Chapter 3
"Jack," I looked him straight in the eye, using every ounce of strength I had. "Let's get a divorce."
He was stunned, totally caught off guard by how blunt I was.
"What did you just say? Divorce? Christy, don't be absurd!" Jack shot back.
"I'm absurd?" I stared at him, feeling like he was a complete stranger. "Jack, ask yourself honestly. Have I ever made a scene in these seven years?
"You were always busy with work, and I understood. You had to work during holidays, and I understood.
"I was pregnant, and I threw up so much that I could barely eat. I had to go to every prenatal check-up alone, and I still understood.
"I thought my understanding and support would make you value me, and would make you care about me, but I was wrong.
"I was inside, risking my life to give birth to our child, while you were out there, thinking about the girl you always dreamed about.
"Jack, you don't deserve to be a husband, and you definitely don't deserve to be a father."
Even though I spoke in a low voice, my words landed like a punch to his gut, shaking him to the core.
His face turned ghostly pale, his lips moved, but not a single word came out.
Suddenly, the baby in the crib started wailing, as if sensing the tension in the room.
Jack's eyes instantly filled with panic.
Instead of checking on the baby, he looked at me, his voice softening. "Christy, please, don't do this. We just had a baby. It's my fault, okay? I'll cut Stella off for good, I promise.
"Let's not get divorced, okay?"
Seeing the phony look on Jack's face, I felt nothing but disgust.
"Get out," I said, pointing at the door. "I don't want to see you."
He stood there, not budging an inch.
"I told you to get out!" I snatched the pillow from the bed and threw it at him as hard as I could.
I shouted, "Get lost!"
Jack left.
The room was finally quiet again, with only the baby's cries and my own heavy breathing filling the air.
Laura rushed in, frantically scooping up the baby.
"Oh, sweetheart, why are you crying so much?" she cooed.
I gazed out at the overcast sky, and at last, the tears I'd been holding back finally burst free.
I wasn't crying for Jack. I was crying for myself.
For the seven years of youth I'd wasted, for that foolish, self-deluded devotion I once believed in.
The day I left the hospital, Jack was nowhere to be seen.
My parents and Laura took care of everything for me.
When I got back to the home Jack and I once shared, everything felt so unfamiliar, like I was walking into a stranger's house.
Our wedding photo was still hanging on the wall, and both of us smiled so happily in it.
But now, it felt like a cruel joke.
And so, I began my confinement after giving birth alone.
It was as if Jack had vanished from my life. He only showed up in the middle of the night and disappeared again before sunrise.
Every time, he always smelled of alcohol and looked completely worn out.
He didn't even try to explain himself anymore. All that was left between us was a silence as cold as death.
I didn't bring up the divorce again.
It wasn't that I'd forgiven him. It just wasn't the time.
I'd just had a baby, and I was still weak. I needed time to recover.
More importantly, I needed time to gather evidence.
I wasn't about to let Jack off the hook that easily.
I started paying close attention to everything he did.
He'd set up a new password on his phone, but I still had his fingerprint saved.
When he was out cold, I unlocked his phone.
His chats were wiped clean, but the transaction messages were all still there.
Every expense showed exactly where he'd been this past month.
[XX Jewelry: Your credit card ending in XXXX was charged $6,000.]
[XX Restaurant: Your credit card ending in XXXX was charged $500.]
[XX Hotel: Your credit card ending in XXXX was charged $900.]
Every charge matched up with the nights he claimed he was "working late with his team".
The navigation records were even more straightforward.
Every destination pointed to the same place: a luxury apartment complex I'd never heard of before.
I documented everything on my phone, making sure to capture every piece of evidence.
As a doctor, I noticed things most people would miss.
I caught that he'd switched to a new cologne lately, like he was trying to hide something.
But that sweet, heavy scent of Chanel Chance always managed to sneak out from his cuffs or collar, no matter how hard he tried to cover it up.
It felt like an invisible hand was wrapped around my throat, making me feel like I was suffocating.
The truth was like a broken jigsaw, and I was putting the pieces together with steady hands, one by one.
*****
Stella was back.
That 150 grand wasn't some so-called "breakup fee". It was money to help her settle in.
All those times Jack claimed he was "busy with a case" were nothing but excuses to be with his old flame.
When I needed him most—pregnant, risking my life in childbirth, and barely hanging on during recovery—they were wrapped up in each other, building their love nest.
I stared at those icy records on my phone, and my heart was so numb that it couldn't even feel pain anymore.
Nothing hurt more than when your heart stopped caring.
Yeah, that was pretty much what it felt like.
I didn't cry or throw a fit.
I just kept my cool, neatly categorizing all the evidence and saving it safe and sound in an encrypted cloud drive.
I was waiting for my chance.
A chance to ruin Jack completely, so he'd never crawl back again.