Chapter 4

Even as Catherine struggled to contain herself, anger seeped into her voice. "He is my son. I carried him for nine months and nearly died giving birth to him. I am his only mother!"

The memory of Ethan's wary, disgusted expression when he looked at her made Catherine's heart feel as though it had been dropped into boiling oil.

"Why won't you let me tell Ethan the truth? Are you truly concerned about him not being able to accept it, or do you have other motives?" Catherine's voice trembled as she confronted Richard, her fingernails digging so deeply into her palms that it was the only thing keeping her from completely losing control.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Richard fixed Catherine with a dark, suspicious stare, wondering if she had somehow discovered his relationship with Juniper. But when he met her hollow, grief-stricken eyes, his doubts subsided.

He impatiently narrowed his eyes, though his tone remained unusually gentle as he reached for her waist. "Of course, I'm thinking about you and our son. After you gave birth to Ethan, you became ill. I had no choice but to send you to the mental health center for your own protection. I was busy with work, and Ethan needed someone to care for him. We should both be grateful to Juniper for stepping in. She's the reason Ethan has grown up healthy and well-adjusted."

What a masterful twisting of the truth!

Catherine listened to his words, her entire body shaking uncontrollably with rage.

She coldly pulled away from Richard's approaching hand. "So to show our gratitude, you let her replace me?"

The irony was unbearable. Richard and Juniper had conspired to harm her, yet now they expected her to be thankful. They had even manipulated her own child into calling another woman "mother." How cruelly absurd.

"Catherine, you're overthinking this. Ethan simply grew accustomed to seeing Juniper regularly and naturally began to think of her as his mother. Now that you're back, he'll gradually adjust and accept you." Richard took Catherine's hand, leading her toward the bedroom.

"Your eyesight has only recently improved. You need more rest, not these wild thoughts."

Catherine found herself seated on the bed, with Richard hovering over her. "Be good. I have work to finish, so I'll sleep in the study tonight. I don't want to disturb your rest by coming in late."

As she watched Richard's retreating figure, Catherine's expression hardened into icy contempt.

Lying on the luxurious bed, sleep remained elusive.

For five years, she had dreamed of returning to this home, starting fresh with Richard and their son.

Instead, fate had played a cruel joke on her, leaving her uncertain of her next move.

She closed her eyes, only to be assaulted by the cloying perfume that permeated the room—the same scent she had detected when she caught Richard and Juniper together in the car. Despite her efforts to control herself, the degrading images flooded her mind.

Her stomach churned violently. Catherine bolted upright, barely making it to the bathroom before emptying the contents of her stomach. She continued retching until nothing remained but bitter bile.

Wiping away tears with her sleeve, Catherine felt she would lose her mind if she remained in this room a moment longer.

She opened the door, intending to check if Ethan was still awake.

As she passed the study, however, a woman's wanton moans drifted out, crawling into her ears like a thousand insects.

"Faster... harder..."

Catherine's brow furrowed as bitter laughter bubbled up inside her.

No wonder Richard had been so eager to sleep in the study—to facilitate his affair.

The sounds of their passionate encounter filled the hallway. Catherine's nails broke skin as they dug into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

Overwhelming rage and hatred consumed her. She barely remembered returning to her room.

The next morning, Catherine opened her eyes to find Richard standing beside the bed.

He loomed over her, his eyes filled with an unfathomable coldness.

Catherine bit her lip, forcing herself to remain calm. She squinted up at Richard, affecting confusion. "Sweetheart, is that you?"

At her words, Richard's cold demeanor vanished, replaced by a smile as he handed her a glass. "Warm milk, just heated."

Catherine listened to his tender, attentive tone as she accepted the glass, inwardly chilled to the bone.

The conversation she had overheard between Richard and Juniper about poisoning her echoed in her mind, making the glass burn in her hand like a hot coal.

"My stomach feels unsettled. The smell of milk makes me nauseous." Catherine quickly invented an excuse, then deliberately began to retch in front of him to make her act convincing.

Richard jumped back, instinctively covering his nose in disgust, though his voice remained gentle as ever. "Darling, the doctor prescribed this for your health."

Catherine tried to refuse again, but Richard cut her off. "Don't you want to recover quickly so Ethan can accept you sooner?"

The words caught in Catherine's throat. With a supreme effort, she drained the glass in one go.

A satisfied smile curled Richard's lips. Believing he had Catherine completely under his control, he reached out to pat her shoulder lightly.

"You'd have to drink it twice a day. I've already told Juniper about it. I need to get to the office now—there's a situation I need to handle."

As soon as he left, Catherine rushed to the bathroom, shoving her fingers down her throat until her stomach heaved violently, expelling everything she had consumed.

She wiped away tears as she slowly straightened, her emotions in turmoil. The sound of Ethan's voice from the living room below finally pulled her from her dark thoughts.

Catherine hurried downstairs, arriving just in time to see Ethan sitting alone at the dining table, finishing his breakfast.

He had inherited the best features from both her and Richard, especially those large, expressive eyes that seemed to contain entire galaxies. One look at them was enough to captivate anyone's heart.

Catherine stared at him, carefully approaching to avoid triggering his rejection.

"Ethan, may I sit here?" She pointed to the chair beside him.

Though his expression remained complex when he saw her, Ethan nodded.

Catherine sat down immediately, her heart soaring with hope. "Ethan, would you like me to take you somewhere fun today?"

Before she could finish her invitation to rebuild their bond, Juniper's voice cut through the air. "Ethan, didn't you say you wanted to visit Disneyland? I happen to be free today."

At these words, Ethan transformed into a joyful little bird, throwing himself into Juniper's arms. He nuzzled against her affectionately, his voice bubbling with happiness. "Mom is the best! Hooray for Mom!"

Juniper smiled, ruffling Ethan's hair.

Their intimate interaction cut into Catherine's eyes like a knife.

Juniper glanced toward Catherine with a contemptuous, triumphant smile before taking Ethan's hand and walking toward the door.

Catherine followed them all the way to the amusement park, watching as Ethan's innocent face lit up with happiness. She couldn't help but smile at his joy.

Yet when she remembered that the person accompanying him should have been her—that she was reduced to secretly following them, stealing glimpses of this happiness—her heart ached unbearably.

Little did she know that someone was watching her every move from a car parked nearby.