Falling into the Abyss of Secret Marriage

After seven years of our secret marriage, I found out that my husband had a child with another woman.

"I've made up my mind. I want a divorce and I want to cash out and take half of the company."

"Then you should find a way to get your husband to sign it and we'll have the result in about a week after he signs it."

I took the divorce agreement from my lawyer friend and gave my signature without hesitation.

At this moment, I held the agreement tightly in my hand and watched Conrad Helderman who was playing with his mistress' child in the Moonlight Hall.

"Good boy, call Daddy ... come and look at Daddy."

"Oh my, the baby is only one month old, how can he speak?"

Lilian smiled coquettishly and looked up at Conrad with a hint of attachment in her eyes.

The two of them sat side by side on the sofa, looking like a family of three.

If it weren't for me coming here to investigate the project, I wouldn't have found out the truth in this absurd form.

I had been in secret marriage for seven years and I had loved Conrad for seven years.

Instead of waiting for an official announcement, I only got betrayal.

Now, I had decided not to have him anymore, nor the life that had just arrived in my belly.

The assistant said to Conrad in a low voice, "If Ms. Craivanger knows ...."

Conrad held the baby and said nonchalantly, "She won't know and there's no need for her to know."

"But, Ms. Craivanger is your wife."

"It's just a secret marriage." He chuckled. "She has been too hostile to Lilian recently. Don't let her know what happened tonight. She will only make a fuss if she knows."

"You keep your mouth shut, I won't be polite if you talk too much."

I stood at the door, my fingertips tightening inch by inch.

I walked straight into the hall and walked straight in front of Conrad.

His expression changed noticeably and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I'm sending you an important document. It's very important and I need you to sign it."

I walked to him and handed the divorce agreement to him steadily, with a calm expression.

He, as usual, didn't even look at it, but took out a pen and quickly wrote his name in the signature area.

"Honey, you go home first, I'll explain to you at home."

When he returned the documents to me, he leaned close to my ear and whispered in my ear, with pleading eyes, as if he had something to hide.

But what else did he need to explain in a situation like this?

I took back the file bag and turned to leave.

"Hey hey hey, don't go."

Someone next to me stopped me with a smile and said, "Ms. Secretary, you don't need to work today. Stay and have a drink! Mr. Helderman feels happy today and won't blame you."

"Yes, everyone says, you are the most capable person around Mr. Helderman and this child is also half your credit!"

Ms. Secretary ... Ms. Secretary ....

How ridiculous! Conrad and I had been married for seven years, but except for my closest family assistant, everyone only thought of me as his subordinate!

Instead, they thought of Lilian as Conrad's lover.

"She is too serious about her work and she is cold. She doesn't like this kind of occasion."

Conrad's smile was a little forced, but he still tried to pretend to be relaxed.

At the same time, Lilian came over holding the child and smiled as if she didn't know that I was Conrad's wife.

"Ms. Craivanger, come and hold the baby. Maybe he will be as smart as you in the future."

I instinctively took a step back and replied, "No, I'm not good at holding a baby."

But she suddenly put the child into my arms.

I wanted to push him away, but unexpectedly the child burst into tears and his cry was shrill and piercing.

"Good Boy! What's wrong with you, Ms. Craivanger? It's fine if you don't like the baby, but why did you pinch him!"

Lilian screamed, her voice sharp and piercing.

"Ms. Craivanger, what are you doing?"

Conrad reacted so quickly, pushing me away with a fierce force.

I staggered and fell onto a chair beside me and my waist hit the corner of the table hard, causing me to almost suffocate in pain.

"Are you crazy?"

He held the child in his arms, protecting him and said in a cold tone, "You can't even hold a baby? You're too much!"

My fingers were tightly clasped around the file bag. My body was in pain, but my heart was in even more pain.

It hurt so much that I couldn't breathe.

I didn't say anything, just lowered my head and tried hard to control the tears in my eyes.

The people around were talking about me. "How can a secretary be so ignorant?"

"Mr. Helderman has always been nice to her, why did she pinch the baby today?"

"Could it be ... jealousy?"

Jealousy?

I felt hopeless and dug my fingertips into my palms, wrinkling the edges of the divorce agreement.

How could it be ... I was his wife!

But I couldn't say it.

No one would believe it.

He hid our secret marriage so well for seven years.

No one knew about our relationship except our family and assistants.

I used to think that he really wanted to protect me from the media, that he was a lowkey, introverted and unpretentious husband.

Until five months ago, Lilian came. She was Conrad's cousin. She stood at my door with tears in her eyes and a bulging belly. She said that her boyfriend got her pregnant and ran away.

Conrad just frowned and took her in.

He personally arranged prenatal check ups, even with just a phone call, he would drop everything and run over at any time of day or night.

For Lilian, he abandoned me countless times.

When we watched a movie, he answered the phone and left, but when he came back, he said "work is important".

When we had a dinner, he said he had something urgent to do and asked me to have a dinner on my own.

Even when we were on a business trip abroad, as soon as Lilian cried out, he immediately changed the flight ticket and left me alone to return home.

He was even afraid that Lilian would have a bad reputation if she got pregnant before getting married, so he never denied it every time others misunderstood them as husband and wife when they went out.

I thought he was just kind enough to take care of his relatives and wait for the child to be born and everything would be fine.

Now, it seemed, everything was just a facade.

If it was just simple taking care of someone, how could he let the child call him "Dad"?

I stood up with my body propped up, my forehead already oozing cold sweat and my stomach throbbing violently.

Even passersby could see my discomfort, but Conrad never laid his eyes on me for even a moment.

After sending the divorce agreement to my lawyer friend, I didn't hesitate and made an appointment for an abortion the next day.

When I saw the words "Appointment successful", my heart sank.

Just one more week and I would be leaving.

This week, I had to deal the past with Conrad, including this child.

I went back home, opened the drawers in my room one by one and began packing up the traces of my life over the years.

Couple clothes, wedding photos, anniversary accessories ....

I packed and sealed all the things that belonged to "us" one by one and stuffed the things I didn't want to take away into the garbage bag.

When I was carrying the garbage downstairs, I happened to see Conrad's car parked at the door.

He was getting out of the car, holding the child in his arms and beside him was Lilian, who was holding his arm with a gentle smile.

Neighbors from the community gathered around, some taking photos and others giving gifts.

"Oh, Mr. Helderman, you're finally back. The little boy looks so much like you, you guys are simply carved from the same mold."

"Congratulations, you are so blessed!"

He did not deny their relationship, just smiled and exchanged pleasantries, with pride and indulgence in his eyes.

I walked past them expressionlessly, threw the garbage bag into the trash can and turned back to the corridor.

But before I could close the door, he suddenly caught up with me, gave me a complicated expression and lowered his head to pick something out of the trash can.

It was our wedding photo. The edges of the photo had turned yellow due to coffee stains, but we could still see what we looked like back then.

We smiled brightly and only had eyes for each other.

"Why did you throw out your wedding photos?"

His voice was not loud, but it was full of anger. "What do you mean?"

I looked at his panicked face and suppressed the emotions surging in my chest.

It was not the right time yet, I couldn't talk about divorce.

My motherinlaw, Elena Helderman, had a bad temper. If she knew we wanted a divorce, she would definitely not agree and might even threaten to commit suicide.

I wanted to cut it off cleanly and thoroughly before she noticed it.

I asked in a low voice, "Then why did you hide the newborn baby party from me today?"

"When did you decide to let that child call you "Dad"? When did you decide to be the father of someone else's child?"

I pressed on step by step, my tone unconsciously taking on a sharp edge.

Conrad frowned. He was about to speak when Lilian, with red eyes, ran up from downstairs quickly and spoke aggrievedly.

"Serena, don't blame my cousin. It's my fault. I didn't handle it well. Some people said I was immoral and shameless because I because I was pregnant with a child without a father ... and that no one recognized my child ...."

She sobbed and wiped away her tears, her voice soft and delicate.

"He said he was the father of the child at the party for me ... I didn't expect to make you unhappy. I'm sorry, Serena, please don't be angry ...."

Before I could say anything, she burst into tears, tears streaming down her face.

Conrad immediately took her into his arms and comforted her softly.

"Alright, Lilian, stop crying. Your sisterinlaw is not the kind of person who cares about trivial matters."

He turned to look at me, with a slightly warning look in his eyes, hoping that I would stop pestering them.

"I didn't tell you about today's newborn baby party because I was afraid you would be too busy and delaying your work. You know, in the company, only one of us can leave."

His attitude had already explained everything.

My heart skipped a beat and I replied softly, "Hmm, I got it."

Seeing my indifferent attitude, he felt inexplicably uneasy, but he didn't feel at ease.

Since he was already used to my patience, he didn't think I would be angry with him.

He continued to blame me.

"You did something wrong when you pinched the baby today. Even if you don't like children, you can't do it. He's still a baby."

"Anyway, we won't have any children in the future and you've said before that you don't like children. Lilian's child, we can be his foster parents, so it won't hurt to be nice to him."

I felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over my head and the coldness spread to every part of my body.

Yeah.

I used to dislike children.

But he didn't know that I started trying to like children for him.

I just found out about my pregnancy and my first reaction was not fear but joy.

But before I could tell him the good news, he was already holding someone else's child and asking someone else's child to call him "Dad".

I chuckled quietly, feeling chilled to the bone.

I pushed his hand away and went back to the room.

I looked at the wedding ring on my hand that had been with me for seven years and slowly took it off. There was already an obvious mark on my finger.

I threw the ring out of the balcony without hesitation.

The next morning, I came to the company as usual and arranged for a new secretary to be transferred to Conrad's side, hoping to hand over the affairs.

When he first entered the office and saw the new secretary, he teased me with a contemptuous smile. "What? Are you finally desperate and seeking help?"

"I'm too tired alone," I replied.

My voice was not loud, but it carried an indescribable weariness.

He didn't take it to heart and nodded. "Okay."

I waited for a while, but he didn't show any concern.

If it were an ordinary superior or subordinate, he would still say "thank you for your hard work", but because I had a wife status, everything I did seemed to be taken for granted.

Since the year I graduated from college, I had been accompanying him in starting a business.

In order to train him to do business, his family didn't give him a penny.

He was kicked out of the conference room by the investors and I stood with him in the rain for a whole night, just to block the door of a project manager the next day.

He offended someone when he was at his low point and was surrounded. I rushed in with my high heels and pulled him to escape. I got my knee scratched by glass and I got eleven stitches.

The first funding for the company was obtained by me boldly asking my uncle, who didn't like him, to accompany me for three days and three nights.

For every contract and every battle for equity, I was always behind him, providing advice and strategies and leading the way.

I thought one day he would see my efforts.

But the fact was, he was willing to stand up for Lilian, whom he had just known for less than a year and say that he was her husband, but he never acknowledged my identity as Ms. Helderman in front of others.

Even, he never introduced me as his wife.

Even a moth flying into a flame would get tired.

During my lunch break, I had just asked for leave from the HR department to go to the hospital when I heard a small commotion at the front desk.

"Wow, what a handsome and cute little baby."

"Is he Mr. Helderman's son?"

"Ms. Helderman is so gentle!"

I froze and when I looked up, I saw Lilian walking in wearing high heels and holding her child.

She walked with two nannies and one bodyguard behind, like a hostess.

She smiled and asked, "Is Conrad in his office? I bring him food."

"Is she the CEO's wife?"

"Of course, besides her, who else could walk in so blatantly?"

The onlookers nodded one after another and no one denied it.

I stood at the door, watching the scene with my fingers clenched tightly.

But what I couldn't accept the most was that Conrad appeared at the door of the office and he didn't say a word when he heard them recognize her as his wife.

Neither admitted nor denied it.

Lilian smiled and responded, "Everyone please stop calling me that, it's too strange, just call me Lilian."

She handed the thermos box to the front desk and smiled as she distributed several bento boxes to everyone. "This is the carrot and beef soup I made myself and the egg yolk and beef floss rice balls, everyone try them."

Everyone took them while praising her for her virtuousness.

I had no expression on my face and wanted to leave.

Anyway, Conrad and I were getting divorced, so Lilian could be Ms. Helderman.

At this moment, Lilian seemed to have just seen me and walked over with a smile.

"Ms. Craivanger, I also brought you soup. I know you need to nourish your body the most, so I made it myself."

She walked towards me with the child in her arms and my alarm went off.

I declined. "Thanks for your kindness, but I don't eat carrots."

"Then you can try the soup base, Ms. Craivanger. Are you still mad at me?"

I raised my hand to push away the soup bowl in her hand, but between pushing and pulling, her hand trembled——

A whole spoonful of hot soup spilled all over the child.

"Oh my!"

The child immediately burst into tears, shrill and piercing.

I was stunned and before I could react, Lilian was already pale with fear, holding the child and stepped back a few steps, crying and screaming.

"Ms. Craivanger, it's okay if you don't like me, but why do you always target my son! Last time, at the newborn baby party, you pinched him and now you're throwing hot soup on him. Are you a human being!"

Conrad rushed over hearing the noise.

As soon as he saw Lilian's pale face and the child in her arms crying loudly, his face instantly turned gloomy.

He rushed over and raised his hand to slap me!

"Are you crazy, Serena!"

I caught off guard and got slapped in the face, causing me to fall heavily to my knees.

He lowered his head to comfort Lilian and coaxed the child gently. "It's okay, it's okay, don't cry, Daddy is here."

He didn't even glance at me.

"I never thought you were this kind of person."

He said, his tone as cold as ice, "How can you be so vicious when you can't even tolerate a child?"

I looked up at him, my lips were so pale, almost bloodless.

The pain on my face was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

"So you think I did it?"

"Who else could it be if not you? Could it be Lilian own child?!"

He didn't even bother to listen to my explanation and sentenced me directly.

The people in the company started whispering, gathering around Lilian and her son, as if I was a crazy woman causing trouble.

And as I fell to the ground, I suddenly felt a heat between my legs.

A warm liquid slowly flowed down.

"Ms. Craivanger ... what's wrong with you?"

It was the assistant who noticed something was wrong and ran over to help me up in a panic. "You're bleeding, Ms. Craivanger, don't scare me!"

I finally couldn't hold on any longer, my sight went black and I lost consciousness.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was Conrad holding Lilian and walking into the office without looking back.

The incandescent lights of the hospital were blinding. I slowly opened my eyes, no one around me, only a pungent smell of disinfectant and a heavy pain in my chest.

"Are you awake?"

It was a familiar voice. I turned around and saw my friend, Nicola Pearce, a lawyer sitting by the bed with worry in her eyes.

"Why are you here ...." My throat was dry and sore.

She handed me some water and replied in a low tone, "Your assistant answered my call and said you were in trouble, so I rushed over to see you. The doctor said you lost a lot of blood, but luckily you're fine."

I nodded lightly, but couldn't help but put my hand on my lower abdomen.

It was already flat that it looked as if life had never come there.

I closed my eyes.

This child ... I had originally planned not to have it.

But, in the end, he did not leave me based on my rational decision. Instead, he was taken away from me alive when I was off guard, in a misunderstanding and humiliation.

Nicola looked at me and remained silent for a moment before saying, "The divorce agreement has been sent to you. We can approve it in three or four more days."

"It's not too late for you to regret now," she stared at me and said word by word, "As long as you say you don't want to divorce, I can help you delay"

"Impossible." I interrupted her.

"I've never regretted getting a divorce. I only regret why I didn't come to my senses sooner, three days, I thought it was too slow."

With these words, I lifted the blanket and stood up, my fingers cold and my steps slightly unsteady.

"Let's go!" I gritted my teeth and stood up on the edge of the bed. "Let's get the divorce done! I don't want to leave any room for it."

Nicola and I left the ward and just turned out of the corridor when we ran into a familiar tall figure.

Conrad was holding the child in his arms, with Lilian beside him.

He didn't seem to expect to meet me either. He frowned and asked coldly, "What are you doing in the hospital?"

I didn't answer.

Lilian stood behind him, shrinking like a frightened deer and whispered, "Serena, I really dare not ... I, I will stay away from Conrad in the future, please don't bully my son, okay ...."

My eyelids twitched and my heart felt empty and painful.

"I'm not here to apologize," I said hoarsely.

"I just—"

"Aren't you here to apologize?" Conrad sneered and interrupted me.

"Then what are you doing here? To see if the baby is dead or not? We have been married for seven years, how come I didn't realize you are so vicious and terrible?"

I froze, my eyes staring at him in bewildered.

"Did you know that he cried for a long time after his skin was burned? The doctor said to be careful of infection?" he said in a sharp tone.

"If he is left with any skin disease ... you can expect a divorce!"

"Conrad, you" Nicola frowned and wanted to say something, but I reached out to stop her.

Everything in front of my eyes was blurry and I could only hear the word "divorce" echoing in my ears.

It was so ironic that I came here to deal with divorce, but he threatened me with "divorce".

Just for the sake of someone else's child.

No, wait, was this child really someone else's?

I was no longer sure.

I laughed so hard that tears almost fell from my eyes.

"Yeah, well, it's only for two days anyway," I said.

Conrad paused for a moment and asked, "What did you say?"

I shook my head gently, my voice like a gust of wind. "Nothing."

"I'm going home."

I left and Nicola quickly caught up with me and helped me.

Conrad never caught up with me. He was holding his child, with his "legitimate wife" standing beside him. I was just an unnecessary "secretary" and an ignorant obstacle.

I saw Lilian’s social media update in the car.

The picture was a photo of her, Conrad and their son in front of the entrance of the dermatology department of the hospital.

Conrad lowered his head to play and joke with the child, who was laughing. Lilian leaned on his shoulder with a gentle smile on her face.

The caption was [Conrad is such a good father~]

The comments and likes below were in rows.

[It’s so blissful!]

[Lilian is so lucky.]

I looked at those names. Some were his former partners, some were middlelevel managers of the company and some were the socalled "friends" whom I had invited to my home for dinner.

Suddenly, I felt quite bored.

As soon as I got home and stepped into the door, I was stunned.

I didn't pay attention when I was packing up a few days ago, but now when I was looking at the house from the entrance, I found that the house felt unfamiliar to me.

The familiar beige sofa had gone and replaced with a children's combination cushion printed with cartoon patterns.

The glass coffee table had been removed and replaced with a crawling mat with guardrails and a pile of plastic toys.

I took a few steps slowly inside, the living room, kitchen, bedroom, every place no longer belonged to me.

Bottles, sterilizers and baby strollers were piled all over the floor.

In the bedroom, my wardrobe was moved to the corner, with a small gap opened for placement and the rest of the space was filled with Lilian's nursing bra and pink plush pajamas.

There were also large packages of unopened baby diapers neatly stacked in the cabinet where I used to keep scented candles.

I stood there, almost unable to catch my breath.

In just hal a year, this "home" was already filled with traces of Lilian.

She silently became the mistress of this house, while I was like a stranger breaking into someone else's life.

After discussing the followup matters, Nicola told me, "I will send the divorce documents to the court tomorrow to go through the formalities, so don't be too sad."

When I sent her to the door, it was just getting dark.

She looked at me back, as if she wanted to say something else, but in the end, she just reached out and hugged me.

"You, don't be too stubborn and remember what I said, divorce is not the end, it's a new life."

I replied with a "hmm", my eyes falling on the stack of documents in her hand that she had not yet handed back to me.

Just as I was about to take it, the door was pushed open from the outside with a "click".

Conrad and Lilian were back.

She was holding her son in her arms and holding his arm with another hand, saying with a smile, "It's too cold outside and the baby's skin is turning red. The doctor said we should apply more oil ...."

Conrad raised his head and frowned slightly. "What are you guys doing?"

I paused and hid the documents in my hand behind me. "Nothing. I was just talking to Nicola about some company legal matters," I said.

"Legal matters?" His eyes seemed to accidentally sweep over the documents I hid behind my back and he paused, furrowing his brows even deeper.

My heart skipped a beat and my fingers tightened slightly, thinking he wanted to take a look.

But he didn't ask any more questions. He just lowered his head to look at the child and said in a gentler voice, "Go in. Don't let the baby get cold."

With just one sentence, he took Lilian into the house and walked decisively.

I stood at the door, looking at their backs in silence, feeling only disappointment.

Nowadays, he cared less and less about me. I couldn't tell if he trusted me too much or didn't care at all.

The night before the divorce agreement was approved, the doorbell rang.

I was about to open the door when Conrad suddenly came out of the kitchen and stopped me. "Don't move, it's my guests."

I was taken aback. "His guests?"

He smiled faintly and said, "I forgot to tell you, I invited some friends over today to give Lilian's son a name."

I stood there, speechless for a long time.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just ... a name."

He said as a matter of course, "They are all professors who teach literature and philosophy at the university, so it won't be too big."

"Why did you do this at 'our' home without notifying me?"

He looked at me with a hint of impatience in his eyes and replied, "I didn't inform you because I was afraid you might feel uncomfortable."

"You knew I was uncomfortable, but you still did it?"

He sighed and lowered his voice. "Honey, please stop making trouble, okay? Just this once."

I sneered and when I was about to speak sarcastically, he suddenly held my hand and said, "This is the last time, I promise."

His eyes were sincere and his voice was deep.

"Once we choose the name for Lilian's son, I'll arrange for Lilian to go on a blind date. I have wanted to deal with her affairs for a long time, but I have never had the chance ... I'll also give you what you want to be public. On our tenth anniversary, I'll tell everyone that you are my legal wife."

I froze. I didn't expect him to say these words.

But I couldn't believe it anymore.

Every word he said sounded like sugarcoated bullets, with layers of sweetness wrapped in cold excuses.

"So, are you really going to send her away?"

"I promise."

Before I could pursue another questions, I heard the sound of Lilian opening the door from the living room.

"Welcome, welcome! Please come in! My little boy has just woken up. This is the best time!"

I unconsciously turned around and saw a few young men and women carrying gifts, smiling and greeting each other while changing their shoes.

When Lilian dealt with them, she glanced over at me with a hint of smug in her eyes.

It seemed to be telling me that she was the wife Conrad openly acknowledged and I was not.

I stood there with my fingertips cold.

Conrad still held my hand and whispered in my ear. "Please, just pretend for one night ... just one night."

I laughed, very lightly, but extremely bitter.

I didn't say anything more and stuffed the divorce agreement back into my pocket.

I no longer had the strength to make a fuss, nor did I want to argue with him.

Making a fuss meant I still hoped, but silence meant I had completely given up.

I sat in the corner of the sofa, watching the guests come in and out, complimenting, blessing and surrounding the child and Lilian, while Conrad always stood by her side.

"Have you thought of a name for the child?"

"We've thought of a few, bu we'll ask the professors to review them later."

"Lilian is so lucky to have married a good husband and have a lovely son."

I could only feel my eardrums buzzing as I listen to these words.

I once thought that I had supported the entire company for him and accompanied him through the most difficult years, including the years when his father was hospitalized, shareholders forced him to abdicate and the company's accounts were in chaos and that I could gain a legitimate identity in return.

But in the end, I was just a tool he used to maneuver around.

A temporary actor who even had to "pretend to be invited" to the naming party.

The lights in the room were warm and the atmosphere was filled with clinking of glasses.

The professors have already come up with several names for the child, such as "Roland Helderman", "Cedric Helderman" and "Lucien Helderman", each one more elegant and grand than the other.

"Lucien Helderman, I think it's good! It's catchy and has a scholarly atmosphere."

"Yes, you choose the good name, Mr. Helderman."

"Then this one?" Someone looked at Conrad with a smile.

Conrad nodded and his gaze gently fell on the child.

Lilian, on the other hand, smiled brightly and said in a warm voice, "Lucien, do you like this name? Come on, call me Mommy."

She held the child and leaned against Conrad's shoulder, her movements familiar and natural, as if they were already a family of three.

Everyone thought they were husband and wife and no one questioned.

After dinner, a group of people sat around the sofa drinking tea and laughing, talking about old things.

Lilian smiled and said, "Actually, Conrad and I have known each other since we were kids."

"Really?"

"Yes, we grew up together. I loved wrestling back then and he would carry me home every time. Once I sprained my ankle and he even stole some medicinal wine from home to apply on me, but he got beaten by his father as a result."

Everyone burst into laughter.

She continued. "There was another time when I had a fever and felt dizzy. He ran four kilometers from school and brought me medicine in the rain ... I still remember when I foolishly asked him, "Are you going to marry me in the future?"

She looked at the man with a smile, her voice a little shy and sweet. "In the end, he said, 'You are so stupid, if I don't marry you, who will marry you?'"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Mr. Helderman, so you've been so responsible since you were young."

"Yeah, no wonder you two have such a good relationship."

"By the way, your son is growing now, when are you going to hold a wedding?"

Before the words could finish, someone started to make trouble after drinking and said, "Stop talking, be honest and give him a kiss!"

"Yes, yes, yes, give him a kiss!"

"We are all here to be witnesses today. Give him a kiss to cheer him up!"

Lilian blushed, lowered her head and smiled as she refused. "Stop it."

And Conrad just said gently, "Oh, stop it."

He unconsciously glanced at me, feeling somewhat guilty.

I sat in the corner, my nails stuck in my palm.

Laughter, noise and warmth surrounded me like a tide, but not a single drop of it was for me.

Before, Conrad had also sent me medicine, but that was when I had a high fever and couldn’t get up. It was the only warmth I had in my drowsiness.

He also carried me through the corridors of the emergency room and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

But those words and actions seemed insignificant compared to what he did for Lilian.

I once blinded myself for the thoughtfulness and tenderness and was moved by this little bit of love.

Now I realized how ridiculous I was.

I felt suffocated in my chest and every breath felt like a knife cutting.

Just at this time, Nicola sent me a message.

[The agreement has been approved. You have a one month cooling off period for divorce. You will be free immediately.]

I locked my phone, stood up and said calmly, "I'm leaving."

Everyone looked at me in surprise, as if they had just remembered that I, the secretary, was in the room.

Conrad frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"

I looked at him and didn't answer his question. Instead, I said calmly, "Go home."

His expression changed slightly and his lips moved, as if he was about to say unconsciously. "Isn't this your home? Where else are you going?"

But he didn't say it in the end, probably because there were too many people present.

I didn't look at him again and turned around to walk out of this noisy room.

Just as I left, a sharp voice from a woman came from the living room.

"What's wrong with her? She's just a secretary, why is she so arrogant? With that expression and tone, it's as if the whole world revolves around her."

"Right, she's just a secretary. You're too indulgent to her, Mr. Helderman."

"Conrad, I advise you to fire her immediately to avoid any trouble."

All the comments pierced my spine like needles.

But Conrad's voice was light and fluttery. "She ... will be back soon, she dare not leave."

I stopped in my footsteps.

There was a line of defense in my heart, which was silently torn apart.

He said confidently, I dared not leave.

Just like his usual attitude, firm and arrogant, it seemed that no matter how much I cried, how much pain I felt, or how I left, I would obediently return to his side in the end.

But he would never know that I was no longer the woman who waited for him to come back.

I didn't go home a whole night.

Conrad finally lost his temper.

His mother called and told him that it was the anniversary of his grandfather's death and all the relatives from the ancestral home had arrived, so Conrad had to go back with me.

He didn't wait for me and rushed back to his family's house with Lilian.

In the car, he kept staring at his mobile phone and sent me voice messages.

"Honey, answer the phone."

"Stop making trouble. I will tell everyone clearly when I get home that you are my wife."

"Lilian is just a guest and her son is not mine either. I will arrange for her to leave sooner or later."

"Come back, I'll take you to buy the bag you have been looking at for a long time, okay?"

The voice messages came one after another, with an anxious tone.

But what he didn't know was that I was already at the airport.

I glanced at my vibrating phone, removed the SIM card and threw it into the trash can beside me!

Conrad, we didn't have to see each other again from now on.

On the other side, his face became more and more ugly when he saw that he was blocked.

He frowned and the hand holding the phone tightened again and again, his finger bones turned white and the veins on his forehead appeared slightly.

There was only one intersection left to reach his family's house. The white flags outside the car window fluttered in the wind. He felt a tightness in his heart and his breathing was stagnant.

I didn't answer the phone or reply to the message.

From yesterday till now, I hadn't replied to him at all.

It was not like he hadn't seen me lose my temper before.

But I never disappeared.

I had always been such a softhearted woman. If I suffered a little bit and felt wronged, if he coaxed me with a candy, I would come back.

Even if tears were still falling, I would still lean over and ask him, "Do you miss me?"

But now, I seemed to have completely disappeared from his life.

The more he thought about it, the colder his face became and even a hint of anger faintly appeared in his heart.

Did she really get angry with me?

Just because of what happened that day, did she really think that I would come to beg her humbly?

What a wingnut!

"Conrad." A soft voice came from the passenger seat, interrupting his thoughts.

Lilian held the child in her arms, her voice sweet and cautious, "We'll go back soon ... what are you going to tell your grandma, your parents and the others?"

"What did you say?" he asked perfunctorily.

Lilian lowered her eyes, smiled with a little grievance and pretended to be calm. "I mean ... when other people in our hometown ask about it, should I still say that I am your wife as before?"

She added cautiously. "I won't argue with Serena, I just ... want to give my son an identity ...."

Conrad's hands trembled and he almost stepped on the wrong brake.

"Lilian." His voice was colder than the wind outside the car. "I didn't intend to embarrass you in front of the elders, but I didn't agree to let you continue to play her role."

"I said, when I'm going back to my family's house this time, I want to tell them that she's my wife."

The smile on Lilian's face froze in place, her lips slightly parted, but she could no longer utter a word.

The child whined and moved restlessly in her arms.

Conrad said nothing more, opened the car door and got off first.

The preparation had been set up in the mourning hall, with the old man's portrait on the table and mourning flowers hanging on both sides of the door, creating a solemn atmosphere.

As soon as he entered the door, someone came up to him and said, "Mr. Helderman, please come this way. Your grandmother has arrived."

"Also ... the chanting prayers for your grandfather are almost ready and we are just waiting for you to preside over the ceremony."

His grandmother, Margareth Helderman, sat at the highest seat in the mourning hall, dressed a plain white gown, with a sorrowful expression.

As soon as she saw her grandson, she paused her gaze and frowned slightly. "Where's your wife? Why didn't she come with you?"

"She ...." he said in a deep voice, his eyes swept around and finally suppressed his emotions. "She was stuck in traffic on the way. She will be here soon."

Margareth stared at him for a few seconds, said nothing and just sighed softly.

Conrad took his mobile phone and pretended to check the message, but actually, he called me again.

[The number you're calling is temporarily unavailable, please try again later ....]

He didn't believe it, he called three times in a row, but still heard the same mechanical female voice.

Cold sweat trickled down his back bit by bit.

The worship ceremony was about to begin and the chief priest was in place.

"Mr. Helderman." the assistant walked in hurriedly, holding two wooden gift boxes in his hands. "The gifts Ms. Craivanger asked someone to send ... have arrived."

The air suddenly froze at this moment.

Everyone's gaze swept towards him.

"What gift?" He blurted out. His voice tense.

The assistant replied in a low voice, "She said it's for your grandfather ... two big gifts."

As soon as the words fell, the hall fell into a strange silence.

Conrad's pupils slightly contracted and he stared fixedly at the two wooden boxes, as if someone had pressed him in his chest.

What the hell does she ... want to do?

Two 'gifts'?

On the anniversary of my grandpa's death?