Six months later, my health improved slightly, and I was able to get out of bed and walk around. I personally cooked bird's nest porridge, simmering it over low heat for three hours, thinking that Liam must be exhausted from taking care of our son for days on end.
Holding the warm bowl of porridge, I tiptoed to the study door. Just as I was about to push it open, the conversation coming from inside was like a sharp, icy knife, piercing my heart and tearing it to shreds.
It was Liam's voice, and Vanessa—the woman he always said was just a work partner.
Vanessa's tone was coquettish, but the end of her voice carried an undisguised smugness, like honey laced with poison: "Liam, you're so cruel. Knowing that the child was severely allergic to cashews, you still peeled them yourself and fed them to him. I was hiding behind the curtains when I saw him turn purple and couldn't breathe, and my heart trembled."
The words "personally" struck me like a thunderbolt.
The bowl of bird's nest porridge in my hand suddenly shook, and the scalding porridge splashed onto the back of my hand, leaving a red mark that made my fingertips numb with pain. But this pain was nothing compared to the overwhelming chill in my heart.
My whole body stiffened, as if I were nailed to the spot, my blood frozen.
Liam's voice rang out, so gentle it could melt your heart. It was a tenderness I had never heard before, a stark contrast to the weary, perfunctory tone he used when speaking to me: "For you, what can't I do? You risked sepsis to give birth to Zeke for me. The doctor said only Clara's bone marrow could save you. I can't let my son never even get close to becoming the heir of the Liam family ."
Zeke... It turns out Vanessa already had a son for him.
Bone marrow... to save Vanessa?
My mind went blank, and my ears were ringing.
Vanessa chuckled softly, her tone becoming even more delicate: "But Clara has had it pretty rough too. That car accident you arranged was so realistic. Not only did she barely survive, but when she woke up, most of her half-matched bone marrow was extracted. Aren't you afraid that if she finds out the truth, she'll cause a scene? Extracting bone marrow damages the foundation of her health; she'll have to spend the rest of her life on medication."
The car accident... was not an accident.
Bone marrow... it wasn't extracted by the hospital to save me.
It's him! It's Liam!