Chapter 3

"Emily, I'm not divorcing you. I'd rather die than let you go. Didn't I tell you? Sophie was just uncomfortable because her breasts were swollen. I was only helping her out..." he said.

I let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Helping her out? Is that what you call ending up in bed with her? Charles, do you dare admit whose baby Sophie is really carrying?"

Charles's face went pale. "You already know..."

I shook off his hand.

But Charles refused to let go. "That was just an accident, I swear!

"Emily, I love you. I never wanted a divorce. But the baby in Sophie's belly is innocent. Don't worry, I'll handle everything."

I shot back, "Can you promise me you'll cut ties with Sophie and send her and the baby out of the country?"

Charles frowned. "Emily, the baby's still so little. You can't be so cruel."

He slept with my best friend, had a son with her, and together they broke me completely. And now he has the nerve to call me cruel?

"There's nothing left to say between us," I said, my voice cold and final.

Seeing I wouldn't budge, Charles went for the jugular.

"Emily, Iris's just been born. Are you really going to let her grow up without a dad?" he said.

"Face it. You're just a housewife with no income. If we get divorced, the court will side with me. There's no way you'll get custody of Iris."

My whole body went cold. I never thought that giving up my high-paying job and walking down the aisle for him would end up being the very thing he'd use against me.

Seeing I wasn't fighting back, Charles pulled me into his arms, his voice turning gentle as he tried to sweet-talk me. "Emily, we've been together for seven years.

"Can you really just walk away from all that? Give me a little more time, I'll make things right at home and with her."

But I wasn't about to fall for Charles's lies again.

I started consulting a lawyer and quietly taking stock of my finances, making sure that if I ever left Charles, I could stand on my own and provide for myself and Iris.

One night, a thunderclap jolted me awake. Iris was crying, so I rushed out, only to find Charles outside on the phone, not even noticing Iris's cries.

I picked Iris up and realized her whole body was burning with fever.

"Charles, she's burning up! We need to get her to the hospital, now!" I shouted.

I rushed out of the room and found Charles on the phone, changing his shoes at the same time.

"There's an emergency at work. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it when I get back," he said, not even looking at me.

Left with no other choice, I drove myself to the hospital. Iris wouldn't stop crying, and while trying to calm her down, I was so flustered that I accidentally rear-ended another car.

The rain was pouring down as I clutched Iris to my chest, stumbling through the streets in a panic, desperately trying to flag down a car.

I kept slipping and falling, soaked and exhausted, but I was so numb I barely felt the pain anymore.

Finally, a kind stranger pulled over and drove us straight to the hospital.

Frantically filling out the forms, my heart racing with worry, I suddenly caught sight of Charles at the payment counter and just a few steps away, there was Sophie, cradling their son.

It felt like someone had stabbed me right in the heart. Rage just exploded inside me, wiping out every last bit of reason.

"Charles!" I shouted.

I slapped him hard across the face.

"So this is what you call an emergency at work? Do you even realize Iris's fever was almost 104°F? The doctor said if we'd been any later, she could've died!" I yelled.