some people only learn the hard way. This time, I chose to let go.

After settling on the gown, Eric happened to call. “I remember you always wanted to check out that popular internet-famous Western restaurant downtown. I specifically found a scalper to book a table for lunch.” I originally wanted to refuse. But thinking of our six years together, it should at least end with some dignity.

I walked to the entrance of the Western restaurant. Eric reached out to take my bag, his other hand instinctively reaching for my waist. I avoided his touch and walked straight into the restaurant. Watching his hand hang awkwardly in the air, his brow furrowed, a hint of impatience in his voice.

“Summer, don’t throw a tantrum.”

“Manon suddenly fell ill. Ava had no one else to call but me.”

“You know, I promised Brandon before he passed away that I would take care of Ava and Manon.”

I didn’t respond, sitting down to browse the menu. He sat beside me, irritably tugging at his tie. “A promise made is a debt unpaid. You wouldn’t want a man who goes back on his word, would you?” I took out my phone to scan the QR code and order. He waited a moment, and seeing my continued silence, he sighed deeply. “Alright, don’t be angry. The next wedding definitely won’t be canceled again. I said I’d give you the perfect wedding, and I won’t break my promise.”

But his promises only applied to Ava and Manon. I always had to make concessions for them. Just then, a waiter approached. “Miss, excuse me, your table has already ordered a four-person meal. Adding more might be too much. Do you need me to cancel it?”

Before I could react, a familiar female voice sounded behind me. “The line for the restroom was too long. Summer, you’ve waited a while, haven’t you?” Ava, holding Manon’s hand, walked towards us. She sat on Eric’s other side, while Manon squeezed into the space between Eric and me. I froze for a moment.

Eric opened his mouth to speak, but Ava quickly interjected. “It’s all Eric’s fault. I just mentioned wanting to try this Western restaurant, and he remembered, even paying three times the price for scalped tickets.”

“Summer, you don’t need to cancel your order. Eat what you want.”

Watching her assert her dominance, I couldn’t help but smile wryly. In the past, I thought Eric didn’t understand Ava’s intentions and tactics. Now, it seemed he had always enjoyed the thrill of being fought over by us.

I looked at the waiter beside me. “Cancel it…”

“Ah—it hurts so much! Daddy, Aunt Summer pinched my arm and made it swell!”

2

Manon lifted her swollen, red arm, crying hysterically. "Summer, if you have any complaints with me, come at me directly. Why are you bullying a child? Children are innocent." Ava’s eyes were red-rimmed, filled with hurt and helplessness as she looked at Eric. “Eric, thank you for taking care of us all these years. Let’s not see each other again. If she dares to abuse a child right in front of you, I can’t imagine what might happen later…” As she spoke, she took Manon’s hand, about to leave.

Manon tugged at Eric’s jacket, refusing to let go. “I don’t want to leave Daddy. I want Daddy and Mommy to be together forever. Aunt Summer is a bad person; she wants to steal my Daddy.”

The commotion at our table instantly attracted the attention of other diners. Several influencers, live-streaming, immediately raised their phones, aiming the cameras at my face. “Folks, I came to review a restaurant and ended up witnessing a mistress provoking the legitimate wife. Quick, screenshot this mistress’s face so she doesn’t steal your husband.”

“That poor child! The mistress dares to abuse a child right in front of the parents. Imagine what she’d be like as a stepmother!”

The waiter, who had been kind to me earlier, also turned cold. “Miss, please leave. Our restaurant does not welcome mistresses!”

As the situation escalated, I looked at Eric with a pleading gaze, hoping he would step forward to explain for me. But he only shot me a cold glance. “Summer, Manon is just a child. How could you lay a hand on her?”

“Eric, I didn’t pinch her.” I pointed to the security camera above our heads. “If you don’t believe me, go check the surveillance footage now.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Manon suddenly fainted to the floor. “Eric, Manon fainted! Quickly, take Manon to the hospital!” Ava screamed. Eric scooped up Manon and rushed towards the door. As he passed through the glass door, he paused and looked back at me. I was surrounded by the live-streaming influencers and “justice-seeking” customers. All sorts of insults rained down on me. Just as I thought Eric had had a change of heart, he suddenly spoke. “Summer, I never thought you could be so vicious. Come back to me when you realize your mistake.” With that, he left without looking back.

He left me alone to face the insults of the influencers and passersby. Finally, a customer who couldn’t stand it anymore called the police, and I was able to leave the restaurant. Greasy soup dripped down my hair, and my white dress was stained with food, emitting a foul odor. No taxi driver was willing to take me, so I had to walk home.

Pushing open the front door, Eric sat on the living room sofa, smoking. Even though he tried his best to control his expression, I still saw the disgust in his eyes. “You’re back?”

I looked at him calmly. “Eric, let’s end this.” His hand, holding the cigarette, paused. He stood up and walked towards me. “Is it because of what happened at lunch?” He stared at my face, took a deep drag of his cigarette, then exhaled a plume of smoke. “Summer, I thought you could understand the situation. If I had clarified for you in the restaurant, Ava and Manon would have been the ones hurt.”

“Besides, this is all because you were unreasonably jealous and hurt Manon. You brought this upon yourself; you can’t blame anyone else.”

“Manon has already forgiven you, and Ava said she won’t hold it against you. Let’s just let this go.”

With that, he raised his hand, intending to stroke my head. But he quickly retracted it when he noticed the stains. “You should go clean yourself up first.”

“Eric.” Watching his back as he turned away, I took a deep breath. “Tomorrow is my wedding.”

3

He stopped walking abruptly, then spun around. His patience was clearly at an end. “You know Manon needs round-the-clock care for a week every time she gets sick. How can I have time to marry you tomorrow?”

“Summer, can’t you be a little more understanding?”

I looked at him expressionlessly. “I’m informing you, not asking for your permission.”

His face darkened. “Can you stop being so unreasonable? I told you, I’m busy tomorrow.”

“If you want to have a wedding without a groom, go right ahead. It’ll be you and your parents who are humiliated then!”

I clenched my fists, meeting his gaze. “My wedding doesn’t need you.”

He suddenly laughed. “Summer, besides me, who else would marry you?”

The words had barely left his lips when a loud crash suddenly came from the nursery. My heart tightened. I quickly walked to the nursery and pushed open the door. Plush toys were scattered across the floor, and a small outfit my mother had sewn was shredded into rags. Manon sat on the children’s bed that my father had built. Broken jars and powder were scattered at Ava’s feet. Her tear-filled eyes blinked, her face etched with helplessness and fear. “I accidentally broke this jar.”

Eric rushed over, bumping past me, who was blocking the doorway, and took Ava’s hands. “Ava, are you hurt?” Ava’s gaze slid past Eric, giving me a challenging smile. I knew she did it on purpose. But I couldn’t control myself and rushed forward, slapping her.

Ava clutched her red and swollen face, her voice choked with grievance. “I’m sorry, I just saw dust on the jar and wanted to help wipe it clean. I didn’t mean to drop it, I really wasn’t trying to…”

Eric grabbed my arm, forcing me to bow to Ava. “Summer, you’ve gone too far! Apologize!”

“Eric, that was our child!”

Two years ago, Eric and I had a child. The jar Ava broke was our child’s urn. Manon, sensing Ava’s unspoken cue, covered her ears and screamed, running out of the room. “Manon!” Ava followed her out.

Eric’s face was grim. “Look what you’ve done! How can a dead person be more important than a living one? Did you really have to resort to violence?” I stared incredulously into his eyes. “Eric, you know what the nursery means to me. That was your child. How could you…”

“Summer!” He sharply interrupted me. “If you hadn’t bullied Manon this afternoon, would I have had to bring her home to comfort her? Everything I’m doing is to atone for your sins.”

Just then, Ava’s sobs suddenly drifted in from outside. Eric instantly panicked, violently shaking off my arm, and swiftly ran out. Unprepared, I fell to the floor. My forehead hit the ground, and everything went dark.

The memory of that torrential downpour two years ago suddenly flashed in my mind. A phone call from Ava had pulled Eric away, leaving me, five months pregnant, on the roadside in the pouring rain. A drunk driver, speeding, crashed straight into me. That night, Eric knelt by my hospital bed, slapping himself repeatedly, begging for my forgiveness. “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I never expected an accident to happen.”

“I just didn’t want to let down Brandon’s dying wish. I never meant to hurt you.”

“Summer, I let you and our child down. After we get married, we’ll try for another child. They’ll come back to us.”

That time, I forgave him again. But now he was saying our child was less important than Ava and Manon.

“Summer.” Eric’s face suddenly loomed large before me. Just as I blinked, trying to distinguish between a dream hallucination and reality, Manon suddenly came closer. “See? I told you Aunt Summer was faking it.”

4

Seeing my eyes clear, Eric immediately stood up and shielded Manon behind him, as if afraid I would resort to violence again. I got up, but before I could speak, Ava quickly walked forward and knelt before me. “It was wrong of me to break the urn. If you want to hit or scold someone, come at me. Manon is innocent; she’s just a child. Please don’t hurt her.”

Eric pulled Ava up, his face livid. “Summer, don’t push it too far! First, you resorted to violence, and now you’re making someone kneel to you. What exactly do you want?”

“You’re the one in the wrong. Why aren’t you apologizing and admitting your mistake?”

“I was wrong.” A sarcastic smile played on my lips. I was blind and foolish, falling for the wrong person, causing my parents to worry about me. “I’m sorry.” I was tired; I didn’t want to be entangled with them anymore.

Eric was visibly stunned. I had never backed down in arguments with Ava and Manon. My apology made him inexplicably flustered, his voice softening a few degrees. “I’m not really blaming you. Just don’t act so impulsively next time.”

A hint of unwillingness flashed in Ava’s eyes, and she tugged at Eric’s sleeve, aggrieved. “Eric, since this nursery is where the ashes are kept, let’s not stay here. I’m afraid Manon will have nightmares sleeping here.”

“Manon and I should go back home. I’m just worried Manon might suddenly get sick…”

“I’ll go back with you.” Eric blurted out, but seeing my gaze, he looked a little guilty. “Manon’s condition gets very serious when she’s sick, and Ava can’t take care of her alone. I’ll stay with them during the day and come home at night.”

I nodded indifferently and turned to walk towards the bedroom. Soon after, the front door closed. The three of them had left. Looking at the wedding decorations filling the house, I only felt irony.

After a hot shower, I sent a message to the real estate agent, putting the wedding house up for sale. The house was bought by my parents for Eric and me. Since I had decided to separate, I no longer needed this house. Then I started packing my luggage.

In the evening, Eric sent a message. [Manon got sick again. I won’t be home tonight. You don’t need to leave a light on for me. Get some good rest. Love you.] Immediately after, Ava updated her social media. [My daughter just mentioned wanting to see fireworks, and he drove three hundred kilometers to bring us here.] The accompanying photo showed Manon riding on Eric’s shoulders, watching fireworks. I “liked” the post, then picked up my luggage and left.

That night, the video of me being called a mistress at the internet-famous Western restaurant went viral. Many relatives and friends who recognized me came forward to explain on my behalf. Public opinion instantly reversed. Overwhelming insults turned towards Ava and Manon. Just then, Eric suddenly called, his voice filled with anger. “Summer, you’re truly two-faced. Apologizing during the day, then instigating your relatives and friends to slander Ava and Manon online at night.”

“If anything happens to Ava and Manon because of your malicious intent, I will absolutely never forgive you!”

Before I could explain, he hung up. Five minutes later, Eric started a live stream to clarify things for Ava and Manon. “Hello everyone, I am the person involved in today’s trending topic. Ava is my wife, and Manon is my daughter. Please do not harm them.”

“Summer and I are merely friends. I’m not sure why she would ask people to spread rumors about our relationship online.”

After the live stream, Eric sent a text message. [I promised Brandon I would take care of Ava and Manon. Only by saying this will netizens leave them alone.]

[Don’t look at online messages recently. Netizens have short memories; in a few days, no one will recognize you.]

I looked at his message and cried, laughing. The last trace of affection dissipated with those tears.

The next morning, Eric returned home to find the password lock changed. He immediately called me to demand an explanation. “Summer, what kind of fit are you throwing now? What do you mean by changing the front door password lock?”

“Do you even want me to marry you anymore?”

But a light laugh came from the other end of the line. “Buddy, who are you? My wife, you think you have any right to marry her?”