Chapter 5

“Lee, hire a few reliable housekeepers, preferably someone who knows how to cook well and has nutritionist qualifications,” I instructed Lee after careful consideration while sitting in the backseat with a bag of supplements. “Yes, ma’am,” Lee replied. When we first got married, my parents and in-laws suggested hiring a few helpers to clean, fix the landscape, and cook for us. But I was so head over heels in love with Henry at the time that I refused to let strangers into our love nest. I imagined that having strangers around would make it difficult for us to do risque things in the living room, kitchen, and so on. As a result, I lived as if I were a widow. I stopped daydreaming after being reborn. When I got home, I walked inside with my Prada handbag while Lee trailed behind with a bag of supplements. As soon as I opened the front door, I saw Henry walking down the stairs. “Lee, you can go now.” I put my handbag down and told Lee. Lee hurriedly placed the supplements on the side table and bowed respectfully to Henry before leaving. “There is a reception in an hour that your parents will also attend, so get dressed,” Henry said flatly, without asking about the supplements I brought back. Henry never brought me to events unless my presence was required, such as when my parents were there. I had yet to visit my parents after my rebirth. I felt sorry for them and was embarrassed to see them because of what had happened in my previous life. “Okay.” I went up to the second floor. I bought some new clothes in the last two weeks. My new outfits were a far cry from the dullness of the previous ones. I chose a one-shoulder short red dress with a relatively deep V-neck. However, a thin layer of tulle partially concealed my cleavage. I was still overly thin and pale, but being 168 cm tall made me feel better about myself. Laurel’s youthful and innocent style did not suit me because I was no longer in my early twenties. After applying makeup, I wore a matching set of crystal earrings and a necklace. The jewelry shone so brightly in the spotlight that it could easily blind others. I used to be more reserved, but now I am bolder. Henry was waiting for me downstairs. He was on the phone at the time, so he did not notice my footsteps coming downstairs. He did not even glance in my direction, but I didn’t care anymore. I went to the car by myself and waited for him there. He appeared a few minutes later, got into the car, and drove away without setting his eyes on me for a second. Henry and I did not say anything along the way. He concentrated on driving while I played with my phone. I messaged Zachary on WhatsApp to see how he was doing. [Me: Zach, if you don’t like hospital food, I’ll get someone to deliver gourmet meals to you.] [Zachary: That’s not necessary. The food in the hospital is fine.] [Me: I forgot to give you the supplements I bought for you today. I’ll deliver them to you tomorrow during my visit.] [Zachary: You don’t have to!] [Me: I do, because I knocked you over and put you in the hospital. Don’t be shy and let me know if you need anything else.] Zachary and Laurel came from similar family backgrounds. Laurel thought Henry was rich and attractive. I could leave the same impression on Zachary too. When I realized how evenly matched we were, I felt much better about myself. The car came to a stop at a red light. Henry finally turned and looked at me, noticing the difference in my appearance. Nonetheless, he could not bring himself to compliment me. “This dress is a waste on you.” Sure enough, the part in TV shows where the female lead stunned the male lead with a change in style was a hoax. I put my phone down and cupped my breasts to lift them. “Oh, really?” Henry was irritated by my provocative move. He said sternly, “Zena, mind your manners.” “Why should I?” I countered. I had been minding my manners for so many years, but did it work? I became more open-minded after having died once. Instead of restraining myself, I should have let myself go. “Don’t forget your identity.” Henry’s tone was solemn. He did not treat me as his wife, but he expected me to act like a dutiful one. I ignored him and turned to look out the window. In the past, whenever Henry took the initiative to speak with me, I would get excited and come up with topics to keep the conversation going. When we arrived at the reception venue, Henry and I pretended to be a cordial married couple for a while, chatting with a few familiar business partners. Then I found a quiet spot to sit and rest by myself. A young woman happened to sit next to me. Upon closer look, I recognized her as the celebrity who was recently spotted in a hotel with Henry. Their scandal became a hot topic. “Jade, why are you sitting here by yourself?” Another woman approached and asked the celebrity. “I’m just taking a break, Lucy. You should sit with me for a while.” Jade’s voice was overly sweet. I noticed Henry had a thing for women with sweet voices. Every woman in his scandals had a nice voice, and Laurel was no exception. The two women began chatting next to me, oblivious to my presence. Lucy kept teasing Jade. “Mr. Pelham is here. Don’t you want to say hello to your man?” “Stop talking nonsense! He’s not my man. He has a wife!” Jade replied with a critical tone. “His wife is rarely seen in public, so she must be imaginary. Everyone knows you have been spending a lot of time with him recently. I even heard he bought you a house. Is that true?” Lucy sounded envious. “Yeah, he’s very generous to me.” Jade was smug. “I have no idea why he’s being so nice to me. I’m just lucky to have met him.” Henry was generous to everyone except me, his apparently fictitious wife. Even after their breakup, every woman Henry had an affair with sang praises for him. This was all due to the power of money. At this time, my parents came over and saw me sitting all alone. Thus, they asked, “Zee, where’s Henry? Why isn’t he with you?” When they heard Henry’s name, Jade and Lucy looked at me with shocked expressions. I stood up and clutched my mother’s arm. “It’s no fun being with him because he only talks about business with a bunch of people. I’d rather talk to you, Mom.” My mother looked at me, surprised. I had not been clingy to her in years. “You ladies can talk. I’m going to speak with Quillon and the others.” My father did not notice my transformation and happily went off to see his old friends.