After touring around her house, I felt a bit disappointed. There wasn't even a pair of men's slippers in her place.I suspect she had tidied up since it took her two hours to come and pick us up. It was enough time for her to hide any evidence. I figured she had thought things through.Ivanna prepared a few snacks for Ava, perhaps because she sensed how distracted I was. She then turned on the TV, played a cartoon, and sat beside me. Soon after, she began to scrutinize me, making me feel uncomfortable. Then, she patted my hand, saying, "Let it out."My heart raced, and I looked at her defensively while withdrawing my hand. "Let what out?""Share what's on your mind," Ivanna encouraged as if trying to coax me.I sneered before saying, "What's on my mind? What do you mean?"I saw her mouth twitch. After a moment of silence, she stood up abruptly. "You stay here and play with Ava. I'll make something for you two to eat."After removing her coat and changing clothes, she went into

Ivanna shook her head, saying, "The surveillance footage I got was too blurry. Also, I couldn't see the woman's face because Matthew's arms blocked her face.""Do you have the footage now?" I asked.She quickly sent me the footage, and I saw many people on the street that night. Matthew’s figure in the video was fleeting. He wore the same overcoat I had ironed for him, making his tall figure stand out in the crowd.His left arm was around a woman in a pink top. His large frame obscured her figure, so I zoomed in on the footage, but it made no difference. I still couldn’t make out the woman’s face."He's quite the schemer," I said as my tears clouded my vision.Ivanna silently approached and sat beside me before putting her arm around my shoulder. I held the phone, choking on my tears as I said, "That night, I saw his figure on a live stream on TikTok. I sent him the video link immediately."I paused, tried to calm down, and spoke again. "Matt found a restaurant, removed his jacke

I redialed Matthew’s number, but a mechanical voice informed me that the call couldn’t connect. I squatted in frustration, but the thought of my daughter’s fever struck me. Then I gritted my teeth, forced myself to stand, and returned to the lobby.I tried calling Ivanna when I arrived, but her phone was off too. I paced around in panic and wondered where those two could’ve gone. At that moment, I felt like my pleas were falling on deaf ears.Ultimately, I reluctantly called my in-laws. Although it was past one in the morning, and I didn’t want to disturb them, I had no other option. Sure enough, my mother-in-law answered and sounded alarmed, “Chlo? What’s wrong? It’s so late. Is something wrong?”I had trouble answering her question but soon apologized and told her about Ava’s high fever and that I had no cash. My in-laws said they would rush to the hospital and quickly hung up. When they arrived, the doctor had already put Ava on an IV drip and diagnosed her with acute pneumonia.

I chuckled as I wondered what the good news could be. Ivanna didn’t specify the news due to time constraints, and I didn’t pry. Instead, we agreed to meet tomorrow.Meanwhile, everyone waited at my in-laws’ place for me to return for dinner. Surprisingly, Melanie was there.When Grace saw me, she quickly laid out the dishes, saying, “Dinner’s ready! Chlo, it’s been a while since you last joined us for a meal.”I smiled while washing my hands and helped with the dishes. The atmosphere was heartwarming with the whole family together. Henry asked Matthew about the project in Operose during the meal, but Matthew brushed it off.Without much thought, Grace asked Melanie, “What were you doing with your brother?”Immediately after, I noticed Melanie pausing and glancing at Matthew. He questioned, “You went to Operose too?”Melanie froze, seemingly off guard, as she hesitated before saying, “Uh…I went there with my friends!”However, Grace persisted, “Then why did you tell me you were w

Matthew seemed shocked at my question.I said innocently, “That was our house savings, so we need that money back soon. I want to buy a place once I find a suitable one. We can’t afford to delay our move any longer, especially after Ava’s fall. I need to find her a decent kindergarten, preferably Sunnydale Institute.”Matthew remained silent as I spoke. I feigned naivety and continued, “Why are you so quiet? I’ve noticed you’re so indifferent lately.”Matthew chuckled awkwardly, saying, “How’s that? Honey, I’ve got everything under control. I told you what happened to the money, right? We invested in a project many people have their eyes on.“We had to make an executive decision then, so I used our house savings as payment first. Do you think we’ll have trouble finding a good house once the company grows stronger? It’s all part of my plan, so don’t worry.”He smiled and gently pinched my nose. However, I knew his smile wasn’t genuine.We were preoccupied with our thoughts through