Chapter 2
In that moment of panic, I couldn't care less about our promise to keep the marriage under wraps.
I dashed through the pouring rain straight to the set where Stefan's latest film was finishing up.
By the time I arrived, I was a total mess, soaked, muddy, and wearing nothing but slippers.
Stumbling over my words, I tried desperately to tell him about our daughter's illness.
Stefan just looked at me, his gaze cold and completely indifferent.
"Sorry, I have no idea who you are. Kelly is the only woman I'm engaged to," Stefan replied, his tone icy and merciless.
Years of acting had trained Stefan to keep his lips set in a perfectly controlled, almost practiced smile.
In that instant, time seemed to freeze.
Stefan's icy voice crashed down like thunder in the pouring rain.
It struck me numb, leaving me rooted to the spot.
Then, all at once, every moment I'd ever shared with Stefan flashed before my eyes.
It all froze on the image of Stefan discreetly covering Kelly's mouth and nose, trying to block out the smell.
They both couldn't stand the way I smelled.
How ironic it was.
After nine years of marriage, Stefan was still on top of the world.
Meanwhile, I was already drowning in the muck.
The moment I got my daughter's death certificate from the doctor, my phone lit up with a call from Stefan.
I figured he must've gotten word from the finance manager.
He was probably calling to talk about the divorce.
But when I answered, all I got was Stefan's lazy, hungover drawl, so different from what I'd expected.
He sneered, "Oh, so I give you a little money, and now you think you can just stay out all night?
"You didn't even bother making breakfast? Are you trying to let me starve or something?"
"You've got fifteen minutes to drag yourself back here, or don't even bother coming home," he snapped.
Stefan didn't leave me any room to refuse.
He just hung up on me, no hesitation.
I looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, it hit me that these past ten years had been nothing but failure.
Even the last thing I asked for, after I'd already lost all hope, didn't matter to anyone.
No one even cared.
With not a cent to my name, I had no choice but to walk home from the hospital.
Walking all the way home from the hospital took me two hours.
When I finally pushed open the door, I walked right into an ironically warm domestic scene.
It was the kind of cozy moment that should've felt normal, but all I could taste was bitter irony.
Kelly was sitting across from Stefan in her comfy pajamas, picking out food for him and placing it on his plate.
Stefan just held his plate, not turning anything down, taking whatever she gave him.
It was just plain oatmeal and some greens.
But he acted like the oatmeal and greens were a five-star meal.
It was a stark contrast to how he was always picky about everything I made for him, never satisfied.
That was when I realized all his criticism and complaints were always aimed at me alone.
I didn't want to intrude on their happy little scene.
All I wanted was to get out of there as fast as I could.
My daughter Emily was gone.
I still had to handle everything for her funeral.
I didn't have time to linger around people who meant nothing to me.
"Finally decided to show up? I thought you were going to drop dead out there!" Stefan's sharp, sarcastic voice cut through the air from behind me.
I turned and shot him a cool, indifferent look.
I didn't even bother to say a word.
"Miranda, you're back. My friend spotted you at the bar last night. Who would've thought you'd still be chasing boy toys at your age?" Kelly said, her voice sweet as syrup.
Kelly smiled sweetly.
But there was a subtle, unmistakable challenge in her eyes, one only another woman would catch.
"But Stefan works hard to make money. You can't just keep playing the kid card to squeeze cash out of him, can you? He's got enough to worry about already," she added, her tone dripping with fake concern.
"Since you love playing the devoted wife so much, why not just take charge of all his money from now on?" I said, my tone calm and sincere.
There was no bitterness in me. My gaze was nothing but genuine.
Kelly froze for a moment.
Without another word, I headed into the bedroom and started packing my things.
Bang! The deafening crash of an expensive crystal glass smashing against the bedroom door echoed through the room.
"Stefan, calm down," Kelly spoke up, her voice gentle.
"Miranda must be wiped out after a whole night out. Let her get some rest, then you guys can sort things out," she said, her tone reassuring.
Kelly looked like a delicate flower, always ready with comforting words.
She nestled against Stefan's solid chest, leaning into him as if seeking comfort.
But Stefan was still raging, totally losing it.
"Miranda, what's with that attitude? Do you have any idea how long the PR team had to spend last night putting out fires because of you?" Stefan yelled, his voice trembling with fury.
"I never thought you could be this twisted. You'd do anything to wreck my future and Kelly's, wouldn't you?" he snapped, every word dripping with hate.
"If I'd known you only had that kid to tie me down, I never would've gone soft. I should've just handed you a couple of abortion pills and gotten rid of that little brat. Then none of us would have to deal with this mess!" he roared, his voice echoing through the room.
My heart clenched tight.
It was like someone had stabbed it with a knife and kept shredding it into pieces.
All the bitterness from nine years of keeping our marriage a secret, the pain of losing my child, and the fury that only a mother could feel when her child was insulted completely shattered my self-control.
I stormed out of the bedroom, my arm swinging in a wild arc, aiming straight for Stefan's face.
"Miranda, don't..." Kelly cried out, her voice trembling with fake worry.
But in that instant, she leapt in front of Stefan, shielding him with her own body.
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the slap.
But I couldn't stop in time.
Before I could pull back, my flimsy nails ended up scratching her cheek, leaving a glaring red streak behind.