Back when Rose stole my fiancé, she was afraid I'd keep making a scene and ruin the wholesome image she'd built online, so she showed up at my door with a fake apology.
I hadn't planned to go after her, but I hadn't planned to forgive her either.
We'd all known each other for eight years. She knew exactly how deep things ran between Brent and me.
Yet she married him anyway, hiding behind the excuse that her fans were begging for it and she simply couldn't say no.
After that, I wanted nothing to do with Rose Sullivan.
But all she had to do was stand outside my door and squeeze out a couple of tears, and Ervin would come find me on his own to lecture me：【You're a grown woman. Why are you still acting like a child?】
【Don't tell me you're still hung up on Brent. Is that why you hold it against her?】
At the time, those words actually made me wonder if I really was being too petty.
My thoughts snapped back to the present, and I suddenly asked Ervin the oldest question in the book：【If Rose and I both fell in the water and you could only save one of us, who would you pick?】
Ervin froze. Clearly my reaction was the last thing he'd expected.
But his grip on my wrist didn't loosen.
【Renata, don't start with me right now.】
【Rose is the company's top influencer.】
【Building her up doubles our revenue. That's paving the way for our child's future too.】
I laughed before I could stop myself.
A question that simple, and he still couldn't bring himself to answer. That silence was an answer all on its own.
There was no point pushing it. If I didn't back down, he'd only force me into an even bigger concession to Rose.
And with this belly, I couldn't afford another fight.
The moment the studio lights flicked on, the photographers huddled together, frowning and whispering.
Finally, one of them worked up the nerve to approach：
【Ms. Simmons, we still have a few minutes before we go live. Maybe you could put on some makeup first?】
【It's just……showing up like this might not look great on camera. Could scare viewers off marriage entirely.】
Every pair of eyes in the room was on me. There was nowhere to hide.
I looked to Ervin without thinking, but he just gave an impatient nod toward the makeup artist, signaling her to get started.
I turned my face away and managed an apologetic refusal：
【I'm sorry, my doctor said the pregnancy's unstable. I'm not supposed to use any cosmetics.】
Right on cue, Rose had her assistant pass over her bag and put on her concerned-big-sister voice：
【Renata, all my products are completely natural. Totally safe for expecting mothers.】
【How about I just do a light touch-up for you?】
I knew Rose didn't mean well.
But we were about to go live, and the entire crew was standing there with their equipment, waiting on me.
Even Ervin's patience was visibly wearing thin.
I swallowed the tears rising in my throat, rested a hand on my belly, and gave in：【Fine. Go ahead.】
Just as I'd expected, Rose made a show of carefully doing my makeup.
In reality, she deliberately used a foundation two shades too light and paired it with the most garish hot-pink lipstick she had, making my already exhausted face look like a bad joke.
Rose stepped back with a satisfied grin, turning me toward the room like a finished product, fishing for compliments.
Everyone covered their mouths, barely holding it together.
But I still heard the whispers：
【She looks worse than before. Once we're live, the birth rate's gonna drop by half……】
【Mr. Stephens is such a good-looking guy. How'd he end up with that?】
【Right? Put her next to Rose and it's night and day.】
I told myself not to care what they thought.
I gritted my teeth through another round of mockery in the livestream chat, and when they finally called a break, I went straight to find Ervin.
I was exhausted. I told him I wanted to go home and rest.
