When William went and registered our marriage without permission, he put Old Mr. Delgado in the hospital for a solid week.
Chairman Delgado made him kneel in the study and nearly broke his legs.
Even the wealthy families he'd once turned down stopped giving him the time of day.
And still, he threw me a wedding for all the world to see.
There in the wedding hall, he took my hand without a trace of hesitation, his eyes so full of feeling it nearly spilled over.
"Bella, do you know? From the day we met in that elevator, you became a part of my life."
"You used to ask me why Crestford has no spring. But to me, you are my spring."
"I, William Delgado, would give up anything in this life, if it meant growing old with you."
Back then, I believed him.
Because I was too sensitive, when William learned I was carrying a girl and didn't dare tell him, he bought an entire villa, cleared out luxury boutiques and toy stores, and hired the best designer to build a "castle" all her own for the daughter who hadn't even been born yet.
Just to prove to me that he loved our baby, girl or boy.
And because I was too sensitive, the William of now could dress up his own affair as nothing more than my fantasy, all of it in my head.
I stared blankly out the window at the withered branches of the plane tree, as if my feelings for William had reached their end too.
Until the text alert on my phone cut through and pulled me back.
【Miss Butler, the family portrait session you booked has been completed. Please follow the platform's instructions and pay the balance within the set time~】
Reading it, I frowned, confused.
The family portrait was something I'd barely managed to book a week before my due date, hoping to take it with William once the baby arrived.
But the child had already been handed over to Astrid. How could the session possibly be "completed"?
I was about to argue with them when my eyes landed on a post in my social media feed.
In the photo, William stood in a suit, straight-backed, gazing down tenderly at Astrid and the baby in his arms.
Astrid wore a white dress, smiling bright and radiant.
The next few were candids of the two of them coaxing smiles out of the baby, and one of them locked in a deep kiss.
The last one Astrid must have taken herself: William sitting on the sofa, a spread of glistening, translucent fruit in front of him, beside a little stack of cherry skins.
The caption read: William may rule the world out there, but at home he's still this gentle and attentive.
A sharp ache flared in my chest, and my nose stung.
Once upon a time, that tender, careful side of him had become someone else's bragging rights.
For a moment, only one thought was left in my head.
Divorce. I had to get away from him.
Choking back a sob, I dialed a number.
"Christopher Butler... take me away..."
"Really? Sis, you're finally willing to see me? About what happened back then, I... never mind, I'll explain when we meet. You find your documents first, I'll arrange everything to get you out of the country right away!"
I hung up and checked myself out of the hospital alone.
After searching the bedroom for a long while, I finally sent the original of the photo to Christopher, and only then thought about stepping out for some air.
Downstairs, laughter and chatter drifted up.
William had brought Astrid home.
"You little troublemaker, don't pull Mommy's hair."
"William, don't scare the baby."
Watching the two of them on the sofa, so perfectly matched, it was as if I were the shameless intruder.
Astrid heard the movement upstairs and quickly set the child down, getting to her feet.
"Bella, you're home..."
I came down the stairs and looked the girl over carefully.
Astrid was more confident, more dazzling than she'd been in college.
A different person entirely from the insecure girl I'd first met, the one who hadn't even owned a suitcase and had carried a few burlap sacks to school.
Back then the other girls in class called her a "country bumpkin," and the boys, seeing that she was poor but had a pure, pretty face, set traps for her, even drugged her, meaning to force her into humiliation.
To save her, I'd taken a knife to the back from those men, and yet I'd kept her pinned safely beneath me as if I couldn't feel a thing.
Later I encouraged her, told her not to feel small.
When I ran out of money I still split my own meager living expenses with her.
Before long her parents came up from the countryside and found me, calling me a slut, saying I was deliberately keeping their daughter from landing some rich, handsome man.
Because of all that, William never had a kind word for her.
"A grown woman, with no judgment of her own? Bella, you're just too kind."
But later, William suddenly began seeing Astrid often.
He even started, on my own birthday, comparing the two of us without thinking.
"Astrid is obedient and sweet, she's never fought anyone for anything, and yet you've always been wary of her, always made things hard for her."
"It's my fault for spoiling you all this time, raising you to be not even half as considerate as Astrid."
Now my eyes settled again on the couture gown Astrid wore, the jewelry on her, understated but every piece clearly worth a fortune.
That confidence of hers, William had given it to her.
"Bella, don't read too much into it. I'll only stay a little while and then go."
Astrid stepped forward to take my hand, and I pulled away from her at once.
The warm smile froze on her face.
"William said the baby's just been born, so it's best to take some photos to remember it. We only just finished, we're just resting here a moment, we won't get in the way of you and William..."
"Astrid," I cut her off, "do you think stealing my child and taking a family portrait with my husband is something to be terribly proud of?"
