Samuel personally prepared nutritious meals for Xandra every day, took her on walks and shopping trips, and even held her vomit in his hands when she suffered from morning sickness.
He never missed a single prenatal checkup, staying by her side, his gaze filled with devotion as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.
I had begged Samuel countless times to pick a name for our child. However, he would always take a long time to reply.
"Lydia, a name is just a label. Just pick something random. I'm busy. We’ll decide after the baby is born."
Yet, the moment Xandra got pregnant, Samuel had already come up with over a hundred names for her child.
"Xandra, how about calling our baby Asha? It means a bright future ahead."
"Or maybe Ethan? It signifies great knowledge and a promising destiny."
"No, let’s go with Apollo. I don’t care if he becomes someone important. I just want him to be safe and live a long life."
After every prenatal checkup, he would gift Xandra something—a piece of luxury jewelry, or a limited-edition sports car.
"Our Xandra has made it through another checkup safely. We must celebrate!"
He even gifted her a European castle to celebrate her successful delivery.
And me?
All I ever got was a single sentence, "Lydia, thank you for your hard work. I have a meeting to attend."
So this was the difference between love and indifference.
I put down the phone, my heart cold and numb. Without a second thought, I booked a plane ticket to leave the country in three days.
Lying back on the hospital bed, I stared at the ceiling, my chest filled with an unbearable emptiness.
I didn’t sleep a single moment that night.
—
The next morning, Samuel, as usual, had his assistant buy me a nutritious meal.
I used to be touched by his thoughtfulness, believing that even when he wasn’t by my side, he still cared about my health.
It wasn't until I recalled him bustling around the kitchen last night, cooking for Xandra, that I realized it was all just for show.
I finally understood—this wasn’t love. It was just routine. A meaningless gesture.
Compared to genuine affection, money was worthless.
Seeing that I hadn’t taken a single bite, Samuel frowned, his voice filled with concern, "Lydia, why aren’t you eating? Does it not suit your taste?"
"It’s nothing. I just miss the baby," I replied coldly.
Samuel chuckled. "Oh, you mean Apollo? I miss him too. I never understood before, but now that I’m a father, I realize—I don’t want to be apart from him for even a second. Our Apollo is the most adorable child in the world."
"Mom is over the moon now that she has a grandson. She’s been celebrating at the old house. Let’s go pick Apollo up later."
I didn’t respond. I had already decided to leave, so I didn’t care anymore.
—
When we arrived at the Lopez family’s old estate, the moment we stepped inside, I saw my mother-in-law and Xandra happily playing with Apollo.
Xandra was dressed in a high-end limited-edition outfit, her face radiant. There was no trace of exhaustion from childbirth.
My mother-in-law, doting on her grandson, was feeding Xandra spoonfuls of bird’s nest soup, treating her like her daughter.
The moment Xandra saw me, she smirked and turned to my mother-in-law, her voice dripping with false modesty. "Auntie, you really don’t have to treat me so well. People might mistake me for your daughter-in-law. Lydia might get jealous. You should give her the bird’s nest instead—she’s weak and needs it more."
Following her gaze, my mother-in-law looked at me, her expression immediately turning sour.
I was still wearing the bloodstained clothes from the day of the accident.
Disgust flashed across her face. "Has my son ever deprived you of food or clothing? Why are you dressed like this? It’s so unlucky—are you trying to embarrass our family?"
"Look at Xandra! She just gave birth, yet she looks so much better than you. You’re just being dramatic."
"You couldn’t even behave yourself while pregnant, running around like a fool. It’s a miracle you didn’t die from that fall. And now, you dare to play the victim? If anything had happened to my grandson, I would have made Samuel divorce you on the spot!"
"You knew you had to breastfeed, yet you dared to take medicine recklessly? If it weren’t for Xandra stepping in to feed him, my grandson would have starved because of you! You bring bad luck!"
"I’m making it official right now—Xandra is my goddaughter. From now on, she’ll call me 'Mom,' just like Samuel does."
