The gift Esther brought was exactly the same as Ritchie’s.
She glanced at the gifts in everyone’s hands and let out a laugh.
“Honestly, the brand you’re holding? I created it!”
Her voice was full of pride. “A few years back, my family hit rock bottom, but I got lucky. Someone important stepped in and helped me get back on my feet. He worked day and night to push me up to where I am now. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy.”
As she spoke, her eyes deliberately flicked to the man standing beside me.
So that’s what Ritchie had been doing during those sleepless nights, claiming he was expanding overseas markets—helping Esther rebuild her empire.
She strutted over to me, her heels clicking loudly against the floor. She clicked her tongue, her tone mockingly sweet.
“Portia, you’ve got such an incredible husband, but after all these years, you’re still stuck here. I just don’t get it.”
“Clothes really do make the person, don’t they? I still remember the first time I saw you—you were just some scrappy little girl who looked like she didn’t belong anywhere.”
Her eyes swept over me with disgust. But before she could walk away, I slapped her. Hard.
“If you know Ritchie is my husband, then who the hell gave you the nerve to act like this in front of me?”
Esther clutched her face, furious. Her eyes darted toward Ritchie, looking stunned for a moment before storming inside.
It was the first time I’d ever lost my cool in front of so many people. Ritchie stared at me in shock, his hand lifting as if to touch me.
I took a step back, putting space between us. “I’m not feeling great. I’ll head inside to rest for a bit.”
I heard footsteps behind me and turned to meet his confused gaze.
“If you’ve got things to do, go ahead. You don’t have to wait for me.”
The second I stepped into the house, Esther grabbed my wrist. Her eyes were bloodshot, her teeth clenched tightly.
“Don’t think slapping me in front of everyone makes you better than me. In Ritchie’s eyes, you’ll never measure up. Do you even know how much he loves our son?”
She sneered, then pulled out her phone. Right in front of me, she called him and turned the volume up. She wanted me to hear every word.
The second the call connected, her enraged expression disappeared, replaced with a soft, helpless voice.
“Ritchie, the nanny just called. Rocky is sick. Can you go check on him? My face is still swollen from earlier… I’m afraid I’ll scare him…”
Ritchie’s voice was anxious. “Don’t worry, I’ll head there right now.”
Esther smirked, tilting her chin up like she’d won some sort of prize, and walked off. I stood there, feeling this strange emptiness I couldn’t explain. Grabbing my phone, I quickly called Ritchie.
His voice, barely hiding his impatience, came through. “There’s an urgent matter at the company. I have to take care of it. You can grab a cab home, or I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
The call ended before I could respond. My heart felt hollow. Without thinking, I hurried after Esther outside.
There he was—Ritchie—gently cupping her face, his eyes filled with worry as he softly blew on her cheek.
It was as if I were the villain breaking up a perfect couple like them.
Watching them being sweet, I couldn’t help but pick up my phone again. I clenched my fists tightly, forcing my voice to remain steady.
“Ritchie, I’m not feeling well. If you’re still around, could you come get me?”
I saw them pause, just briefly, before Ritchie’s exasperated voice came through.
“Baby, I really have something urgent at the office. Be good and wait for me there, okay? I’ll come get you as soon as I’m done.”
The call ended again. Ritchie’s gaze flickered nervously like he was second-guessing something. For a moment, he looked conflicted.
But in the end, he got in the car and left.
I watched the car disappear in the distance, my legs stumbling backward as if they had a mind of their own.
Just when I thought I could catch my breath, a sudden, brutal force yanked my arm and threw me into the dry well in the yard. The cover slammed shut above me.
The sound of my bones cracking was sickening. Pain shot through me as cuts and bruises covered every inch of my body. Before I could even process what was happening, a warm stream spread beneath me, draining the last bit of strength from my body. Soon, my mind faded into darkness…
