Chapter 4

"The baby's only a few months old, and you dress him in one thin little onesie?"

"How the hell does Eugene call himself a father!"

I looked down at the little sleeper on my baby, washed until the color had gone.

It was a clearance piece I'd bought from the baby store. Twenty-five dollars, the cheapest thing on the rack.

The clerk beside me looked me over with open contempt.

"A grown woman with a kid, and this stingy about her own child."

"If you're that broke, why have a baby at all."

It sat like a stone in my chest. Who would ever guess that the woman buying the twenty-five-dollar clearance onesie had a husband who was a CEO pulling in millions a month.

Say it out loud and no one would believe you anyway.

"Where's the nanny?"

"Paulette said... she said the nanny came for one day and got sent away."

Carol Henson frowned, confused. "Who is she to send anyone away?"

"Paulette told me to learn to handle it myself," I said. "She said everyone else manages, so why couldn't I."

Carol was so furious she slammed her hand down on the table right then. "This is going too far! Since when does an outsider get to stick her nose into Henson family business?"

She set down everything she'd brought, then pulled out her phone and wired me a hundred thousand dollars.

Then she stormed off to have it out with Paulette.

I actually thought the worst was finally behind me.

But somehow, whatever Paulette said to her, the next call I got from Carol was full of apology.

"Sylvia, eight hundred dollars a month, I know that really is unfair to you."

"But Paulette has her reasons for doing this."

"Just make do for now, all right?"

I stared at the message for a long time and gave a bleak, bitter little laugh.

I didn't know what the secretary's so-called reasons were. All I knew was that Carol had, once again, ended up standing on the opposite side from me.

Half a month later, Caleb showed up again with several big bags of things for me.

He moved like he already knew the place by heart. The moment he walked in, he was washing clothes for me and the baby, cleaning up, then heading into the kitchen to cook.

Even the baby smiled up at him. For that one moment, it felt as if the three of us were the real family here.

That night, Eugene happened to come home and caught Caleb holding the baby while cooking for me. His face went ashen on the spot as he grabbed Caleb by the collar and demanded an answer.

"Caleb, what the hell are you doing in my house, holding my kid?"

Caleb's face went cold too as he threw it right back.

"You can't be bothered to take care of your own wife, and you've got the nerve to question me? A big-shot CEO like you, giving your wife eight hundred dollars a month for living expenses. That barely covers a snack. "

"You spend more than that on a pair of socks for your little secretary, don't you?"

Eugene froze. He turned to look at me, disbelief all over his face.

"Eight hundred a month? I give you eighty thousand!"

Caleb froze. So did I.

My face drained white and a chill went straight through me.

"You... what did you say?"

"There's only ever been eight hundred. How could it possibly be eighty thousand?"

"Starting from your fifth month of pregnancy, I had Paulette send eighty thousand a month from the company account into your card."

Afraid I wouldn't believe him, Eugene pulled out his phone and brought up the transfer records.

"See for yourself."

Eighty thousand a month, sure enough. But the receiving account ended in 5188.

I was quiet before I spoke. "My card ends in 7312."

Eugene's expression changed in an instant.

"Paulette said you'd switched cards. She said you found it too much of a hassle and gave her the new number..."

His voice dropped lower with every word, a flicker of shock in his eyes.

"Don't tell me you never switched cards. That this account isn't yours."

I shook my head. "It isn't mine."

Eugene stood there, rigid. "How is that possible? Paulette wouldn't lie to me."