"Once we've paid off the debt, we'll try for another baby, okay? I'm going to work even harder. For you."

I shook my head, tears streaming.

"Don't push yourself so hard. We'll pay it off together."

From that day on, I worked three jobs.

To save every penny, I waited until after seven each evening to buy the marked-down produce.

When pork got too expensive, I started buying the scraps and offcuts that nobody else wanted.

Now I watched Eve Sullivan slice into a premium Wagyu steak with perfect elegance.

I said nothing.

While my son was alive, he never once wore a decent piece of clothing. And here she was, waving her knife and fork around, bragging that a single cufflink on her son's sleeve cost hundreds of thousands.

I asked, "So you just let him steal the suit and give it to your son?"

"Well, he didn't want to at first. Said the thing was cheap and it'd be beneath our son to wear it."

She stroked the little boy's head as he sipped his juice.

"But when he heard the wife made it herself, nearly went blind sewing it, I got curious."

"I mean, if she's pathetic enough to stick around, she deserves what she gets, right?"

I clenched my jaw.

"Honestly, it's not like I even needed it. But knowing she poured her heart into something that ended up on my son? That felt good."

"Plus my boy liked it. Said the little deer was cute. So I told him to bring it over."

I pressed down the violent heaving in my chest and kept going.

"Your boss treats you and your son so well. Doesn't his wife ever make a fuss?"

Eve Sullivan's eyes narrowed with satisfaction, and she threw her head back in a laugh that shook her shoulders.

"That plain little wife of his has no idea he's worth billions."

### Chapter 2

"Impressive," I said. "The kid's already that big, and he's still hiding it from his wife."

"Well, can you blame him? The woman's an idiot. I heard she works three jobs just to pay off debt." Eve crossed her long, pale legs. "Even then, she barely makes anything. She thinks her husband's using the money to pay down what they owe, but actually..."

I froze.

She flashed a sly smile, then picked up her phone, tapped the screen, and held it in front of my face.

"All that money? I spent it on dog food for our little Dudu!"

A snow-white poodle filled the screen.

"See? When a man stops loving you, you're worth less than his mistress's dog."