Chapter 466: A Successful Test

The days passed peacefully.

One day, Zeke Walton was in the studio with Diana Dalton, discussing the design of a dress, when he suddenly received a call from his mother.

He hadn’t spoken to his mother in nearly twenty days. Zeke knew she missed him terribly and was worried, so he answered the phone, feeling a pang of guilt.

Mrs. Walton’s voice was a wail on the other end of the line.

“Son, where are you? Your father has abandoned me, and now you’ve abandoned me too, haven’t you? I have nothing left. I don’t want to live anymore! Please, come back and see me one last time. I’m dying. You can come back and collect my corpse!”

Zeke had expected her to blame him, but he never thought his mother would say something so extreme.

“Mom, I just left to be independent and build a new career to make you and Dad proud. It doesn’t mean we’ve cut off ties or that I’m disowning you. Why are you being so dramatic?”

“But it *is* that serious! I hurt your feelings, so you won’t visit or even call me. Your father blames me too, saying I didn’t raise you right. He’s found another woman, and they have fraternal twins together. And now that woman knows you’re not on my side anymore, she came straight to our house to taunt me! I really can’t go on like this!”

‘What?’ Zeke was stunned.

“Are you serious? Dad’s having an affair… When did this happen?”

“The children are over two years old, that’s ‘when’! You can know a person’s face, but you can never know their heart. I was completely devoted to him for most of my life, and I never expected… that in the end…”

Zeke rushed home in a panic.

His mother showed him a photo of the fraternal twins.

“That woman sent me this photo—she’s practically gloating! She’s demanding that your father divorce me immediately. She’s pregnant with a second child and can’t wait to marry into the family! I hate Walton so much! But I can’t accept just divorcing him and letting that woman get everything she wants! Zeke, tell me, what should I do?”

Zeke’s mother was exceptionally beautiful. In her youth, she came from a well-respected, scholarly family. She’d had an impeccable upbringing and a life of smooth sailing, and she and his father had always been a deeply loving couple. Who could have known…

While Zeke was shocked his father had cheated, he also found it somewhat believable.

In this day and age, loyalty was a rare commodity. A man worth hundreds of billions who was completely faithful was a true rarity.

“Mom, what Dad did is unforgivable. I support you divorcing him. After you leave him, you can find love again. I wouldn’t be against you finding a new partner. You have a long life ahead of you, so don’t dwell on this. Just focus on living well. The most urgent thing now is to find a good lawyer, gather as much evidence as we can, and make sure you get a larger share of the assets. You’re right, we can’t let that woman off the hook so easily.”

Mrs. Walton told him through her tears.

“I’ve already consulted a lawyer. Even though your father is the one at fault, he transferred his assets long ago—to that woman and her family. I can’t find any proof, so I’ll get next to nothing in the divorce. His heart left me a long time ago. He was already planning for this, taking precautions against me. Now I…”

Zeke went over the documents with his mother. Sure enough, his father had been ruthless. If she divorced him, his mother would get nothing but the house they lived in…

But if she didn’t divorce and just let things drag on, it would only devastate his mother further, while having no impact on his father whatsoever.

Zeke didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“Divorce him. You have to divorce him, even if you don’t get a single cent. You can’t waste the rest of your life on a scumbag like him. Bad people get what they deserve sooner or later. We won’t stoop to his level.”

“You’ll have me from now on. I will never betray you.”

Mrs. Walton hugged him and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Do you think Amina will still want to be with you, now that you’re a penniless nobody?”

Zeke patted his mother’s back and said.

“I was already a penniless nobody the moment I left you and Dad. If she was going to look down on me, she would’ve done it back then. Why would she wait until now?”

“It’s different, my foolish boy. When you left home, you had nothing, but she knew you were Young Mr. Walton. She knew you’d have to come back and inherit the family fortune eventually. By getting with you then, she was guaranteed a piece of your future success. But now you’re completely destitute. There’s nothing in it for her anymore. Do you really think she’ll stick with you?”

Zeke had complete faith in Amina.

“If you don’t believe me, come with me to see her. You can see how she reacts, and how she treats you. Okay?”

And so, Mrs. Walton actually went with him to meet Amina.

They went to the small, rundown apartment, where Mrs. Walton tearfully explained the situation to Amina. Far from being scornful, Amina spoke with gentle care.

“Please don’t be afraid, Ma’am. Zeke will always be your son; he’ll never betray you. He’s already found a new direction for his career, and he’ll make it a success soon. I can work, too. Even if I don’t earn much each month, I can help ease his burden and contribute to our living expenses. Please, don’t worry. Your health is the most important thing. As long as we are all healthy, nothing else matters more.”

Mrs. Walton took her words to heart and decided to stay with them in the small apartment.

Zeke and Amina slept on a mattress on the floor, giving the bed to Mrs. Walton.

Amina kept her company, chatting to lift her spirits and cooking her delicious food.

Two days later, Mrs. Walton was finally won over.

When Zeke returned home from work, Mrs. Walton’s gloomy demeanor from the past two days was gone. She spoke to them warmly.

“The truth is, your father and I aren’t having any problems. The other woman, the affair… I made it all up. I just wanted to see if your relationship with Amina could withstand a true test. And now I see that you’re both very mature, in every way. It was your father and I who were being narrow-minded. We completely and wholeheartedly accept Amina now. My dear boy, come home. Your father and I approve of your marriage. We should start planning the wedding as soon as possible.”

Zeke and Amina were dumbfounded.

“You’ve got some nerve, pulling a stunt like that to test us! I told you all along, Amina isn’t the kind of person you thought she was!”

“I’m sorry, Amina.”

Mrs. Walton said apologetically, taking Amina’s hand.

“Zeke’s father and I grew up in a world full of deception and backstabbing, so we always tend to assume the worst. That’s why we misjudged you at first. At the end of the day, Zeke is our only son, and we just want him to be happy. Can you find it in your heart not to resent us?”

Amina didn’t hold a grudge against anyone.

In fact, she was overjoyed to have finally earned their approval.

“Even the heroes in stories have to endure countless trials to get what they want. What’s a little test like this in comparison? As long as you and Zeke’s father approve of our relationship, I don’t mind at all.”

As she finished speaking, Amina suddenly let go of Mrs. Walton’s hand and turned her head away.

“I’m sorry, I don’t feel very well.”

“What’s wrong? You’ve been so busy cooking for me these last two days, you’ve hardly eaten anything yourself. You look so pale. Did you get heatstroke?”

Amina clutched her chest. “I guess so. I’ll go buy some medicine for it later. For the past couple of days, my stomach has felt acidic, I’ve been nauseous, and I haven’t had any appetite.”

“I’ll go get it for you.”

Seeing her discomfort, Zeke immediately started for the stairs.

But Mrs. Walton grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Wait. Amina… you’re not pregnant, are you?”