Chapter 8

After breakfast, as I was washing dishes in the kitchen, Li Kai was exceptionally attentive, helping with this and that. In the past, this would have made me feel happy, but now, it just felt hollow.

Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my neck. “Honey, I’ll make it up to you on your day off.”

I said nothing.

In his eyes, my anger had not yet fully subsided.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you. See, this two-bedroom apartment we’re living in is too small. If you get pregnant and my mom comes to help, there won’t be enough room.”

I didn’t turn around, continuing to wash the dishes, but I knew my grip on the bowl was painfully tight.

“What are you thinking?”

He didn’t notice my change in demeanor, and his voice was tinged with excitement.

“A while ago, I saw a four-bedroom place. Great location, good school district. Why don’t we sell this place and make a down payment?”

So, all of his coaxing and attentiveness today was just a prelude to this.

The small two-bedroom apartment Li Kai and I currently lived in was a dowry from my parents before our marriage.

Because the marital home Li Kai had bought hadn’t been completed yet, my parents were afraid I’d be mistreated, so they told everyone it was bought by Li Kai’s family.

In the year since we married, my parents never brought it up again. Instead, they treated him like a son. In their minds, loving their son-in-law was the same as loving their daughter.

If the son-in-law was happy, he would treat their daughter better.

But they forgot that some people are ungrateful and calculating.

If I hadn’t known about his affair, I would have naively agreed to turn this pre-marital asset into a post-marital one.

We were husband and wife, a single entity. There was no ‘yours’ or ‘mine’.

“The average price per square meter is less than ten thousand right now. Won’t the pressure be too great? Besides, we haven’t even finished paying off the mortgage on your other apartment. Will the bank approve another loan?”

I suppressed my rage and feigned hesitation.

“I did the math. This place can sell for around 800,000. We’d still be short by 600,000. Even with our savings, there’s a gap. Why don’t you ask your parents…”

“If you get pregnant, and we have to move, renovate, and air out a new place, it definitely won’t be good for the baby.”

“Besides, my other place won’t be ready for another two years.”

“The place I found is really great. Elementary, middle, and high schools are all right there. It will be so convenient for the kids’ schooling in the future.”

As he spoke, he kissed my cheek.

His coaxing and pleading were on full display.

The “parents” he mentioned were my parents, not his own.

“This is a big decision. Let me think about it.”

I couldn’t control the coldness on my face, and my tone was off.

“Okay, sure. I’m heading to work then.”

After Li Kai left, I disgustedly wiped the spot he had kissed. I let the faucet run, no longer in the mood to wash dishes.

My heart sank to a new low.

He had it all planned out. He wanted to buy the house outright, using the baby and the school district to lure me in, even planning to get money from my parents.

What a brilliant scheme!

I was so glad I had gone through his phone last night. Otherwise, I would have been sold and still be counting the money for him.

I even began to question his motive for marrying me in the first place. Was it really, as he said, because I was his soulmate?