Chapter 1

The kitchen smelled of cinnamon and pumpkin as I stirred the homemade soup one last time. Steam rose from the pot, warming my face as I leaned over to taste it. Perfect. Just the right amount of nutmeg.

"Mom! Is dinner ready yet?" Emma called from the living room, her voice tinged with that impatient excitement only a ten-year-old on Halloween could muster.

"Almost, sweetie. Just finishing the soup," I called back, wiping my hands on the orange and black pumpkin-patterned apron I'd bought specially for tonight.

I glanced at the clock on the wall: 6:30 PM. David had promised he'd be home by six. I reached for my phone and dialed his number for the third time that evening, balancing it between my ear and shoulder as I continued arranging the Halloween-themed table settings.

After four rings, he finally picked up.

"What is it, Sarah? I'm in the middle of something." His voice was clipped, irritated.

"The kids are asking when you'll be home. Dinner's almost ready, and we still need to take them trick-or-treating—"

"I'm busy with important business meetings," he interrupted. "I told you this morning I might be late."

No, he hadn't. But I swallowed the correction. "It's Halloween, David. You promised the kids—"

"I said I'm busy." The line went dead.

I stared at the phone, that familiar knot forming in my stomach. Something wasn't right. David had been growing more distant over the past few months, but lately, it felt like living with a stranger.

"Mommy, is Daddy coming home?" Jake appeared in the doorway, his six-year-old face half-hidden behind his superhero mask.

I forced a smile. "He's just running a little late, sweetheart. Business stuff. But look how amazing your costume is!"

Jake's momentary disappointment vanished as he spun around, showing off his cape. "I'm the strongest superhero ever!"

"You certainly are," I said, hanging the last of the paper bats from the kitchen doorway. "Why don't you and Emma watch some Halloween videos while I finish up here?"

As Jake ran back to the living room, I blinked back tears. Thirty-five years old, and here I was, the perfect housewife preparing the perfect holiday meal for a husband who couldn't even bother to call properly. Sometimes I barely recognized my life anymore—so far from the brilliant programmer I'd once been.

A sudden scream from the living room made me drop the ladle I was holding.

"Mom! MOM!" Emma's voice was panicked.

I rushed into the living room to find both children staring wide-eyed at Emma's tablet. Jake was already crying.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked, kneeling beside them.

Emma just pointed at the screen, her face pale. "It's... it's Dad."

I took the tablet from her trembling hands and felt the blood drain from my face. There on the screen was a live stream titled "Halloween Night with My Sugar Daddy." The thumbnail showed David—my husband—with a young woman I'd never seen before. They were both wearing matching vampire costumes, complete with fake blood and fangs.

With shaking fingers, I tapped the screen.

"Oh my God, you guys! Look what Daddy David just got me for Halloween!" The woman—who couldn't have been more than twenty-five—squealed as she opened a distinctive robin's-egg blue box. She pulled out a diamond necklace that glittered obscenely under the hotel room lights.

"Only the best for you, Candy," David said, his voice warm and affectionate in a way I hadn't heard in years.

The viewer count in the corner read 103,457 and climbing.

"How much did this cost?" Candy gasped, holding the necklace up to her neck.

"Just a cool million," David replied casually, as if discussing pocket change. "Worth every penny."

The chat sidebar was moving too fast to read, but I caught glimpses: "Does his wife know?" "She's so much hotter than his old wife!" "Sugar daddy goals!"

"My sugar daddy says his wife is just a boring housewife who doesn't appreciate him like I do!" Candy announced to the camera before turning to kiss David passionately.

"Mommy, why is Daddy kissing that lady?" Jake sobbed. "And why is he saying mean things about you?"

I couldn't answer. My fingers fumbled for my phone as I watched usernames I recognized—David's business associates, his friends, even his brother—flood the stream with expensive virtual gifts.

They all knew. Everyone knew except me.

I dialed David's number, my heart pounding in my ears. On the screen, I could see him glance at his phone, frown, and silence it without answering.

I called again. And again. On the fourth try, he finally answered, visibly annoyed on the live stream.

"I'm busy, Sarah. We'll talk later," he said coldly before hanging up.

As the viewer count climbed to 150,000, Candy's voice cut through the room: "His pathetic wife just sits at home doing nothing while he builds his empire. No wonder he needed an upgrade!"

Laughter. Digital gifts. Comments I couldn't bear to read.

And my children, watching it all unfold in real-time, their Halloween night shattered along with my marriage.

"Why is Daddy being so mean about you?" Emma whispered, tears streaming down her face.

The carefully carved pumpkins grinned mockingly from the windowsill as my world collapsed around me.