The day Ulric and I went to finalize our divorce, Sanvnnah showed up at the courthouse too.
With a triumphant smile, she gleefully announced that Ulric’s girlfriend was pregnant—and it was a boy.
I turned my gaze to Ulric, whose eyes immediately darted away. Then I let out a cold laugh. Ulric couldn’t have children. So, whose baby was this?
...
Ulric and I were college classmates.
Back in school, Ulric was the model student, winning countless scholarships and competition prizes, while I, not caring much about grades, just got by as long as I passed.
I still don’t know why he suddenly took an interest in me.
The day he confessed, I found myself nodding along, staring at his handsome face, caught up in the moment.
I lived locally, so I often invited him to my house for family dinners on weekends.
Ulric didn’t come from a wealthy family, but he was hardworking and exceptional, so my parents always liked him.
But when it came time to talk about marriage, my father, Benedict, insisted we couldn’t continue seeing each other.
Ulric’s family was from the countryside, and to discuss our marriage, they even brought his mother, Sanvnnah, from the rural area to join us.
Originally, we had planned just to have a meal and chat the next day, since the elderly woman had traveled a long way.
But as soon as Sanvnnah sat down, she coldly spoke up. “Let’s be clear from the start. Our family is just an orphaned mother and son. We don’t have much money. We can contribute part of the funds for the house, but it must be in my son’s name.”
The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere at the table shifted awkwardly, the silence thick.
Ulric’s face turned pale, and he pulled at Sanvnnah. “Mom, why are you saying all this? Please stop.”
“What’s wrong with what I said? You’re so talented, you could—” Sanvnnah insisted, clearly dissatisfied with me as her future daughter-in-law.
My father, Benedict Voss, grew increasingly angry, and the dinner ended in an uncomfortable silence.
When we got home, Benedict ordered me to stop seeing Ulric, but I refused.
My mother, Thalia, sighed from the side. “You really need to think this through. Can you handle a woman like that in your life?”
Unfortunately, love often clouds one’s judgment. All I could think about was spending the rest of my life with Ulric, and as for Sanvnnah—she’d be far away in the countryside. What was there to fear?
Benedict couldn’t convince me. After smoking nearly a whole pack of cigarettes, his face was drawn with worry. “We can afford the house, but have you really thought about this? She’s already like this before you’re even married. How will it be after?”
I hadn’t really thought it through—or maybe I just didn’t want to.
The next day, Ulric came over with a gift and an apology.
He explained that his father had passed away early, and that Sanvnnah had suffered a lot, being just a rural woman. He asked me not to take her words to heart.
With determination in his eyes, he added, “Remy, once I’m able to, I’ll make it up to you tenfold.”
I smiled and shook my head, not feeling wronged. I told him we were married now, and we needed to be a team—not two separate people. Then I gave him a big hug.
Things moved forward naturally after that, and we got married.
Benedict paid for Ulric’s car and covered the down payment on our new house.
After the wedding, Ulric landed a job at an internet company, and I worked at an advertising firm. After paying the mortgage each month, we had little stress, and life was smooth and fulfilling.
But not long after everything settled, one night, Sanvnnah called, crying that she had a terrible headache and feared she might be dying.
