My Fading Affection

The high school reunion was winding down when Dean, our class president, suddenly pointed tipsily at my daughter and blurted out to me, "Celeste, why does your daughter look so much like Olivia?" The lively atmosphere instantly froze. Olivia Jones was my husband James Parker’s first love and the one who got away. She had passed away from leukemia before even finishing college. The other classmates quickly jumped in to smooth things over, claiming Dean was just drunk and talking nonsense. Yet those words planted a deep seed of doubt in my heart. That night, after putting my daughter to sleep, I felt a strange urge and picked up her smartwatch. I scrolled through her messages, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary, and gave a self-deprecating smile. Just as I was about to put it down and walk away, her phone buzzed with a text notification from a group chat named "Family of Three". Except I had never been added to any such group. Curious, I tapped it open and saw a message sent by James. [Olivia, Willow already knows that you are her real mother. This weekend, I plan to bring her to see you. Even though you're no longer here, I will never let anyone take your daughter away from you.] With trembling fingers, I clicked on the group members' profile pictures. One was James, another was our daughter Willow. And the third one was Olivia. Chapter 1 Even though the heater in the room was blasting, a piercing chill ran straight to my bones. Not caring that my daughter was already fast asleep, I shook her awake. "Willow, wake up! Tell me, what is this group chat all about? And did your dad make you call another woman your mom?" Willow rubbed her sleepy eyes, her small face full of exhaustion. "Olivia isn't another woman. She's my real mom." Those words struck a nerve. Completely losing control, I screamed, "Willow Parker, I am your real mom!" Terrified by my frantic expression, Willow burst into heavy tears. My mom, sleeping in the next room, rushed in the moment she heard the crying. She immediately pulled Willow into her arms and snapped at me. "Celeste, why are you screaming at a child in the middle of the night?" Holding up the smartwatch, my eyes bloodshot, I stared straight at her. "Mom, did you know James has been having Willow call a dead woman her mom?" My mom had helped raise Willow since day one; there was no way she hadn't noticed. Sure enough, she froze for a split second, then instinctively averted her eyes. Seeing that, I let out a bitter laugh. "You knew." Her gaze kept darting around, refusing to look me in the eye. "Celeste, it's not what you think. James, he..." "If it's not what I think, then what is it?" I cut her off mid-sentence, shouting in pure fury, "You're my own mother! How could you cover for him like this?" Olivia was always smarter, prettier, and far more calculating than me, and I had suffered so much because of her back in the day. She even set me up back then, almost ruining my chance to take the SATs and get into college. Mom knew all of that, yet she still chose to hide this from me. A sharp pain suddenly tightened in my chest, making me double over slightly. Seeing me like this, Mom panicked. "Celeste, what's wrong? Is your heart acting up again? "Why do you always get so stubborn whenever it comes to Olivia? She's dead anyway, so she can't threaten your place. Why break your own heart over something so small?" The more Mom spoke, the more justified she felt, her voice gaining confidence. "Making a scene like this only hurts your marriage with James and ruins your own health. It's not worth it. "Willow is still young and doesn't know any better. When she grows up, she'll realize. Why be in such a rush right now?" Chapter 2 "You said it yourself. I'm your mother, so everything I do is for your own good! Holding onto your position as Mrs. Parker is good for you, and it's good for all of us." That last sentence made me suddenly realize something, and I snapped my head up to look at her. "Mom, tell me the truth. Did you take more money from James?" My mom's lips twitched, but she didn't say a word. "If you don't tell me, I'll go ask him myself." Only then was she forced to tell me the truth. "It's just that your brother is getting married, so James gave him a high-rise downtown condo as a wedding home." She wiped away a tear. "Don't blame your brother. If you want to blame someone, blame your father and me for being useless." A sharp pain twitched through my chest again. I had to face a bitter truth. In my parents' eyes, I was always the one who had to be sacrificed for my brother. My eyes turned bloodshot, and my voice was terribly raspy. "Mom, in your eyes, my husband missing a dead woman is nothing. And the daughter I nearly died to give birth to calling someone else 'Mom' is also nothing. "Then what about me? What am I in the eyes of you, Dad, and James?" My mom moved her lips and finally squeezed out, "I don't understand all this talk about love and affection. I only know that what's in your hands is the most tangible. "You're Mrs. Parker. You live without worry, and your family benefits from it too. What's bad about that? "Celeste, back then, you chose to trade your life for the position of Mrs. Parker because you wanted the Parkers' lifestyle. Why bother stressing over a dead person now?" At her words, my nails dug into my palm from how tightly I clenched them. After Olivia died, James was heartbroken, living almost like the walking dead. I was the one who insisted on staying by his side to take care of him. Once, he was drunk and walking in the middle of the street, almost getting hit by a car. So I acted fast and pushed him away. In the end, he didn't get hurt at all, but I suffered broken ribs, a damaged heart, and almost didn't make it out of emergency care. After I recovered, James proposed. Everyone said my car accident was worth it, letting me transform into a princess overnight. When James and I fought and he got angry, he would also say, "I already married you, and divorce isn't in the picture, so what else are you unsatisfied with?!" Right, what else was I unsatisfied with? It was that no matter how I fought, I could never compete with a dead person. Thinking of this, my gaze moved to my daughter's face. I had to admit then that she really didn't look like me. I slowly loosened my clenched fists and said softly, "Mom, you don't need to take Willow to kindergarten tomorrow. I'll call in sick for her." "What for?" I said word by word, "To go to the hospital for a DNA test." … Early the next morning, as I walked out of the room with Willow, I saw Mom sitting tiredly on the couch, her eyes bloodshot. The first thing she said to me was, "Celeste, can you stop making a scene?! "Willow is a child you almost died to give birth to. Why are you randomly doing a DNA test for no reason, just making people laugh at you? If James and his parents find out, how do you plan to explain it?" I mumbled softly, "Yeah, she's a child I almost died to give birth to, so why doesn't she look like me, but like Olivia instead?" After speaking, I ignored my mom and carried Willow out the door. The testing process went smoothly. Since I took the expedited lane, I got the result two hours later. When I saw the conclusion in the report, tears flowed down uncontrollably. Chapter 3 Right at that moment, rapid footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway. Then came James's furious roar, "Celeste, have you lost your mind?! Why on earth did you bring my daughter to the hospital for no good reason?" After bellowing at me, he immediately snatched our daughter into his arms. Seeing how tensely he held her actually made me laugh out loud. I wiped away the stray tears left at the corners of my eyes, shifting my gaze between his face and Willow's. Finally, I reached a conclusion. "James, Willow's nose and mouth look just like yours. She really is your biological daughter." James shot me a glare and snapped, "What kind of crazy game are you playing now? Of course Willow is my biological daughter!" I nodded and continued, "And Willow's eyes and brows are identical to Olivia's. They really are mother and daughter!" Hearing that, James's face changed instantly, though he still forced himself to stay calm. "I have no idea what you're talking about. If you want to keep throwing a fit, go ahead and do it by yourself. Willow and I aren't sticking around." With that, he turned around to leave with Willow. "James," I called out softly to stop him. "Don't you owe me an explanation for why I ended up giving birth to Olivia's child? Back when we did IVF, it wasn't my egg used, was it?" Holding up the report, I stared straight at him. Back then, James and I both passed our physical exams with flying colors, yet he insisted on doing IVF. His explanation was that he wanted to select the highest-quality sperm to have the smartest child. And because I loved him, I willingly put myself through all that pain I never had to suffer in the first place. Still, he took advantage of my love, turning me into nothing more than a surrogate to carry his and Olivia's baby. This was a total trampling of my dignity, purely to humiliate me. James' face turned pale, his eyes darting around in guilt. His lips trembled, and it took him quite a while before he squeezed out a sentence. "Celeste, don't get so worked up. Our daughter is right here. Don't scare her. Let's send her home first, and then I'll explain everything to you, okay?" As he said this, his arms unconsciously tightened around our daughter, as if I were actually going to do something to hurt her. I let out a cold laugh, my eyes filled with mockery. He pressed on. "I know I shouldn't have kept this from you. But I already married you, and I promised you that the position of Mrs. Parker will always be yours. Isn't that compensation enough? "Olivia was tortured by her illness for three whole years during her prime before she finally passed away. Compared to her, you're infinitely more fortunate. "She just wanted to leave a child of her own blood in this world to prove she was once here. Why can't you just show a little understanding?" His high-sounding, self-righteous words made my stomach churn so hard I couldn't help dry-heaving. James's expression shifted again. "Celeste, you're not pregnant, are you?" … Before I could say anything, hurried footsteps rang out down the hallway once more. This time, the people arriving were James' mom, Maggie, and my mom. Mom happened to catch James' last question and blurted out in delight, "Celeste, are you pregnant?" "I'm not pregnant. I'm just genuinely disgusted," I replied, my voice eerily calm. A flash of disappointment washed over Mom's face. Before she could speak, I countered with a question. "Willow isn't my biological daughter, and you knew about it all along, didn't you? So that luxury downtown condo the Parkers gave to Robbie was actually your hush money." My mom averted her eyes and stayed silent. Maggie took Willow from James and handed her to the nanny who was with them. Then, she looked at me and said, "There's a nice restaurant right next to the hospital, and I already booked a private room on the way over. Let's talk over a meal." Chapter 4 With that, she took the lead and walked out. Once we got into the private room, she personally poured me a glass of wine. "Celeste, regarding Willow, James is definitely in the wrong here. The apartment given to your brother isn't hush money, but an apology from the Parkers to your family. Besides, you wouldn't want people to find out that the so-called Mrs. Parker is actually just a surrogate mother, would you?" Maggie's tone was gentle, but her words cut straight to the point, tearing a bloody hole right through my heart. Seeing that I stayed silent, she pulled a check out of her bag and slid it in front of me. "There's no amount filled in on this check. You can write whatever number you want. Plus, I'll arrange a managerial position at Parker Group for your brother. Does this compensation satisfy you?" Hearing that, my mom's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded repeatedly. "Of course, that's definitely satisfactory." Then, she secretly tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Celeste, don't be a fool. Take it right now! With this kind of money, you can live however you want. "If you really can't accept Willow, just have another child of your own with James. That way, all the Parkers' assets will belong to you in the future." I turned to look at her and let out a mocking laugh. "Mom, do you really think the Parkers' money is that easy to take?" With that, I shifted my gaze back to James. He sat there in silence, lost in thought. "James, when you married me back then, it wasn't because you were touched by me, right? You just wanted me to be a surrogate for Olivia," I asked. Hearing my question, he finally looked back at me, though he didn't answer directly. "That was Olivia's dying wish, and I had to fulfill it." "Her dying wish was for me to give birth to your child?" "Yes." His reply was brief. My fingers clenched tightly, and the rage burning inside me dissolved into a soft laugh. 'Olivia, you really are ruthless. I have to admit, whether you're alive or dead, I could never win against you.' I glanced down at the blank check in front of me. "Since you're all being so generous, there has to be a catch, right?" Maggie picked up her teacup and took a light sip. "It's not really a condition. We just hope you'll continue being a good Mrs. Parker and a mother to Willow. That shouldn't be too hard for you, should it?" Just as her voice trailed off, James added, "Celeste, I only ever want to have Willow as my child. Even though Willow isn't biologically yours, she was still born from your womb. You're her birth mother all the same." I stared at James for a long time before speaking in a slow, quiet voice. "James, I didn't marry you for your money. I did it purely because I loved you." Emotion flashed across James' eyes, but he still said nothing. "The first time I saw you, you were wearing a white button-down shirt. Back then, I remember thinking, 'How can there be such a guy in this world?' "Now that I think about it, I wish I had been blind and stupid back then. At least, that would have saved me from being trampled on by you like this!" James finally looked me straight in the eye. "Celeste, I..." "James," I cut him off sharply. "You don't deserve my love." With that, I picked up the blank check from the table and tore it to shreds under my mother's shocked gaze. "Let's get a divorce."