My Husband Stole My Heart and Killed My Mother

Because my health wasn’t suitable for pregnancy, my mother-in-law’s desire for a grandchild grew into increasing dissatisfaction with me.

In the past, Theodore would at least defend me a little, but now, his gaze was consumed by Rhea, full of barely disguised longing.

Rhea bounced over to him, her movements playful and light, wrapping her arm around his with a pout.

"Uncle, did you bring me a gift?"

Theodore pinched her cheek, affection dripping from his voice.

"Of course."

Servants wheeled in racks upon racks of luxurious haute couture gowns, each matched with equally extravagant jewelry sets.

Twenty-eight is the number of Rhea’s birthdays.

Her eyes lit up as she planted a kiss on Theodore’s cheek.

"Wow, Uncle, you still love me the most! These are all limited editions! Uncle, you’ve really spoiled me. What if someone else gets jealous?"

It was only then that Theodore seemed to remember my presence. In the face of such opulence, my simple outfit felt like a cruel mockery.

In all these years, he had never once remembered my birthday, let alone gifted me anything as grand as a designer dress or exquisite jewelry.

He looked slightly uncomfortable, then reached for my hand as if to explain.

"Faye, don’t overthink this. I’m just her uncle; I only," Before he could finish, Rhea suddenly clutched her chest, a frown tugging at her brows.

"Uncle, my heart feels strange… I don’t know if my condition is acting up again…"

Theodore immediately let go of my hand and turned to her, his face tight with worry.

"Why is your chest feeling tight all of a sudden? Does it hurt? No, I need to check on you right away."

Without another word, he swept her into his arms, rushing upstairs in front of all the guests, his back to me.

The whispers around me were like daggers, their mocking glances cutting deeper than words.

"No wonder Theodore would rather buy Rhea all those gowns and jewels but won’t even get her a single thing. A woman of such low birth isn’t worthy of being the daughter-in-law of the Dmitri family, let alone deserving anything fine."

"If not for his so-called uncle-niece relationship with Rhea, why would he have ever married her? I bet she used her mother’s death to manipulate him into this marriage. Shameless! She’d even step over her own mother’s corpse just to climb into high society."

The murmurs grew louder, their voices sharp as knives. My mother-in-law, clearly embarrassed, snapped at me.

"What are you still standing here for, disgracing us? Get upstairs this instant! Haven’t you humiliated us enough already?"

"My son was kind enough to agree to operate on your dead mother; it was her fortune to have that chance! If she was too useless to survive, how is that his fault? You should be grateful instead of trying to extort him. You’ll get what’s coming to you one day!"

I clenched my fists beneath my sleeves, forcing out a bitter smile.

Yes, meeting Theodore had already been the worst retribution I could ever receive.

Thinking of the divorce papers hidden in my bag, I didn’t argue. Without another word, I turned and made my way upstairs to find Theodore.

But as I reached the second-floor balcony, I was met with a sight that froze me in my tracks. There they were, Theodore and Rhea, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Rhea leaned against the railing, her hands twining around Theodore’s neck.

"Theodore, listen, does my heart still feel uneasy?"

"Rhea, we can’t…"

Theodore’s voice was tight with restraint, yet the way his tailored trousers clung to him left nothing to the imagination.

Rhea pressed her lips to his, her voice thick with seduction.

"Don’t you want me, Theodore? I know your heart belongs to me and mine is yours. Even if you married someone else to keep up appearances, your body still belongs to me. Let’s just indulge ourselves, just this once…"

Theodore couldn’t hold back any longer. Gripping the back of her head, he kissed her fiercely.

The sound of fabric tearing echoed in the air, followed by breathy moans too shameful to hear.