It was the first time Sylvie blurted out the truth, but unfortunately, the sound of Connor's phone ringing drowned out her voice.
Connor rushed to take the call.
Anna's voice came through the speaker, "Connor, I got an allergic reaction from my dog's fur. Can you come see me?"
Connor's expression stiffened. He quickly grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, forgetting all about Sylvie.
As she watched him leave, she sighed helplessly, remarking, "What a shame. You almost got to hear the truth."
Thanks to Connor's extended lovemaking session, Sylvie came down with a fever. During her groggy state, she dreamed about the day she rescued Connor.
At the time, he was only a seven-year-old boy. His eyes gleamed like marbles as he addressed her politely, asking, "Will I be able to see you again?"
His voice was sweet and gentle enough to make one's heart flutter.
Smiling, Sylvie had replied, "Will you be able to recognize me then?"
"Of course!" the young Connor declared, his eyes shining.
…
When Sylvie woke up, her pillow was wet, and it felt like her throat was on fire. She got out of bed to get herself some water.
As she approached the living room, she heard the sound of laughter.
Anna's voice rang out, "I never would've guessed that you're such a good cook, Connor. I'm going to come over for meals a lot more from now on."
"Just make yourself at home. I'll cook for you whenever you want."
Sylvie entered the living room just in time to see Connor feeding Anna himself. The dining room table was laden with steaming hot food.
Despite being married all these years, this was the day she learned that Connor could cook.
Connor was caught off guard when he saw Sylvie. "Didn't you message me saying you were going to the hospital?"
Sylvie didn't answer. She had indeed planned on heading to the hospital for a checkup, but thanks to him, she got a fever last night and ended up missing her appointment.
Anna took Sylvie's silence as a sign of jealousy. With a smug expression, she remarked, "Why do you look so exhausted, Sylvie? Did you spend the night with some random guy again, cheating on Connor behind his back?"
Connor's expression became a little unpleasant. "Don't say that. She's still my wife."
Sylvie couldn't be bothered to deal with them. She was about to head back to her bedroom when Anna stopped her.
"Connor has agreed to let me turn your bedroom into a room for my pet."
Turning back around, Sylvie tried her best to keep her tone calm as she asked, "Aren't you allergic to dog fur?"
Cocking an eyebrow, Anna said, "It's precisely because of my allergy to dog fur that I need to find a new place for my dog. Your bedroom gets a decent amount of sunlight, so it's the best one to turn into its new home."
Sylvie looked at Connor, who turned away. Seemingly feeling a little guilty, he dared not meet her gaze.
Anna thought Sylvie would refuse, but to her shock, Sylvie simply smiled and nodded. "Fine."
She looked at Connor and said, "In the future, you don't need to inform me of these things. Do whatever makes you two happy."
Connor abruptly felt a sense of… anxiety. From the way Sylvie reacted, it was as if she didn't care about him anymore. However, he soon rejected that possibility. Just yesterday, she was still throwing herself at him. There was no way she would've stopped caring about him.
While eating, Anna asked Connor to accompany her to an auction.
"This auction only happens once every five years, Connor. The last item up for auction is the Pearl of the Merpeople. I hear it costs a fortune! Come on. Take me there so that I can broaden my horizons."
"There's no such thing as merpeople, Annie," Connor said somewhat helplessly. "The auctioneers are just using that to trick people."
"I don't care. You're coming with me!" Anna immediately cajoled.
Unable to dissuade her, Connor had no choice but to stroke her hair and say, "Alright. Whatever you say."
After hearing the exchange, Sylvie lowered her gaze. It seemed like Connor had truly forgotten that she'd saved him when he was young.
Anna took Connor's arm and started heading for the door when, all of a sudden, she thought of something.
"Come with us, Sylvie."
Brows creasing, Connor lowered his voice and asked, "Why do you want to bring her along?"
With the sweetest smile on her face, Anna said the most cruel words, "We'll need someone to help us carry all the things we get from the auction. It's the perfect job for a doormat like her."
Uninterested in arguing with Anna, Sylvie agreed to join them.
As they got to the car, Anna hopped into the front passenger seat before giving Sylvie a taunting look. Alas, to her dismay, Sylvie simply got into the backseat without reacting in any way.
Anna turned red with anger when she failed to get the reaction she desired.
Meanwhile, after glancing at the expressionless Sylvie in the back, for some reason, Connor felt uneasy.
The sky was already dark when they got to the auction.
Connor truly doted on Anna. He didn't hesitate to buy every single item Anna took a liking to, even though each one cost millions of dollars.
Everyone around them began gossiping among themselves.
"Mr. Shaw is such a generous man! Look at all the money he's spending on Anna."
"Isn't his wife here, too? I don't think this is appropriate."
"You haven't heard yet, huh? Mr. Shaw has remained celibate the whole time. Anna is the only one he loves. He has never even laid a finger on Sylvie. Sylvie fooled around with another man a while back, and I heard she even got pregnant!
"Mr. Shaw is already showing her a great deal of grace by not divorcing her."
After overhearing these conversations, Connor glanced at Sylvie. Her expression remained neutral. He couldn't tell what she was feeling. For some reason, it gave him a strange feeling.
"Have you fully recovered yet?" he asked with some difficulty.
After being married for seven years, it was his first time expressing any kind of concern for her.
"I'm fine," Sylvie replied.
Connor was about to speak once more when Anna abruptly grabbed his arm and said, "Connor, it's time for the last item on auction!"
The staff on stage took off the red cloth, revealing a dazzling pearl within a glass case. It gleamed brightly in the light.
"This is the fabled Pearl of the Merpeople! It is said to be so rare that only one can be found every thousand years. The bidding will start at 100 million dollars."
