His Mistress Ate My Strawberries

Jessie Coleman had a daughter.

The Williams family was silent for half a day before announcing that the entire medical team had been let go that afternoon. That night, a celebratory message appeared on the Williams Corporation's website: "Congratulations to Mr. Williams on the arrival of his lovely daughter!" Accompanying the message was a photo of the three of them together.

Eight simple words, a recognition I'd never received.

When I gave birth to Kai, the Williams relatives came and went, each with the same sigh. Instead of congratulations, I received only pity.

Even Henrik, who had once assured me it didn't matter if we had a boy or a girl, finally revealed his true feelings:

"Elaine, I need a son. Recover quickly and we can try again."

Tears welled up in my eyes, and they haven't ceased flowing since.

The celebration for Jessie's daughter lasted a whole month. Meanwhile, I was confined to the house.

Margaret, my mother-in-law, called me a jinx.

"You brought bad luck to your parents when you were young, then to your own daughter, and now you want to bring it to Elora too?"

"Elora is very fragile; she can't handle your bad luck. Just stay inside."

Henrik sat beside me, endlessly scrolling through pictures of Elora, never tiring of them.

I clutched Kai's little hair clip in my pocket, wondering why Henrik brought me home if he believed I was cursed.

But then Jessie called, saying she was hungry.

The family of three immediately left, taking the last housekeeper with them.

Before they left, I called out, "Henrik."

I rarely used his full name, and as expected, he scowled:

"What now? Can't you cook for yourself?"

I opened my mouth but suddenly couldn't find the words.

"So troublesome, can't even speak properly."

Margaret nudged him: "Don't pay her any mind. What if she spreads her bad luck to Elora?"

They left.

I stood alone in the empty mansion and finally found the words:

"We should get a divorce."

Every day, Jessie sent me endless photos and videos.

She didn’t need to say a word; she was sure I would feel sad.

This time, it was Henrik holding Elora, with Ray slipping thick envelopes of cash into the baby's hands.

Margaret, her face beaming, was laughing non-stop:

"Jessie truly is the Williams family's good luck charm, giving us such a lovely little princess."

The camera turned for a selfie, and Jessie joined them.

Five faces, brimming with happiness.

Only I remained, keeping watch over Kai's ashes, curled up on her pink bed.

After Kai passed away, I stopped everyone from touching anything in her room.

I pretended she was still here.

But Kai, my dear, I can hardly feel your presence anymore.

Mom can't hold on. Another video appeared in my messages.

Margaret transferred a hundred million to Jessie, who pretended to decline.

It earned her more praise: "You're our good luck charm, even a hundred million is too little. Take it."

The Williams family was superstitious.

They took me in because a fortune teller said I brought luck. I was brought to the Williams family at five years old, and the struggling family indeed found a path to prosperity.

Their faltering business revived, the company went public, and its value tripled.

They said I was the Williams family's little good luck charm and arranged for me to marry Henrik when I turned twenty.

Everyone assumed the good luck charm would bear a son.

So, no one ever told me I had to have a son.

Until the day Kai was born, and the Williams family’s real estate business faltered, their market value shrank, and I transformed from good luck charm to harbinger of misfortune.

All previous affection vanished instantly, and Henrik began seeking other women.

But the child who was once eagerly awaited only received all my love.

I received another message from Henrik, asking me to coordinate Elora’s first-month party.

Pages and pages of instructions followed, along with countless photos of Elora.

But his phone didn’t have a single picture of Kai.

Nor, perhaps, any of me.

The day before the rehearsal, Jessie, having just recovered from childbirth, approached me with Elora cradled in her arms.

"Elaine, look, Elora is so much like your daughter."

The small, rosy baby slept peacefully in her arms.

On Kai’s first month, she did the same thing, smiling even in her sleep.

I could see Kai’s face vividly, and I lost myself in the moment.

Jessie suddenly burst into tears:

"I'm sorry, Elaine. I just wanted to show you Elora. I didn’t mean to bring up your pain."

Henrik walked over from behind her, his brow furrowed like the fog that had clouded my life for the past three months.

"Elaine Ortiz, do you want to ruin Elora's first-month party?"

"Your daughter has already passed away. Must you drag everyone down with your constant mourning?"