A Price for Stardom

My name is Joseph Greenfield. I've been married to my wife Linda Quentin for three years, and our life has been calm and steady. That afternoon, I was at work handling some documents when Linda Quentin suddenly sent me a text, her tone clearly panicked. She said that Lily Quentin had come back—and she brought a child with her. Lily is Linda's younger sister, five years younger, and has always thought very highly of herself. She always believed she was good-looking and destined to be a big star. Her favorite pastime was idol chasing, and her room was covered with posters of various idols. Last time she went abroad, she said she was following a foreign celebrity's tour. That trip lasted over half a year, during which she only sporadically sent a few messages to Linda, all filled with unrealistic excitement. I quickly asked my boss for leave and rushed home. When I arrived downstairs in our neighborhood, I saw many neighbors gathered around our building's entrance, whispering. I squeezed through and saw Lily Quentin standing there, dressed in eye-catching streetwear, wearing large sunglasses, holding a baby wrapped in a pink swaddle. The baby looked tiny, with pale skin and deep-set eyes—it was obviously mixed race. Lily Quentin saw me, took off her sunglasses, and gave me a proud smile. "Joseph, you're back! Hurry and help me carry these up. This trip completely exhausted me." I was stunned for a moment, not reaching for the luggage in her hands but instead looking at the child she was holding. "Lily, this child..." "Oh, this is my son. He just turned one month old." Lily said it so casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. At that moment, Linda Quentin and my father-in-law and mother-in-law came down the stairs as well. My mother-in-law's face changed instantly when she saw the child, and she immediately grabbed Lily's arm. "Lily, what's going on with you? You're not even married yet—how do you have a child? Who's the father?" My father-in-law frowned deeply, his tone stern: "What have you been doing these past six months abroad? Explain yourself clearly!" Linda Quentin grabbed Lily's other hand, her eyes red with tears: "Lily, don't be foolish. Premarital pregnancy is serious. What are you going to do now?" Confronted by the family's questions and worries, Lily shrugged off their hands indifferently. "Ah, come on, don't make such a big fuss about it." She held the child and walked down the hallway. "What era do you think this is? Premarital pregnancy is actually a trend now, okay?" "Look at those big celebrities—some have kids before marriage, and their popularity only grows. I'm doing this to pave my way back to the spotlight." I followed behind her, listening to her words with a chill running through my heart. How could she have such a ridiculous idea? When we got home, Lily Quentin placed the child on the sofa and casually opened her suitcase, pulling out a bunch of luxury goods she'd bought from abroad. My mother-in-law stood nearby, constantly persuading her to reveal the father's identity so the child could have a proper name and status. But Lily would either change the subject or just pretend not to hear. "Mom, don't worry so much. The child is mine alone, and I can raise him myself." She picked up a lipstick and applied it in front of the mirror. "Once I use this child to gain enough popularity, our family will finally live a good life." My father-in-law stomped angrily but felt helpless. Linda pulled me onto the balcony and whispered, "Joseph, what should we do? Lily doesn't even realize what she's doing." I sighed, staring at Lily in the living room, who ignored her child and was lost in her star dreams, feeling a deep sense of headache. This sudden "return" obviously stirred up a huge storm in our once peaceful home.