Chapter 2

During those seven days, Julian had sneaked into my room once, wearing a black mask and sunglasses.

Seeing me acting like a hysterical woman demanding to be discharged, his face filled with disgust.

"Chloe, when did you become so trashy? When you were writing screenplays, didn't you hate characters like this?"

"My mom only took the baby because you’re in no condition to care for him. Can you stop making a scene?"

He didn't ask if I was in pain. He didn't comfort me for having my baby snatched away.

He just stood firmly on his mother's side, coldly accusing me of being unreasonable.

He didn't even bother to explain why he wasn't there when I was giving birth.

I didn't say a word to this man who had been sleeping with another woman while I was dying.

I just kept demanding the doctor sign my discharge papers.

Seeing me ignore him, he adjusted his mask and left in a hurry.

I stared at his retreating back and let out a cold laugh. My heart was completely dead.

He claimed he was busy with the movie, but he was probably just rushing back to pamper Serena.

The first time I met Serena was during the lowest point of my life.

That day, Eleanor had told me Julian was coming home for dinner and ordered me to cook a massive feast.

At that point, I hadn't seen Julian in six months.

He had been cast by Director Miller in a massive romantic franchise.

Aside from occasional brief phone calls, he barely even replied to my Snapchats.

I knew he was busy, so I tried to be understanding and didn't bother him.

I handled everything at home by myself.

Even when Eleanor treated me like garbage, I never complained.

Because I knew how much Julian cared about his career.

I had seen him on set.

He was so dedicated, practically glowing under the spotlights.

As his biggest fan and his wife, I felt it was my duty to be his perfect supporter.

So, I spent the entire day preparing a gourmet dinner.

Everything was Julian’s favorite.

Eleanor actually praised me for once, but the moment she saw what I was wearing, her face fell.

"Look at you. You look like a maid. Your hair is so greasy you could fry an egg on it, and you smell like a kitchen."

"Julian used to talk about how talented you were, what a great writer you were. Now you look no different from a homeless person on the street."

She took a step back, her disgust obvious.

I looked down at myself. I was soaked in sweat, and my clothes smelled like grease and oil.

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't find the words to argue back.

I remembered the girl who used to stand confidently in front of cameras, talking about her screenplays. She felt like a completely different person now.

I could only nervously rub my apron.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

It was Julian, and next to him was a flawlessly dressed, stunning girl.

Her features were striking and elegant, her outfit simple yet expensive.

I stood there, frozen in embarrassment.

Compared to her, I really did look like a paid maid.

And that was exactly how Eleanor introduced me.

Eleanor smiled, pulling Serena into the living room, showering her with warmth and compliments she had never shown me.

Serena obviously understood the underlying meaning. Though she acted coy, she handled Eleanor perfectly.

The two of them sat together. Serena looked far more like the daughter-in-law of this house than I did.