Chapter 2
Josh hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's not Abigail Murray, my assistant. It's a new intern at the company. She's also got the first name."
He rushed over to the door and, like he was performing a magic trick, plopped a massive bouquet of roses right into my hands.
"I got these for you. Do you like them?" he asked.
He spoke so fast, his anxiety written all over his face.
He was standing right here, but his heart had already run off to Erin.
A delicate card fell out of the bouquet.
I picked it up and read the words [Erin, you are the one and only love of my life.]
When I looked up again, Josh was already gone, vanished into the hallway.
The way Josh faked loving me honestly made me want to puke.
I hurled the roses into the corner with a furious crash.
I'd just seen these red roses in Erin's Instagram story, tossed carelessly by the trash can.
She'd posted a photo of herself holding a huge bouquet of white roses, her smile bright and pure.
Her caption read: [Red roses are for tasteless women. White roses are his way of showing I'm the only one he truly loves.]
There were tons of likes, even from the friend who'd been giving me tough love in the office.
He'd even stood up for me just an hour ago, but now he was already warming up to Erin.
People's loyalty was fickle, changing in an instant.
I sat there, staring into space until night fell. Josh, who used to message me every half hour, had vanished.
Now that Erin was around, he couldn't even be bothered to keep up the act anymore.
I had no idea how much time had passed when I finally dug out the ultrasound from my last checkup, curled up on the couch, and drifted off to sleep.
In my dream, I saw a girl, as delicate and beautiful as a doll.
She said, "Why didn't you keep me safe, Mommy? I hate you."
Her tearful, aggrieved face and trembling voice echoed in my ears.
My heart shattered. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," I sobbed.
I ran to her, reaching out to hug her, but she vanished in the blink of an eye.
All the sorrow I'd bottled up for so long suddenly flooded over me, leaving me utterly overwhelmed.
When I woke up, I realized the ultrasound sheet in my hand was almost soaked through with tears.
The room was pitch black, and by the weak moonlight, I could just make out the clock on the wall.
It was already past three in the morning, and Josh still hadn't come home.
Before I knew it, I was tapping into Erin's Instagram.
Scrolling through her feed, everything suddenly became clear.
Turned out, the night before Josh proposed to me, Erin had broken up with him, saying her dreams were more important than being in love.
On our first wedding anniversary, Josh didn't come home at all. He claimed he was working late, but actually, Erin had accidentally cut her finger, and he took a flight just to patch her up.
The day I lost the baby, Josh told me he was away on business and couldn't come back. But in reality, he was with Erin, staying by her side while she gave birth.
Erin had posted: [A child is the fruit of love. Without love, a child doesn't deserve to be born into this world.]
Josh had liked her post and even added a cheeky emoji.
If Josh always thought I wasn't good enough to be the mother of his kid, then why did he keep going on about wanting to be a dad?
I wasn't in good health, but for his sake, I gritted my teeth and endured hundreds of fertility shots, swallowing endless doses of bitter, soul-crushing herbal medicine.
If I'd known he never truly loved me, I would've never married him, not even if my life depended on it.
If only I hadn't fallen for him at first sight. If only I hadn't been sent to his bed that night.
But there was no 'what if' in this world.
Erin was always posting on Instagram, either flaunting the gifts Josh showered her with, or showing off all the close, cozy moments between Josh and her son.
Josh was there for every single milestone: the baby's first birthday party, his first steps, and even the first time he called Erin "Mom."
Erin posted: [Josh and I have been crazy in love for years. This is what true love is all about.]
She posted: [He says me and our kid are his whole world. Without us, his life wouldn't mean a thing.]
She posted: [They say love has a shelf life, but ours lasts a lifetime!]
I couldn't take it anymore. Scrolling through her feed was torture. Each post felt like a dull knife, carving up my heart bit by bit.
She was Josh's real wife.
Me? I was just the one with the marriage certificate. That was all.
Why did I have to get dragged into all this if they were so crazy about each other?
Was loving Josh too much the reason I had to suffer like this?
Right now, all I wanted was to get away from this jerk as soon as possible.
But before I left, I needed to figure out the truth about who had sent me to Josh's bed that night.