Chapter 3

Lambert frowned deeply.

"Eleanor, it's just sitting in the closet anyway..."

I cut him off coldly.

"No. This belongs to my mother. Give it back to me."

Deidre bit her lip, her eyes reddening, and reached out to pull the zipper down.

Lambert pressed her hand still.

"No need. You keep it on."

He turned to face me, lowering his voice.

"Eleanor, calm down."

Harvey sensed something was wrong and suddenly lunged at me, shoving me.

"You wicked woman! What right do you have to yell at my mommy! Get out of my house!"

I instinctively raised my hand to block him.

Harvey stumbled backward and landed on his bottom on the floor.

He froze for half a second, then opened his mouth and wailed.

"Bad woman! You big villain! How dare you push me! Get out of my house!"

Deidre screamed and rushed over.

"Harvey!"

Lambert quickly scooped up the child, and his eyes darkened when he looked at me.

"Eleanor, he's just a child. Was that really necessary?"

He was about to say something more when his phone suddenly buzzed.

He glanced down at the screen, and when he looked up again his tone had eased.

"Eleanor, let it go. Your brother just messaged me. He's arrived and is waiting for us at home."

He took my hand, his voice returning to its old gentleness.

"Let's go. Don't keep your brother waiting."

I gave Deidre a long look, then turned and left.

Back home, Les smiled and pulled out a pile of gift bags.

"Little sister, I saw so many little things on my business trip abroad this time. You'll love them."

He opened the bags. They were stuffed full of small accessories.

The logo looked familiar.

Back in my mother's villa just now, there had been a heap of luxury goods on the floor, all with the same logo.

In that instant, a lot of things came clear to me.

All these years, every time Les came back from a business trip, he'd bring me a bunch of little odds and ends.

I didn't really like them, but I was always happy to get them, because it made me feel like my brother had me in his heart.

So it turned out he went to see Deidre first, and gave me the things she'd picked over and left behind.

My voice stayed calm.

"Thank you, brother."

The housekeeper set the food on the table.

Lambert's phone buzzed.

He glanced down at it, then stood up.

"Eleanor, there's a paper at the university that needs handling urgently. I have to run over there."

With that, he grabbed his coat and left.

The moment the door shut, Les set down his cup and stood up too.

"Um... Eleanor, I just remembered I think I left the air conditioner on at home. Let's have dinner another time. I'll head out now."

The two of them left one after the other.

I picked up a shrimp.

I chewed it for a long time before I could swallow.

I set down my chopsticks, buried my face in my hands, and my shoulders shook.

I wiped away my tears and pulled up the surveillance app for that house.

They didn't know I'd installed cameras.

Sure enough, Lambert and Les had both gone over, and they were soothing Deidre.

Deidre's eyes were red, as if she'd just been crying.

"I don't want to live on edge like this anymore! She's already come looking for me! She even forced me to take off my clothes!"

"Lambert, Harvey's going to start elementary school soon. Can you really bear to keep us, mother and son, living like this in secret?"

Les comforted her from the side.

"If there's really no other way, just put the child's registration under my name."

Lambert cut in immediately.

"No. Harvey is my son. How could he be registered under your name?"

Deidre's tears spilled over at once.

"I don't care what happens to me, but Harvey clearly isn't a love child, yet people are always talking behind his back and calling him a bastard. It breaks my heart. I can't stand it."

Lambert's face went grim, and he took her hand.

"Deidre, don't worry. I'll find a way to give you and your son a proper standing."

I turned off the video, my face blank.

A few days later, when Lambert came home, he had a stack of documents in his hand.

"Eleanor, some of the contracts for the assets you handed over to my friend to manage need to be signed again."

I lowered my eyes and glanced at them. At the very bottom, one sheet was tucked underneath, a corner showing.

It was the divorce papers.