Chapter 4
Early summer had come, and after the graduation ceremony, the summer vacation officially began.
I opened my restaurant as usual that day, and by the time I closed up in the evening, there was still no sign of George Wells.
I assumed he had finally grown tired of the tedious game and decided to return to his true identity, to be a precious young master.
However, when I got home in the evening, I found him sitting on the steps at the entrance of the small yard, holding a delicate cake box, looking obedient.
Daniel Wells was with him, and there were several gift bags beside them.
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Their striking looks drew admiring glances from passersby, but they were both completely absorbed in their own world.
“Dad, when will Mom come back?”
“Soon.”
“We specially came to celebrate her birthday, and brought so many gifts. Do you think she’ll be happy?”
“She will be.”
Upon hearing this, George Wells pursed his lips and gave a hopeful smile.
He was dressed in a formal little suit, clearly having made an effort. But it was sweltering hot, perhaps he’d been waiting for too long, as a small bead of sweat had formed on his
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forehead.
Or perhaps, it wasn’t the heat, but his emotions running high.
I stopped in my tracks from a distance.
But Sarah didn’t stop at all. She walked straight up to the father and son, and in a clear, bright voice, spoke up: “You’re mistaken. Mom’s birthday isn’t today.”
“You’re lying!” George Wells rarely confronted Sarah directly anymore. He knew I favored her, and he didn’t want to upset me, so he usually kept his distance from her.
But this time, he stood up in a sudden outburst, angrily rebutting, “Mom’s birthday is today! It’s the same day as mine! I wouldn’t mistake it.!”
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Seeing me, Daniel Wells also stood up. He didn’t speak, but there was a faint glimmer of expectation in his eyes.
“Amara.” He awkwardly called my name, awkward and unfamiliar, “Happy birthday!”
I walked over, taking out my keys to unlock the gate, and calmly looked at him. “I forgot to tell you, I’ve changed my birthday.”
After a moment’s thought, I added, “But I suppose such trivial matters are of no concern to you?”
I used to really enjoy celebrating my birthday.
Grandmother was a woman who cherished rituals. Every year on my birthday, she would prepare a huge spread of food, a beautiful cake, and a thoughtful gift.
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It was just the two of us at home, but it never was lonely.
Her health wasn’t great, so she couldn’t travel far. But after I went to college and couldn’t be at home for my birthday, she would always make the long journey to wherever I was, just to be with me, to light the candles, and eat cake.
As long as grandmother was alive, I never felt lonely.
That year, on my birthday, grandmother flew over to celebrate with me as usual.
By then, I was in the late stages of my pregnancy with George Wells. I didn’t want grandmother to worry, so I hid all the discomforts of my pregnancy from her and lied, telling her that Daniel Wells was taking
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good care of me.
But the truth was, Daniel Wells barely looked at me. We lived under the same roof, yet he treated me like I was invisible.
At the time, I could understand him.
That night with him had been a mistake from the start. Honestly, I had planned to leave quietly once it was over, thinking that if I said nothing, no one else in the world would ever know what had happened.
But the reality was different. That entire night, Daniel Wells tortured me, and by the time I regained enough strength to leave, the door was opened by Daniel Wells‘ grandmother, who had come to check on me.
She understood how hard I’d been working, so she specially brought me some chicken
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soup.
And from that point on, things spiraled out of control, like a wild horse that couldn’t be reined in.
Daniel Wells‘ grandmother had no interest in the love struggles of the young. She only knew that Daniel Wells had ruined my purity, and he had to take responsibility.
Whether Daniel Wells had a lover, whether the Wells family was satisfied with me as his wife, whether I was willing to marry him- none of that mattered to her.
What mattered to her was that she couldn’t betray me, and she couldn’t betray my grandmother.
“Amara, I’ve already told your grandmother about what happened with Daniel Wells.
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She’s not well, and you don’t want her to worry, do you?”
“I can see that you do have feelings for him.”
“You’re a good child, I know you don’t want to ruin Daniel Wells and Esme Bellamy’s relationship. But what’s done is done.””
“Esme Bellamy can’t tolerate any betrayal. She and Daniel Wells have no future.”
“But you and Daniel Wells, you still have infinite possibilities. Don’t you want to try?”
I have to admit, for a brief moment, I was moved.
But before I could make a decision, I found out I was pregnant.
The morning sickness hit me hard, the kind
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that’s impossible to hide.
So, there was no turning back.
I had no choice but to endure Daniel Wells‘ disgust and force myself into a marriage that was doomed to be unhappy.
Sometimes, I really hated the way I always bent over backwards, trying to please others.
I had to pretend to be happy and sweet in front of my elders, and act indifferent in front of Daniel Wells.
But the truth was, I wasn’t happy. I was in
pain.
Morning sickness hurt. Swelling hurt. Cramps hurt.
Being despised by the Wells family hurt.
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Being hated by Daniel Wells hurt. Being mocked by Esme Bellamy hurt.
I endured, and the next birthday came.
Grandmother was happy. Not only had she prepared a gift for me, but she had also gotten one for her future grandson. She said she wouldn’t leave this time until I gave birth and finished my confinement, so she could be at ease.
But grandmother never got to see George Wells born.
On my birthday, I took grandmother out for a meal.
She witnessed with her own eyes the intimate hand–holding and sweet kissing between Esme Bellamy and Daniel Wells.
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Then, she had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.
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