04
My mother–in–law immediately turned her head, her voice hoarse and accusatory. “This is the countryside, not the city. Where would there be a night market? Are you asking just to mock us? What do you mean by that?”
My sister–in–law finally put down her phone and chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Sister–in–law, people here don’t eat midnight snacks. You’re an older mother now, aren’t you? Eating late can easily cause high blood sugar. If you don’t even know that, how can you raise a child?”
My father–in–law took a long puff from his pipe, exhaling a thick smoke ring. “You act like a city woman as soon as you walk in the door. If you’re hungry, there are a couple of steamed buns in the cupboard. Eat those.”
Too drained to argue, I simply turned and retreated to the bedroom in silence.
Lying on the cold, hard bed, memories of life before marriage swirled in my mind.
When we got engaged, my parents–in–law had held my hand warmly, promising, “We’ll treat you like our own daughter.”
My sister–in–law had hooked her arm through mine with a wide smile, saying, “Sister–in–law, we’re family now. If my brother ever dares to mistreat you, I won’t let him get away with it!”
But now, it was all painfully clear. Lies. Empty promises.
I had poured my heart into this family, never failing to bring gifts and red envelopes for every occasion, big or small.
Yet, today, I finally understood that, in the Shaw family, a daughter–in–law would always be an outsider. Through the thin wooden door, I could hear their cheerful chatter and laughter, a stark reminder of my alienation.
I pulled the quilt tightly around me, forcing myself to block out the noise, and eventually drifted into a restless sleep.
I didn’t know how long I had been out when someone woke me up.
It was lan.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at me.
I froze, my breath caught. Could it be that he finally realized the child was gone?
My chest tightened, and my eyes stung with tears, but before I could say a word, he gave me a sheepish smile. “Wife,” he began, his tone almost flattering. “I need to discuss something with you.”
I frowned, “What?”
After My Miscarriage, My Husband Got Another Woman Pregnant
He shifted closer, hesitating before continuing. “The day after tomorrow–the 8th–Paula is throwing a birthday party for her kid. I was thinking of giving them a cash gift of 5,000 dollars.”
I stared at him, my expression hardening as his words sank in.
He pushed on, seemingly oblivious. “And since the kid calls you Auntie, it’d be nice to show some respect, right?”
I raised an eyebrow. “How exactly do you suggest I do that?”
“Well,” he said, his voice brightening, “you could buy a pair of gold bracelets for the child! Gold prices are good right now, and I’ve already picked out a pair. They’re not expensive–just 15,000 dollars.”
It took me a moment to fully process his request.
Did he even remember the time he refused to buy me the gold bracelet I had wanted when we got married? That bracelet, even after a discount, had only cost 9,000 dollars. He had dragged me out of the store, grumbling, “Let’s not waste money. Wait until the gold prices drop!”
Anger burned through me like a wildfire.
I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to stay calm. “lan, what have you ever bought for our child?”
He seemed taken aback, his face clouding with irritation. “Paula and I have been friends since school! Giving a pair of bracelets to her kid is nothing. Stop making a fuss over this!”
I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and hollow.
All for Paula. For his precious first love.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do.
“It’s settled,” he declared, brushing off my reaction. “I have errands tomorrow, so you can take a bus to the city to buy it. I’ll send you the style and the shop’s address on Instagram.”
I was silent for a long moment. Then, with ice in my voice, I replied, “Fine.”
His face lit up with joy, and he leaned in to kiss me.
I turned away sharply. “Sleep in the outer room for now. Your snoring keeps me up at night.”
Unbothered, he nodded and left, humming as he clutched his phone. Moments later, the familiar chime of a Instagram notification filled the air.
I opened the message and saw the address for the gold shop. It was in the same mall where I had seen him buying lingerie for Paula.
I closed the app. My face was cold and unreadable, when suddenly, a friend request popped up from an unfamiliar account.
[Paula Keith]: “lan insisted on buying Lloyd a pair of gold bracelets. I tried to refuse, but he got upset and said I was treating him like a stranger.”
T
I stared at the screen, stunned. Accepting the request out of morbid curiosity, I barely had time to process her message before more notifications flooded in.
[Paula Keith]: “Sherrie, is lan this generous with you and your child? Don’t worry, I won’t take it for free. Wh your baby turns one month old, I’ll give you a pair of longevity locks.”
[Paula Keith]: “Oh, wait, such locks shouldn’t just be given away. What a shame.”
This was followed by an emoji that seemed to laugh so hard it brought tears.
My head buzzed. My chest tightened as I gasped for air, trembling all over.
C
Before I completely lost control of myself, I exited the chat and went to Director Zheng’s Instagram page. My fingers furiously typed a single line.
“Hello, Director Zheng. I’ll come by the funeral home tomorrow to finalize the procedures and bring the child
home. Thank you for all you’ve done during this time.”
D
12:44 PM
After My Miscarriage, My Husband Got Another Woman Pregnant
After turning off my phone, I wiped away my tears, clenched my fists, and gritted my teeth.
Baby, we’re going to that birthday party. We’ll give them a gift they’ll never forget.