Chapter 2

That one word, 'Mom,' ripped the fragile peace of the studio wide open.

Cheryl looked from Brenda to me, her sweet smile slowly crumbling.

"Mom?"

She repeated the word, her eyes hardening.

"You call her Southbrook, so who am I?"

Brenda reacted fastest.

She placed the food container on the table and quickly walked to Cheryl's side.

"Cheryl, honey, don't get upset. You're carrying a Caldwell baby."

Hearing "baby," Alex closed his eyes.

I heard myself let out a laugh.

It was soft, but it made everyone stiffen.

Brenda glared at me.

"What's so funny? You've been married five years and haven't had a single child! Are you going to stop Alex from having a family now?"

She used to only say such things indirectly at the dinner table.

Now, with a pregnant woman to back her up, she finally dropped the pretense of decency.

Cheryl's expression softened slightly, and she placed her hand back on her belly.

"So, you're his ex-wife?"

Ex-wife.

I looked at Alex.

"Did you tell her we were divorced?"

Alex's lips moved.

"Southbrook, I can explain."

"Explain what?"

Brenda cut in.

"Explain that you're clinging to the position of Mrs. Caldwell? Explain that you have no family backing you up, and we Caldwells have been generous enough?"

The photographer and makeup artist exchanged glances, and someone at the door subtly raised a phone.

Alex finally said in a low voice:

"No pictures."

Cheryl, hearing that "ex-wife" hadn't been denied, regained her confidence.

She lifted her chin.

"Ms. Southbrook, since you two have no feelings left, don't keep bothering Alex."

"I'm pregnant with his child, and the wedding is set."

"One should always have some decency."

Decency.

Alex and I started from nothing, living in a cramped apartment. The deposit for his first office? I scraped it together by selling the jade bracelet my mother left me.

He drank himself to a stomach ulcer during business dinners, and I spent three nights sleeping in the hospital hallway.

When the Caldwells needed a down payment for a house, Brenda cried about wanting a place with an elevator. I transferred my pre-marital savings to him.

Now they stood before me, lecturing me on decency.

The edge of the receipt cut into my palm.

I asked Alex:

"Are we divorced?"

Alex was silent.

Brenda impatiently waved her hand.

"It's going to happen eventually. Do you have to make a scene and embarrass everyone?"

"Southbrook, a woman over thirty shouldn't make herself look pathetic."

Cheryl gently touched the hem of her wedding dress.

"This dress is Alex's promise to me and our baby."

She looked at me, her voice soft as a blade.

"If you like it, once I've worn it, I can give it to you as a souvenir."

Someone around us gasped softly.

Alex reprimanded her:

"Cheryl!"

But the reprimand was too soft, without any real weight.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

The bridal shop manager sent a message, saying the order information needed final confirmation and had sent me the last four digits of the payment card and a photo of the signed receipt.

On the photo, the signature was Alex Caldwell.

But the payment card? It was our joint family card, under my name.

The money in that card was compensation from my father's property sale, left to me.

Alex had said it was better to put it together for investment, for higher returns.

I turned my phone screen towards him.

"You used my money to buy her a wedding dress?"

Cheryl's face darkened.

"What do you mean, 'your money'? Alex's money is Caldwell family money."

Brenda immediately chimed in.

"It's marital assets! Why be so nitpicky?"

Alex reached out and pressed down on my phone.

"Southbrook, let's go home first."

His palm felt hot.

I pulled my hand away.

"Which home? The one you prepared for her, or the one I put the down payment on?"

As soon as I spoke, a flicker of panic crossed Cheryl's face.

Brenda suddenly stepped forward, raising her hand to slap my face.

"Are you trying to humiliate my grandchild or not?!"

The air of her palm brushed past my ear.

Alex grabbed her wrist.

But his other hand, clutched my arm.

"Southbrook, stop making a scene."

He lowered his voice.

"She's pregnant."

That single sentence became his ultimate excuse, his reason for siding with her.

Cheryl's eyes welled up, and she leaned into Brenda's embrace.

"Alex, my stomach hurts."

Alex immediately released me, turning to support her.

He threw me back half a step, and the receipt fluttered from my fingers, landing beneath the hem of the wedding dress.