Chapter 1

In early April, my husband Errol and I did what we always did this time of year. We went back to our own hometowns to visit our family graves.

Errol's family lived out in the countryside. It was a long drive, and the holiday was short. He left in a rush that morning and somehow took my phone with him by mistake.

I stayed home and noticed his phone sitting on the table. It was the exact same model as mine. We had bought them as a matching pair.

I had no reason to check up on him, and honestly, I wasn't even thinking along those lines.

I picked it up, unlocked it, and was about to use his phone to order some food. Then a WhatsApp message popped up at the top of the screen. It was from his sister, Audrey.

[Errol, is your dear love still hurting from the tear she got during childbirth? I made some soup for her. I'll bring it to the postpartum center soon.]

I froze. My eyes stayed on the screen, but everything inside me seemed to go still.

I was Errol's wife. I knew that for a fact. But I wasn't pregnant. I had never been pregnant. I was sitting right here in my living room, completely fine.

So who was Audrey talking about? Who had just given birth? And who was lying somewhere in pain, recovering from a tear that came with it?

*****

The holiday was short. To save time, Errol and I agreed to visit our families' graves separately.

He went back to his hometown, and I stayed in the city to visit my grandmother's grave.

The drive to his hometown took hours, so by the time I woke up, he was already gone.

His phone was sitting on the coffee table. It was the newest iPhone, the same model as mine. Even our phone cases matched.

That was when it hit me. In his rush, that idiot must have grabbed my phone and left his behind.

I felt a little hungry, so I picked up his phone to order something to eat.

His passcode had always been my birthday. I unlocked it without thinking.

The screen lit up, and I saw four unread messages on WhatsApp.

Before I could even process that, a new message popped up from his sister, Audrey. [Errol, is your dear love still hurting from the tear she got during delivery? I made some soup for her. I'll bring it to the postpartum center soon.

[Mom said the baby looks just like you. You two are exactly alike. She's been smiling nonstop these past few days.]

I stared at the screen. I understood every word. But together, they felt like blades slicing straight into my eyes.

My mind went blank, and my fingers started to tremble.

Errol and I had been married for five years. I had spent most of that time building my company, so we hadn't had kids yet.

His mother, Wendy, and Audrey never let that go. They made cutting remarks whenever they could. They called me useless because I couldn't give him a child.

But Errol had always stood up for me. He would smile and say, "Megan's health comes first. We'll let things happen when they happen."

I thought I had married a man who loved me.

But now his sister was asking about another woman's recovery, and his mother was holding a grandchild, smiling from ear to ear.

I forced myself to calm down. My fingers moved quickly as I opened Audrey's chat. I didn't reply. I just scrolled up.

The more I read, the colder I felt, as if I were sinking into ice.

Audrey had written: [Thora had a check-up today. The doctor says it's a boy. Mom is over the moon. She says our family finally has an heir.

[When are you going to divorce Megan? Thora's belly is huge now. You can't let her give birth to the Watson family's first grandson without a proper title, can you?]

Errol's reply sat there in black and white. [Soon. I'm waiting for the payout from her company's new project. Once I've moved enough of it, I'll throw her out with nothing. Tell Thora to hang on a little longer.]

A sharp ringing filled my ears. This wasn't just cheating. He had a child.

And the rush this morning? He probably wasn't visiting any graves. He was probably at a postpartum center with his mistress and their son.

His whole family knew. They were all in on it. They were planning to drain the company I had built with my own hands and leave me with nothing.

I bit down hard on my lip until I tasted blood. It was the only way to stop myself from wanting to tear them all apart right then.

I took a few slow breaths. Then I screenshotted the entire chat and sent it to my private work WhatsApp account.

After that, I opened the photo album on his phone.

There was a hidden folder. Inside, I saw Thora.

In the photos, her belly was huge, and she leaned against Errol with a soft smile. He had his arm around her. They looked happy.

There were also a few recent pictures.