Chapter 3

After that, in my effort to get pregnant, I was trying almost every day, always getting home in the middle of the night.

And Ethan was right in the thick of his infatuation with Jessica, also frequently staying out all night.

We clearly lived under the same roof, but we managed not to run into each other, and Ethan didn't notice at all that I was coming home late.

After more than two months of this, Ethan called me, saying he wanted to discuss the wedding.

That day, we both rarely came home from work on time.

He talked for a bit about his and Jessica's recent situation, emphasizing how good Jessica was to him, how her son was starting to accept him, and how happy that made him.

After going on about this for over half an hour, he asked me, "Mom, what style of wedding do you prefer?"

After listening to him talk nonsense for so long, honestly, I was quite annoyed.

I said bluntly, "This is your and Jessica's wedding. Shouldn't you be asking what she likes?"

"I told you, I respect all your decisions."

Ethan was very happy. "I said there'd be no problem, but Jessica insisted I ask you."

He asked again, "Mom, Jessica says the wedding needs eighty thousand dollars. That's okay, right?"

Ethan said with both heartache and emotion, "I think eighty thousand is too little, but she insisted, saying as long as she can marry me, she'd be willing even without a wedding ceremony.

Mom, Jessica is so good, I don't want her to feel wronged."

As he spoke, Ethan's eyes even reddened.

I raised an eyebrow. Looks like Jessica's ambitions weren't small.

Sure enough, Ethan immediately continued, "Mom, that luxury penthouse you bought me for my marriage—I want to add Jessica's name to the deed, and then do a prenuptial agreement."

I put my water glass down on the coffee table, a bit heavily—bang.

I looked at Ethan and said calmly, "If you bought the house yourself, you could even put only her name on it if you wanted."

"But I paid for that penthouse. Understand?"

Ethan was stunned and after a long pause could only squeeze out, "Isn't it all family money?"

I laughed coldly. He knew it was family money!

I was too lazy to beat around the bush with him and decided to speak plainly.

"I don't like Jessica, but if you insist on marrying her, I won't oppose it. I respect you."

"But my things—tell Jessica to stop coveting them!"

"And you stop coveting them too!"

Ethan's face turned from red to white.

"Mom, I'm your son. Why do you have to be so clear about everything?"

He said righteously, "Your things will eventually be left to us anyway!"

Though I already knew he thought this way, thinking it and hearing it firsthand were two different things.

I said mockingly, "Don't speak in such absolutes. I don't necessarily have to leave it to you."

Ethan said impatiently, "Mom, I know you're angry about the vasectomy, but I've already explained. Can you stop being so passive-aggressive!"

"Also, don't think I can't tell—you're just trying to use money to control me, to make me break up with Jessica. Let me tell you, I absolutely won't compromise!"

"Just you wait and see—even without your money, we can live well!"

After delivering his speech, Ethan slammed the door and left.

After that, he started preparing for the wedding.

It was very grand—custom wedding dress and diamond ring, five-star hotel, tables at sixty-eight hundred dollars each, the venue decorated entirely with imported fresh flowers.

He really kept his word—he never asked me for a cent.

But I only had this one son.

I'd always been generous with money when it came to him.

For holidays I'd give him envelopes with fifty or a hundred thousand dollars.

During his university years, his monthly allowance was ten thousand.

That only stopped when he started working.

His savings must be at least close to a million.

At the end of the day, wasn't that also my money?

So when Ethan stood on stage saying something about how no matter how many people opposed him, he had the ability to give Jessica happiness, I only found it laughable.

My best friend sitting next to me rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "Your son was raised for nothing."

Thinking of the pregnancy test result from this morning, my smile deepened. "Yeah, so I'm hoping this time I can have a daughter."

My friend froze. "You mean you're..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Jessica's mother's shrill voice interrupted, "You're pregnant?"