Chapter 13

After more than an hour of cleaning and organizing the rental apartment, it was finally barely livable. I curled up on the sofa, exhausted, and opened my phone, only to find that the secretly taken news had been deleted. The reason given was "violation of regulations." This swift, decisive move immediately brought to mind Mrs. Roberts, the Roberts family's strong-willed matriarch. In her eyes, no woman was worthy of her son, let alone stepping into the Roberts family home.

When Hugo and I first confirmed our relationship, he excitedly took me to the Roberts' old mansion. We were harshly rejected by Mrs. Roberts. We stood awkwardly in the rain at the gate. Her expression was cold, devoid of any motherly love. "If you bring this woman," she declared, "don't ever step into this house again!" She then had the gardener hose us down. I had never been so humiliated.

Thinking about it now, perhaps he was with me only to defy his father. Realizing this, I couldn't help but smile coldly. Bella thought she was different, but now it seems she's just another stepping stone before the real Mrs. Roberts takes her place. I felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, I saw everything clearly before I truly invested my life in this.

Perhaps because I could finally relax after five years, I fell asleep on the sofa. When I woke up, it was evening, and I was ravenous. I grabbed my keys to buy groceries, but opened the door to find Hugo standing stiffly outside. He stood silently, like a statue, for who knows how long.

I frowned impatiently. "Do you need something? If not, please move aside; I need to buy groceries."

His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a while. "In five years together, how did I not know you could cook?"

I responded mockingly, "What I cook isn't the Western food you eat every day. To you, it makes no difference. Besides, you didn't want to eat my cooking anyway, did you?" In his heart, I was nothing more than a tool to anger his mother.

A flash of embarrassment crossed his face—an expression I'd never seen before. I thought he would always remain aloof. It seems he had learned the truth about my father's death.

After a moment of silence, I waited coldly. "Can I come in? I want to talk with you."

"Sorry, unless you're going to my father's grave to apologize, I don't think we have anything to talk about. Everything was clear back at the house."

But Hugo remained, blocking my exit. I laughed in frustration, stepped back, and slammed the door. The mighty Mr. Roberts experienced his first door slam.

Chapter 14

I ordered takeout. When the delivery arrived, he was gone. It was just momentary guilt.

(The final percentage numbers seem to be unrelated to the text and have been omitted.)