Mommy，We Got a Husband
Chapter 85 A Terrible Dream

Chapter 85 A Terrible Dream

Galatea was furious last night when she said that even if he wanted to throw the gift box away, he shouldn't do it in front of her. Upon his return to the company, he promptly discarded it.

For some inexplicable reason, seeing the gift box in the trash can filled Galatea with a sense of dread.

From her own perspective, Galatea knew she couldn't accept such a valuable gift. However, when considering Alaric's point of view, his annoyance at his thoughtful present being rejected was understandable.

At that moment, Galatea couldn't help but regret her actions-if she had happily accepted the gift the night before, maybe things would have turned out joyfully for both of them. She chastised herself for being so overly sentimental. Just as she was mulling over her dilemma, another knock on the door distracted her. Without thinking, Galatea hastily retrieved the gift box from the trash bin and stuffed it into her pocket.

As she came back to her senses, intending to tell whoever was at the door to wait, Alaric spoke without delay. "Come in."

The company's vice president entered, and upon seeing Galatea, he greeted them with respect, "Mr. Alaric, Mrs. Knight."

Mrs. Knight? Did the company staff address her as Mrs. Knight?

Before Galatea could respond, the vice president's eyes landed on the stomach-soothing chicken soup she had placed on the coffee table, and he asked with noticeable nervousness, "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, not at all," Galatea muttered, feeling another wave of social embarrassment wash over her. She shouldn't have listened to Mia's advice to bring Alaric the chicken soup during work hours. What was she thinking?

"I'm fine. You all carry on with your work. I should go." She hoped that Alaric would say something to ease the awkwardness, but he simply kept his eyes on his documents, leaving her to deal with the discomfort on her own. "You guys are busy. I'll leave first."

With that, Galatea quickly exited Alaric's office, but the embarrassment didn't fade away.

That man really could hold a grudge; if she ever upset him, he would go out of his way to make her feel uncomfortable.

She sped out of Nexus Innovations, and once outside, she pulled out the gift box from her pocket.

Why had she picked it out of the trash? She couldn't tell.

It was almost as if the knock on the door had triggered her impulse to leave. Leaving would mean no second chance to retrieve it, so...

"Galatea, are you out of your mind?" she scolded herself. "You rejected his gift when he offered it, and now you're picking it up after he threw it away?"

Now, even she couldn't make sense of her own actions. After a moment of contemplation, she tossed it into a nearby trash bin and walked away briskly. But just a few steps later, she found herself turning back again.

"Galatea, you just have no self-respect! You've really outdone yourself!" Galatea steeled herself to pick up the gift box again, recognizing that it was an item of considerable value and it would be a shame to simply discard it.

Last night, Alaric had merely opened the gift box, and Galatea had just glanced at the watch inside. It wasn't until she got home and took the watch out of its box that she saw something on the back-her own name. Was it a custom order? Alaric had said, "I have never bothered to celebrate someone's birthday!"

The memory of his words suddenly resurfaced as she looked at the watch, and she found herself quite annoyed with herself. If the roles had been reversed, she knew she would have been extremely upset.

"Galatea, oh Galatea, why do you have such a disgraceful past?" she berated herself.

It was her troublesome past that made her feel so constrained and ashamed to discuss with a man.

She once married a man, essentially a stranger, in an attempt to ward off bad luck, without even knowing his full name or appearance. After bearing three children, who were later proven not to be his, she endured severe humiliation from her mother-in-law, lost one child, and ultimately had to stage her own death to flee desperately.

Six years had gone by, and she had returned solely to find her lost son. Who would believe such a story if she told it?

If only she could completely sever ties with her past, but she knew she had to find Mrs. Marigold. What if her husband was still alive? That would complicate things even further.

Any normal guy would have trouble accepting her past, wouldn't he? And Alaric was no ordinary man.

It was so frustrating!

Bombarded by these recollections, Galatea felt a headache coming on; she decided to abandon everything and just go to sleep.

But fate wouldn't have it, as her thoughts infiltrated her dreams. In her dream, she wore a wedding dress and veil, clutching a bouquet as she glided over rose petals toward him.

Under the sunlight, Alaric, dressed as a groom, was strikingly handsome, his smile captivating. As she drew nearer, he reached for her hand, pulling her gently closer, planting a sweet kiss on her lips. Oh, how sweet it was!

Then, on bended knee, he slid a ring onto her finger and spoke earnestly, "Galatea, with me, you won't face any difficulties in the days to come. I promise to make you the happiest woman in the world." Galatea burst into a joyous laugh upon hearing those words, but her happiness shattered abruptly when-

"Stellan Storm, you vile woman!" Mrs. Marigold bellowed as she rushed forward and viciously slapped Galatea's face.

"Everyone, come and see! This wretch isn't Galatea Hartley! Her real name is Stellan Storm! She married into my family to ward off bad luck, yet she dishonored herself, cheated on my son, and cuckolded him. I thought she died in childbirth, but she faked her death instead!

And now, without a shred of remorse, she dares to deceive here in yet another marriage scheme. Don't be fooled by her lies and shamelessness. She deserves to die!"

In a flash, the guests began hurling objects at her, pointing fingers and cursing with indignation:

"A married woman trying to trap someone in a fake marriage, she's a con artist who deserves punishment!"

"Isn't she the daughter of a felon who took his own life in fear of punishment? Like father, like daughter-a rotten bunch, all of them!"

"Right, a woman like her should be nailed to a pillar of shame, beat her to death!"

Suddenly, everyone was throwing punches at her while she desperately reached out for Alaric's hand, urgently trying to explain, "Alaric, believe me, I'm no scam artist! I've never meant to deceive you—" "Get away from me!" Alaric didn't wait for her to finish and kicked her away, "Galatea, I never thought you'd be this kind of woman. You disgust me, you make me feel dirty!"

"No, it's not true, Alaric. Listen to me, let me explain..."

"What's there to explain, you vile woman?" Alaric thundered.

The police arrived, and he told them, "Take this con woman away. I don't ever want to see her again."

"Stellan Storm, you are suspected of bigamy and fraud. You need to come with us."

"No, I haven't..." Galatea struggled to reach for Alaric, but he walked away without looking back.

Then she was forcibly dragged away by two police officers, one on each side, as she struggled and resisted with all her might.

"No, don't! Ah, don't take me... I'm not, don't!"

Galatea cried out, waking from the nightmare, and then she heard Elisa's voice.

"What's wrong, Mommy? Did you have a bad dream?"

Elisa? Wasn't she supposed to be living the country life?

For a moment, the confusion made her wonder if she was still dreaming.