The butler had sweat at his temples and quickly took the phone aside. “Do you want me to turn off this livestream room?”
He spoke in a low voice, worried I would break down again like before and hurt the baby.
My voice was calm. “No need.”
“Just go ahead and cut the cake.”
“Not… not wait for President Payne to come back?” the butler asked in a careful tone.
I shook my head. “No need.”
The people waiting to enjoy the scene went still.
Someone had intentionally placed the livestream in front of me, expecting me to fall apart, sobbing like all those times in the past.
But I did not.
I got up according to the plan, cut the cake, and blew out the candles.
Then the whispering stopped, hiding itself, speaking openly behind me.
“What’s wrong with Natalie Morrison? Why isn’t she crying?”
“Didn’t she always cry like the world was ending every time she caught him cheating?”
“Didn’t she catch Zion with that young model before? She got so mad, she risked the baby, cried for three days and nights until he bothered to come home.”
“Valentine’s Day was even worse, with that big stomach, she ran to the seaside crying and begging him to return.”
“And the ending? President Payne soothed her a little and went back to playing the next day.”
“Maybe she finally knows he doesn’t care about her tears. Looks like she learned something?”
“Haha, maybe she’s trying to copy that online ‘strong female lead washing underwear with a cold face’ trope? Too bad she didn’t cry this time.”
Laughter broke out again and again.
They believed I was acting like the “respectable wife.”
I heard every whisper but didn’t respond, only held my stomach and stared outside the window.
Fireworks burst one after another in the night sky. I had planned them for my own thirtieth birthday.
The lights reflected on the glass and also showed in my eyes, bright and brief, impossible to keep.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t hurting.
I had just cried too much, and I was tired.
After the banquet ended, I had just taken off my gown when Grandma Ravenna stormed in.
Her face was pale from anger, her cane hit the floor loudly, and she told someone to call Zion.
No one answered.
She had the butler throw the streamer’s livestream onto the tablet, turned on the mic, and said in a cold voice, “Zion, get back here right now.”