Chapter 4

Wendy Wilson POV

“It’s not Wendy Wilson’s fault,” Phoebe said quickly, her voice soft and gentle. “It was all my own carelessness.”

She took out the cross and handed it over.

“This belongs to Wendy Wilson. Give it back to Wendy Wilson.”

I reached out to take it.

The instant my fingertips were about to touch it, Phoebe’s hand loosened.

The cross slipped from her grasp, clattering to the tiled floor and splitting its central gemstone into three jagged shards.

Phoebe covered her mouth, her face full of panic. “I’m sorry, Wendy Wilson. My hand slipped…”

I stared at the shattered cross on the floor.

This was the only keepsake my mother had left me.

“You did that on purpose.” I raised my hand and slapped toward Phoebe’s face.

Simon grabbed my wrist, his grip so hard my entire arm went numb.

“Enough.” With a cold face, he flung my hand away. “Isn’t it just a cross? It’s broken, so what? We’re not getting married anymore. What meaning is there in keeping a love token?”

“The love token doesn’t matter.” I clenched the broken pieces and looked at him. “But this was my mother’s keepsake.”

When Simon heard me actually say the love token didn’t matter, he became inexplicably irritated.

He suddenly swung his hand and shoved me away.

I stumbled back a few steps and fell to the floor.

The shards pierced into my back, and blood spread through my clothes, blooming into a dark red stain.

Simon had already bent down, lifted Phoebe into his arms, and strode upstairs. He didn’t see it at all.

Phoebe lay against his shoulder and glanced down at me over it.

I supported myself against the wall and stood up, then went to the hospital.

After my wounds were bandaged, I called Mrs. Stone.

“Mrs. Stone, I’m getting married to someone else.”

“Wendy Wilson, don’t rush. I’ll be back tomorrow. We’ll sit down and talk properly when I get home. Did Simon bully you again? Tell me. I’ll make him apologize to you!”

“There’s no need, Mrs. Stone. The marriage has already been decided. I’ll be leaving in half a month.”

Mrs. Stone fell silent.

“I always thought you could become my child. Simon is the one who failed you.” Her voice was dry. “Wendy Wilson, you won’t wait for him anymore?”

“Mrs. Stone, he doesn’t like me. I won’t wait anymore. I won’t force him anymore.”

“Our family has wronged you,” Mrs. Stone said. “How am I supposed to face your mother in the future…”

I gripped the phone and tried hard to keep my voice sounding normal.

“Mrs. Stone, you’ve been very good to me. All these years, you’ve been the person who treated me best.”

After my mother passed away, Mrs. Stone was the only elder who had taken care of me over the years.

But once I got married, I would have to cut off ties with this elder too.

I couldn’t have any more involvement with my ex-boyfriend’s family.

Over the next few days, I stayed home to recover.

I watched Phoebe’s Moments become livelier by the day.

Simon took her to a high-end Japanese restaurant. That was where he had promised to take me two years ago.

Simon took her to see the northern lights. That was where he had promised six years ago that he would go with me.

Simon arranged a private advance screening of the year’s most anticipated film for her. I had begged him for half a year to see that movie, but he always said he didn’t have time.

Simon gave her a full set of haute couture. That was what he had promised me for my birthday last year, before it went nowhere.

I couldn’t tell whether Simon was doing it on purpose, or if he had truly forgotten who he had made those promises to.

His kindness was as careless as his cruelty.

The latest post was Simon’s proposal video.

The luxury yacht was filled with flowers, and Simon got down on one knee to present the ring.

Phoebe was crying as she nodded yes.

I forcefully exited Moments and went to the hospital to see Helen Shaw.

Helen leaned against the hospital bed and looked behind me. “Why didn’t Simon come?”

Before, no matter how much Simon disliked me, he would still accompany me once a month to visit Helen.

When we were little, Helen had been just as close to him as she was to me.

But ever since Phoebe appeared, Simon had completely forgotten about this too.

I sat by the bed and held Helen’s hand.

“Helen, Simon isn’t good. I don’t want him anymore. Is that okay?”

Helen reached out and pulled me into her arms.

“If Wendy Wilson doesn’t want someone, then don’t want him. No one can force you.”

Helen took a card out from under her pillow and stuffed it into my hand.

“I saved a wedding fund for you. Don’t worry about me. Go do whatever you want. I’m old, and I don’t even know how many years I have left. But your life is still long.”

I clenched that card, my eyes burning.

“In a few days, I’m going out of town. Will you come with me?”

Helen thought about it, then smiled and nodded. “Okay. Wherever you go, I’ll go.”

After leaving the hospital, I went to the auction.

I wanted to prepare a gift for Julian Kingsley.

The moment I entered the auction hall, I felt gazes coming at me from every direction.

Whispers surged over me like a tide.

“Isn’t that Wendy Wilson? She really is a personal nanny. They’re already planning a wedding, and she still chased them all the way here.”

“Right? She’s clung to him for five years. How could she give up that easily?”

So Simon and Phoebe were here too.

I found a corner and sat down, ignoring the mockery completely as I quietly looked at the lots on the big screen.

Today’s auction featured nineteenth-century European aristocratic collections.

Simon was lavish with his money.

As long as Phoebe looked at something one second longer, he raised his paddle without even blinking.

He bought a diamond necklace for three times its market price, winning applause from the entire room.

Everyone said Mr. Stone was serious this time, that he spoiled Phoebe beyond limit.

When a pair of antique sapphire cufflinks appeared as the finale lot, I finally picked up my paddle.

“Two million.”

“Five million.” A voice followed immediately after.

It was Phoebe.

I didn’t look at her and continued bidding. “Six million.”

“Eight million.” Phoebe didn’t back down at all.

The two of us kept bidding, and soon the price reached thirty million.

That was almost all my personal savings. Any higher, and I wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“Thirty-two million.” I raised my paddle for the last time.

Phoebe had just been about to raise her paddle and keep bidding when Simon stopped her.

“If she wants to be an idiot, don’t bother with her.”