Chapter 4
Back home, I called my lawyer, sent him all the evidence, and instructed him to begin preparing the divorce and asset division paperwork immediately.
Everything was set. There was only one last thing left to do.
The next day was the death anniversary of the child Edward, whom I never got to meet.
Three years ago, when I was seven months pregnant, I lost our baby boy in a tragic accident. He was already whole, a little life almost ready for the world.
That loss left the deepest scar between Edward and me.
We made a promise: every year on this day, we'd go together to the cemetery out in the countryside to visit our child.
I wanted to see just how much of Edward's humanity was left, how far he could really go.
The next day, I wore black from head to toe and showed up at the cemetery a full hour early.
I kept my distance, hiding behind a huge cypress tree far away.
Right at ten o'clock, Edward's car pulled up on the dot.
He got out of the driver's seat, holding a bouquet of white lilies.
He wasn't alone.
The passenger door swung open, and Vanessa stepped out, looking all sweet in a pink dress.
She cozied up to Edward, linking arms with him, and together they walked toward my child's grave like they were out for a carefree day in the park.
My heart turned to ice right then and there.
I gripped my phone so hard that my nails were about to snap.
They stopped in front of our son's grave.
I watched as Edward placed the flowers gently, then turned and wrapped Vanessa in his arms.
He pointed at the gravestone and said, "Babe, let me introduce you. This is my only regret from the past.
"But it doesn't matter now, because I have you. With you, every hole in my heart is finally filled.
"I'm putting the past behind me once and for all, and starting a whole new chapter with you."
Vanessa snuggled closer to him, moved by his words, and kissed him softly on the chin.
Then, Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a small item.
It was a tiny silver guardian angel pendant.
I'd gone to nine different churches myself, asking the most respected pastors to bless it, all for the baby we were expecting.
After we lost our child, that pendant became the only thing I had to remember him by.
I always thought Edward kept it locked away somewhere safe.
But now, he took it out.
Right there, in front of my child's grave, he personally fastened the pendant around Vanessa's neck.
"From now on, you're the only one I hold dear," he said.
I watched as Vanessa fiddled with the pendant, her face lighting up with a smile she just couldn't hold back.
She even whipped out her phone, nestled into Edward's arms, and took a cutesy selfie, with my child's grave as the backdrop.
In that moment, everything inside me just went numb.
My mind was wiped clean, and only one thought burned through the haze.
Edward wasn't just stabbing me in the back.
He was using the memory of our lost child just to please his new flame.
I kept my eyes glued to my phone, determined to record every detail, making sure I captured it all as evidence.
Only when the video ended did it hit me: my whole body was trembling so hard that I could barely hold the phone.
When I got home, Edward still wasn't back.
That was fine by me.
I picked up the finalized divorce papers from my lawyer, flipped to the last page, and signed them.
For the first time, I wrote my name with the calm I'd never felt before.
Now, it was my turn to call the shots.