Chapter 5
The place was totally empty, like a crucial piece had gone missing.
The old house's front door was left half-open, a warm yellow glow spilling out from within.
I pushed open the car door and stepped out, my footsteps barely making a sound.
Just as I was about to push the door open, I heard Delaney's sweet, teasing voice from inside. "Gideon, the doctor said it's a boy. He'll definitely look just like you."
My hand froze on the doorknob.
Wait, a son?
Did she just say this baby?
Peeking through the door crack, I saw Delaney gently rubbing her slightly rounded belly, her face glowing with that maternal warmth, just like an expectant mother.
Gideon frowned. "Delaney, don't talk nonsense."
"What are you so scared of?" Delaney shot him a playful glare.
Delaney said, "Just because Maddison doesn't have any kids, does that mean I can't either?"
It felt like my whole world just came crashing down.
I stood outside the door, my legs felt like they were made of lead. I couldn't move a single step.
Delaney was pregnant.
And the kid was Gideon's.
Wait, let me think...
It must've happened right after I got out of the hospital.
He didn't come home for five days straight, just because I tore up Delaney's dress.
Turns out he wasn't at the office at all.
He was with Delaney instead.
So they'd already slept together.
"She just lost her baby. Don't upset her," Gideon said, his voice heavy with a sigh.
"Give me some time. I'll break it to her slowly," he replied.
"Slowly? How long are you planning to drag this out?" Delaney scoffed. "My belly's getting too big to hide."
Gideon was silent for a moment, then pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her.
As I watched them, I could taste blood rising in my throat.
I clamped a hand over my mouth and stumbled back, then turned and fled.
Delaney's delighted laughter echoed behind me, grating and vicious, like a dull knife carving into flesh.
Back at the villa, I rushed straight to the bathroom.
I dropped to my knees in front of the toilet, my stomach twisting as I threw up everything, even the stuff I didn't know I had in me.
Tears and cold sweat dripped together into the bowl.
By the end, all that was left was dry heaving, my throat burning like it was on fire.
I braced myself against the sink and stood up. The person staring back at me in the mirror had bloodshot eyes and lips so pale, I looked like a corpse with all the blood sucked out.
The System's voice echoed at just the right moment. "Host, there are only three days left in the mandatory divorce waiting period."
Three days? That meant seventy-two hours, four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes.
Once that deadline passed, my marriage to Gideon would be over for good.
"Well, isn't that just great," I chuckled at my own reflection, the sound hollow and bitter.
The more I laughed, the harder the tears fell.
When did it start between Gideon and Delaney? Was it when I was stuck in the hospital? When I finally came home? Or was it even before that?
Was it so early that you two were already together when I was pregnant?
No. I didn't want to think about it anymore.
I didn't even want to know.
None of it mattered. It was all ending soon anyway.
I didn't care anymore, not about any of it.
At three in the morning, the bedroom door creaked open.
I kept my eyes shut, faking sleep, feeling the mattress dip as someone sat down beside me.
It was Gideon. The chill of the night and a faint whiff of tobacco clung to him.
Gideon brushed his finger over my furrowed brow. "Why are you frowning while you're sleeping?"
I turned away and muttered, "Just a nightmare."
"What kind of nightmare?" he asked softly.
"I dreamed you married someone else," I whispered.
The air hung heavy for three long seconds.
"Dummy," Gideon chuckled under his breath.
"Seven years of marriage, and you're still having dreams like that?" he said.
It had been seven years, two thousand five hundred and fifty-five days.
Now, only three days to go.
"I'll be out of town for three days," Gideon said as he got up.
"Anything you want me to bring back for you?" he asked.
I opened my eyes and just watched the side of his face.
Moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, painting a shadow over his features.
"No, thanks," I said quietly.
"Alright, I'm heading out. Get some rest," he said.
He leaned in for a kiss on my forehead.
I turned my head away.
His lips met only empty air.
I was hoping we could have a proper goodbye in these last three days.
But he was the one who gave up.
His movements were slow and hesitant as he packed his suitcase.
He kept refolding the same shirt three times, and stared at his ties for five whole minutes before finally picking one.
After he finished packing, the villa felt emptier than ever, like all the warmth had been sucked out.
He stood in the middle of the empty living room, then suddenly turned to me. "When I get back from my trip, let's go pick out some new stuff and fix up the villa together, okay?"
I didn't answer.
His phone started ringing, loud and insistent, like it was chasing him down.
He glanced at the screen, his gaze darting nervously. "I've got to go."
He rushed out, dragging his suitcase behind him, barely looking back.
The door clicked shut behind him.
I lay back down on the bed and closed my eyes.
Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, leaving a wet patch on the pillow.