Chapter 3

On the very first day we started dating, I told Nathan I was allergic to roses. Back then, he actually went out of his way to make sure I never went near them.

But just two years into our marriage, he'd totally forgotten about that.

Honestly, I wasn't surprised. His whole world revolved around Olivia now. He didn't care about me, so why would he notice something so small?

"Oh, sorry. I've been so busy with work that I forgot," Nathan said, finally remembering my allergy, awkwardly fumbling for an excuse.

That night, he volunteered to cook and made a big spread of food—but every single dish was spicy.

"I remember you love spicy chicken chili. Have some more," Nathan said eagerly at the table.

But I didn't touch a bite. Just seeing the food ruined my appetite. When I gave birth to Abby, I lost a lot of blood, and the doctor warned me to keep my diet light. I hadn't eaten anything spicy in six months.

"Just say it—what do you want?" I said, couldn't bear his insincere face any longer.

"Did you go to the office today to make a comeback?" Nathan asked cautiously.

"Yeah," I replied without hesitation.

Even after marrying Nathan, my career was still at its peak. I hadn't planned to have kids so soon, but I ended up pregnant with Abby. Honestly, I never saw it coming.

After his constant pleading, I softened and agreed to have her.

Before Abby was born, I told him I'd return to work once she was a little older. So right after she was born, I firmly refused to breastfeed and even took medicine to dry up my milk.

"Look at you now, all bloated. How can you be a model like this?" Nathan frowned. "And what about Abby? Who's going to take care of her when you go back to work?

"She's so weak. You really think it's fine to leave her alone at home?"

"My mom will take care of her," I said flatly.

Nathan's face darkened in a flash. He slammed his glass down, voice dripping with anger. "You didn't even breastfeed Abby once, and now she's sick because of you!

"Now you're gonna ditch her when she's not even a year old, all so you can run off to work? What, am I not giving you enough money or something?

"You seriously have no heart. You don't deserve to be a mother.

"Anyway, I'm not letting you go back to work. Just stay home with Abby. I'll make sure you have everything you need."

"Are you really doing this for Abby, or is it for Olivia?" I asked calmly, staring at Nathan's furious face.

With a snap, Nathan threw a fork at me. It stung my face—and my heart.

He kept yelling, "Have you been a housewife for so long that you just sit around all day, making up stories in your head?

"If I was really with Olivia, I would've divorced you ages ago."

Nathan stood up, glaring at me coldly. "If you've got so much free time, spend it taking care of Abby and cleaning the house.

"You don't do basic chores at home, and you even hired a nanny. What use is a wife like you?"

With that, he stormed out.

I sat alone at the table. Nathan's sweet words from the past kept echoing in my mind.

"Claire, I'll make you the happiest woman in the world."

"Claire, you're my goddess. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to marry you."

All that sweetness had turned into arrows, piercing my heart one by one, leaving me in unbearable pain.

Tears ran down my face as I felt my love for Nathan slowly fading. Even though it hurt, I began to erase him from my heart, slowly but steadily.

This rotten love would only get worse if I held on.

By the time the food had gone cold, I got up slowly and went to the study, sitting at Nathan's computer. He probably didn't expect me to look through it—he hadn't even changed the password.

Soon, I logged into his account and found his messages with Olivia. Reading the sweet words on the screen, I realized he had cheated on me back when I was just pregnant.

I pressed my still-aching chest and packaged the chat logs and other proof of his affair, sending everything to my email.

*****

It was as if Nathan was trying to force me to compromise with silent treatment. He didn't come home for several days.

And Olivia would send me photos from time to time, just to get under my skin.

I'd glance at those photos while sticking to my diet, coolly saving each one—as proof of Nathan's affair.