“I suddenly remember a saying called ‘double happiness arrives’? Did I pronounce that correctly?” The foreign executive attempted the phrase with a thick accent, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
Dereck nodded and smiled, praising his effort. “Your French is quite good.”
My fingers instinctively clenched, gripping the cutlery in my hand so tightly it hurt.
They didn’t know that I had attended a foreign language high school and understood German perfectly.
Feigning ignorance, I asked Dereck, “What were you all talking about?”
I tried to keep my tone casual and light, as if I wasn’t suffocating inside.
“Oh, he just mentioned a saying, and he got it pretty spot on,” Dereck said, grinning.
I forced a smile in response, even though my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Dereck wrapped his arm around my shoulders, laughing blissfully. “They’re congratulating me for becoming a father and securing the global endorsement deal for the brand.”
Inwardly, I sneered at his cluelessness.
Looking at this man, so completely in the dark, I couldn’t decide whether to feel pity or contempt.
It truly was a "double happiness"—two betrayal at once.
—
During a spring cleaning session, I discovered something shocking. Dereck had installed over a hundred hidden cameras in the house.
They weren’t for security. They were to monitor my movements.
When I wasn’t home, he would bring Claire over to our house to carry on their affair.
He had turned what was once a home full of warmth and memories into a sordid, no-limits love hotel.
The rooms I meticulously cleaned became their playground.
They tangled on the couch I had carefully chosen, pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, smudging the glass I had polished until it gleamed, and even desecrated the dining table where I ate my meals.
So, I decided to fight fire with fire. I installed my own hidden cameras.
One evening, Dereck surprised me by bringing me a glass of warm milk.
“I bought this special prenatal formula for you. It’s good for the baby.”
I drank it, touched by the gesture, and slept soundly that night.
The next day, while reviewing the surveillance footage, my stomach churned.
Dereck had brought Claire home while I was fast asleep.
That woman lay brazenly right next to me!
They indulged in their passion while I slept peacefully.
“Your trick worked perfectly. Sneaking her some sleeping pills was brilliant,” she beamed. “Even more thrilling than usual! You’re amazing!”
Their illicit tryst lasted three or four hours before they finally stopped.
The following morning, Dereck returned home unusually early.
Perhaps out of guilt, he approached me and hugged me tightly, burying his head in my neck.
“Wife, I’ve missed you so much. We haven’t been intimate since the baby...”
He lifted his head, his shirt half undone, revealing his toned chest and faintly bulging veins.
If this had been the past, I would have eagerly leaned into him, massaged his shoulders, and catered to his every whim.
But now, all I could smell was the faint lily fragrance lingering on him—a scent that belonged to Claire.
No matter how much he washed, it wouldn’t come off.
He was tainted.
At that moment, I changed my mind. I tore up the signed divorce papers.
If you won’t let me go, Dereck, then I’ll stay—for revenge.
I decided to carry Connor’s child to term.
Time passed quickly.
Claire found every excuse to flaunt her presence in front of me.
Her pregnancy was three months ahead of mine, and she treated her larger, more prominent belly as a badge of honor.
She often strutted in front of me, deliberately emphasizing her baby bump with an air of triumph and provocation.
Now, the internet was abuzz with gossip about the two pregnant women in Dereck’s life.
In places I couldn’t see, whispers followed me like shadows.
[This is such a mess. Could it really be that he got two women pregnant at the same time? What kind of man does that?!]
The gossip online spread like wildfire, but Dereck seemed more exhilarated than ever. He took this impending new life very seriously, more so than I had anticipated.
He began canceling numerous live streams and public appearances to prioritize me.
Every morning, he woke up early to prepare a nutritious breakfast, carefully bringing it to my bedside and watching me eat each bite.
In the evenings, he drew warm baths for me, massaged my swollen legs, and hummed lullabies to my growing belly before bed.
Sometimes, my hand would instinctively rest on my rounded stomach, but instead of maternal joy, my face reflected only icy indifference.
While Dereck was meticulously counting down to my due date, I was planning my escape.
