Chapter 63

Wendy cried in agony, realizing that everything Natalie had said was true, and that she had lost her daughter forever. Natalie was her own daughter, and thus she knew her personalities well. Just like her, Natalie was pretty stubborn. Once she decided on something, she would never give up or look back.

Wendy swore to herself that Nick, Jennifer, and Easton would pay; she would not let them get away with this. Taking advantage of Nick’s time in the kitchen preparing the tonic, she quietly returned to her room and went to shower.

Emerging from the bath, she slipped into her nightgown and climbed into bed, gazing out at the night beyond the window. The villa was silent, yet Natalie’s piercing voice echoed in her ears like thunder. She remembered what she had said: "Don’t interfere, Easton. She’s a compulsive liar, a disgrace! I just wanted to put her in her place. The nerve of her, trying to make you cover for her! She’s beyond hope. I’m just glad I never claimed her as my daughter.”

Wendy’s tears began to fall again. The words she had spoken to Natalie were too hurtful. Natalie would never forgive her. Natalie, the daughter she had looked down upon, was taken away at birth and then became the Simpson family’s disgraceful adopted daughter. Wendy hadn’t even dared to acknowledge her as her own. She felt utterly unworthy of being called a mother.

The regret for all she had done to Natalie, coupled with the fact that she’d been deceived for over twenty years, weighed heavily on her. When Nick had proposed to her all those years ago, she believed he truly loved her. Only now did she see that it had all been a scheme. Because of her love for him, she’d borne him five children. Her eldest two were fraternal twins, and she had always dreamed of having a daughter. Nick hadn’t wanted her to keep trying, so she had deliberately gotten pregnant again.

She told him she wanted a daughter, and Nick seemed troubled. She’d thought it was only because he didn’t want more children and noticed nothing amiss at the time. Nick often returned home late, but he came back every night, and his monthly business trips only took him away for a couple of days at a time, always accompanied by his assistant. Wendy couldn’t understand how he had managed to keep a mistress, and even worse, a mistress with a daughter the same age as their own.

Jennifer and Natalie were born on the same day. Jennifer had been swapped with Natalie. It had all been Nick’s plan from the start. Now, he was eager to begin his new life with that woman. To achieve this, he was feeding Wendy a slow-acting poison to cause dementia, so he could take everything from her and abandon their children. Then, he could live happily with his mistress and their daughter. Wendy would never have dreamed that her marriage was nothing more than a cruel deception.

She could hear Nick’s footsteps coming up the stairs. Quickly wiping her tears, she tore open a face mask and applied it to hide any sign of her crying. As expected, the door opened two minutes later.

“Wendy, putting on a face mask, are we? I heated up some tonic for you,” Nick said, pretending to be concerned. “I know today was upsetting for you. I had a bowl myself to calm my nerves. You should have some too.”

His voice was warm as he placed the bowl on the table beside her. Wendy sat up deliberately and nudged his hand, spilling a bit of the liquid.

“Alright, just leave it there,” she said calmly, in her usual gentle tone. “I’ll drink it after I take off the mask. It’s a bit inconvenient right now.”

Nick didn’t notice anything unusual. He glanced at Wendy with the face mask on, placed the bowl down, and headed to take a shower.

Once he was in the bathroom, Wendy quickly retrieved a prepared bottle and poured a portion of the so-called tonic into it. The remaining liquid was thrown out of the window. After completing these tasks, she returned to bed, tucking the bottle under the mattress.

She planned to wait until Nick let his guard down before looking for an opportunity to have it tested. Underneath the mask, Wendy’s face was twisted in pain. She had never doubted Nick’s sincerity. Over the years, he had never shown any signs of deceit. If it weren’t for his eagerness to start a new life with his mistress, she might have remained oblivious until her dying day.

She was determined not to let Nick off the hook. He had caused her to lose her daughter, and she would make him pay for it. Since Natalie disliked Jennifer and Easton’s affair, Wendy decided to punish them on Natalie’s behalf. Thinking of her daughter’s cold and indifferent demeanor tore at her heart. She regretted saying those hurtful words. Soft sobs escaped her as she clenched her fists tightly, gripping the bedcovers in agony, unable to extricate herself from the pain.

After crying for a while, she felt somewhat better. She removed the mask and went downstairs to wash her face. Using cold water, she cleansed her face, then looked at herself in the mirror. She still possessed charm and elegance, and there was no need to spend her life with Nick, that bloated old man.

But she intended to leave Nick with nothing; he wouldn’t get a single penny. Since he wanted to take everything from the Tompson family, she would shatter his dreams. Wendy curled her lips into a cold smile. Discovering Nick’s betrayal, she found that a single cry had released her from her anguish.

After all, besides sweet words, Nick hadn’t really done anything for her over the years. There were no profound memories, let alone any love–just Wendy’s self-deception. Taking a deep breath, she embraced her identity as a strong woman, unafraid of Nick and his hollow bravado. Jennifer was just a facade as well; without Wendy’s money, she would never become a concert pianist. Since Nick wanted to drive her to dementia, Wendy decided to repay him in kind. She was curious to see who the real sick one was.

Squinting her eyes slightly, Wendy returned to the upstairs bedroom. Nick emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, his face showing signs of aging, especially the deepening frown lines. Wendy felt disgusted by him. With her feelings gone, she realized just how unattractive this man truly was.

“Honey, let’s go to bed,” Nick said, feeling reassured as he watched Wendy drink the tonic. He was confident that it wouldn’t be long before he could finally be rid of her.

Wendy looked at his fake smile with nothing but disdain. Seeing his true colors, all she could sense from him was the stench of a rat. But, in order to get him out of her life empty-handed, she forced herself to endure.

“Alright. I haven’t been feeling well lately, so I often wake up at night. I wouldn’t want to disturb your sleep. Why don’t you sleep in the guest room tonight?” she suggested.

Nick froze for a moment. He’d just showered, thinking it was the perfect time for some affection. Though Wendy was older, her figure and skin were in remarkable condition.

“Wendy, we’re husband and wife. How could we sleep in separate rooms? I missed you; I don’t want us to sleep apart,” he insisted.

Wendy didn’t say more. She was determined to uncover the truth, so she held back. She made up her mind to find something the next day that would temporarily take away his physical drive. The thought brought her some satisfaction, and she lay down at the edge of the bed, turning off the light and facing away from Nick.

Nick wrapped his arms around her waist, his breath warm against her ear. Despite everything, Nick was meticulous about his appearance, keeping himself well-groomed and maintaining a hint of his former handsomeness.

Wendy pushed him away. “I’m not in the mood tonight. I was thinking… Do you really think those people tonight were Jennifer’s doing to frame Natalie?”