He Made Me Pay Half the Rent, While Giving Her Every Penny of His Bonus Chapter 03

He Made Me Pay Half the Rent, While Giving Her Every Penny of His Bonus Chapter 03

“These cherries are ridiculously sweet,” Vivian said in that sugary voice of hers.

“Then have more,” Mrs. Howard said, beaming at her. “You’re pregnant. You need to keep your strength up.”

I looked through the crack in the door. Vivian was lounging on the couch with one leg crossed over the other.

Mrs. Howard sat right beside her, using a toothpick to feed her cherries one by one.

Mr. Howard was crouched by the coffee table, sorting through a pile of baby clothes on the floor, grinning from ear to ear.

Nausea hit me like a wave. The gifts slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a loud smack. Everyone in the living room turned at once.

The moment Vivian saw me, she quickly got to her feet, then clutched her stomach and sat back down with a pained look.

Julian dropped his teacup and steadied her in one smooth motion, it was way too rehearsed. Vivian came over and slipped an arm around me like we were still best friends.

“Willow, I fell on the road today. Julian just happened to pass by and gave me a ride. Otherwise, I really don’t know what I would’ve done.”

I stepped away from her and locked my eyes on Julian. “Honey, I thought you had to work overtime. Why are you here visiting your parents?”

He paused, then looked away. “It got canceled at the last minute.”

Mrs. Howard hurried to smooth things over. “That’s right. Julian just got here too. Such a good son, coming by early to see me.”

“Vivian just took a little fall on the road. Julian happened to run into her and brought her here so she could rest for a bit…”

I looked at Vivian. She was wearing soft wool slippers. There wasn’t a speck of dirt on her legs.

I forced my emotions down. “I just remembered I have something to take care of. I should go.”

No one followed me. I leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the ground, tears falling in heavy drops.

Then Julian’s voice drifted out from inside. “Mom, don’t worry. With the way her mind works, she’ll never figure out I’ve been doing this behind her back.”

“Her old man was a big shot, but she’s got none of his chops.”

There was a note of smugness in his voice. I pressed against the freezing wall, my heartbeat pounding faster and faster.

“You know,” Mrs. Howard said suddenly, “her father really was good to you back then.”

“If it weren’t for him, would you have gotten into such a good company? Would you have the life you have now?”

Julian’s voice instantly turned cold.

“Even without her father, I would’ve made something of myself on my own. It was because of who he was that people kept saying behind my back that I lived off my wife.”

“Enough,” Mr. Howard cut in. “The man’s dead. What’s the point of bringing that up now?”

Vivian’s voice came next, soft and coaxing. “Julian’s doing just fine now. He’s no worse than that old man ever was. Oh, right. About that old house you mentioned last time…”

Mrs. Howard lowered her voice. “I had someone look into it. That neighborhood’s going to be redeveloped. The payout should be over two million.”

“We need to move that money as soon as possible. She can’t be allowed to get a penny of it.”

“Put it under Vivian’s name,” Julian said.

Then, after a long silence, Mr. Howard spoke in a low voice. “To be fair, Willow is not half bad. She just can’t have kids.”

My heart dropped straight into darkness. Over the years, I had gone through countless exams. I had taken so much medicine. Still, I had never been able to have a child.

Mrs. Howard had always seemed so understanding. She used to comfort me and say, “Whether children come into your life is up to fate. Just let nature take its course.”

Now she sighed and patted Vivian’s hand. “Exactly. Five years of marriage and not one child. Julian is the only son in the Howard family. We can’t let the family line end with him.”

Then she smiled at Vivian.

“You’re the capable one. Got pregnant right away, and with a boy. In the rest of my life, all I want is to hold my grandson.”

Julian said, “Mom, once the baby’s born, you should move in with us. There’s a preschool right across from the neighborhood.”

“It’ll be convenient for you to help take care of Vivian and the baby.”

“And what about her?” Mrs. Howard asked.

Julian paused only briefly. “Once Vivian gives birth, I’ll tell Willow everything.”

“Besides, we’ve been married five years without children. Back in the day, that’d be reason enough to kick her to the curb empty-handed.”

“And with her personality, she cares too much about appearances. She won’t go around telling people.”

“I’m just worried she’ll lose it and make trouble for you,” Mr. Howard said again.

“If she wants to make trouble, then I’ll divorce her.” Julian cut him off. “I already moved the money a long time ago.”

“She agreed to split everything fifty-fifty all these years. I never forced her. She thinks she’s proud and principled. Really, she’s just stupid.”

That night, after I came back from Mrs. Howard’s house, I came down with a raging fever.