Chapter 2
"Mabelle, don't even mention divorce. Just hearing you say it makes my heart break," Sean said, his voice thick with emotion.
He sounded so sincere, like he actually meant it.
But I didn't buy it for a second.
I broke free from his arms, unable to hold back the disgust rising in my chest.
Then I slapped him hard across the face.
In five years of marriage, Sean and I had never even raised our voices at each other.
Sean let out a soft sigh and gave me a helpless look.
"Mabelle, have you calmed down? Can you hear me out?" he asked.
He said Crystal was someone he'd had feelings for back then.
Five years ago, Crystal had married the wrong guy, and after the divorce, she had nowhere to go.
He just couldn't turn his back on her.
There wasn't a shred of guilt in his explanation for deceiving me before our marriage.
He still thought he was in the right.
Sean said, "Crystal was raised by her grandparents. Now she's all alone. If I don't take care of her, there's really no one else who will."
Sean's words hit me like a ton of bricks.
Just who was Crystal to him, anyway? Why did he think it was his job to look after another woman for the rest of her life?
But I didn't even want to say anything else.
I stared at Crystal, crying her eyes out in the corner, looking all sad and pathetic.
"She's moving out today. Send her wherever you like, but I can't stand having her in this house," I said coldly.
As soon as those words left my mouth, the man who'd just been all soft and tender, looked coldly and sharply at me.
He could handle me giving him a hard time, but when it came to the woman he liked, it was a whole different story.
So that was how it was.
I spun on my heel, pulled out my phone, and dialed my lawyer as I strode out, not even bothering to look back.
When I got home that night, Crystal was still there.
She was having a great time playing with Percy and Nicki, who'd come home early.
When she saw me, Crystal pretended nothing had happened.
She even flashed me a smile.
"Mabelle, want to join us? Look how happy Nicki and Percy are!" Crystal said sweetly.
As a woman, I could see right through Crystal's phony smile. She was definitely trying to get under my skin.
She was just hiding behind Sean's promise to her, acting bold and provocative.
Too bad she picked the wrong way to mess with me.
She was not even worth the effort. Fighting back would just be a waste of my time.
I pointed at the open door.
"Crystal, are you going to pack your stuff yourself, or do you want me to do it for you?" I said, my voice icy.
As soon as I said Crystal had to leave, Percy and Nicki, who'd been totally caught up in their game just moments before, instantly dropped their toys and hurried over.
They planted themselves in front of Crystal like little knights, protecting her.
"Mom, please don't make Crystal leave. Dad and us don't want her to leave," they protested.
In that moment, the look in my kids' clear, honest eyes said it all.
I could see a trace of resentment toward me.
It was like I'd stolen something precious from them, and they were ready to go to war with me over it.
I blinked, almost amused by the whole thing, though my vision was starting to blur.
I cursed Sean out.
He'd had me fooled, never once letting on that my kids had been living right under my love rival's nose for five whole years.
Of course my kids would become close to her after spending every single day together.
Now, my kids had become Crystal's biggest trump card against me.
Sean came out of the kitchen when he heard the commotion.
He didn't even look at me.
He reached out and gently patted our kid's heads, as if encouraging them.
He said with a smile, "Great job! Dad's giving each of you an extra chicken drumstick for dinner tonight."
Percy puffed out his chest, looking all proud.
"Nicki and I always do what Dad says. Even if Mom tries to pick on Crystal, we will protect her," he said, sounding all grown-up.
Nicki pouted her chubby lips and stared right at me.
"Mom, if you're going to make Crystal leave, then you can just send me and Percy away too," she said, her voice full of defiance.
They'd formed a united front against me.
Suddenly, I was the only outsider in my own home.
Who was I kidding? Of course it hurt.
Kids were still young, so it was easy for them to be misled.
I didn't blame them at all.
When they lived with me in the future, they'd see for themselves who truly loved them most.
After Nicki finished, Sean finally turned to me.
He let out a sigh, sounding completely defeated.
"Mabelle, look, you can see how much the kids adore Crystal. Why do you have to be the wicked mom here?" he said.
I didn't want to get into it with him about all the messed-up stuff he'd done, not with the kids watching.
I kept my mouth shut.
Sean took my silence as a sign that I was giving in.
He reached out, took my hand, and pulled out a chair for me at the dining table.
Staring at the feast laid out on the table, I was suddenly reminded of something.
Sean was always an amazing cook, but he rarely ever stepped into the kitchen himself.