Chapter 1

When I was eight months pregnant, I caught Xavier in a hotel room with a beautiful girl.

The shirt I'd bought him lay discarded on the floor, and he was on top of that girl, kissing her.

I stood silently at the door and said just one thing. "I want a divorce."

"No," he blurted out.

He looked flustered, but I had already made up my mind.

*****

After my friend sent me the hotel address, I waited a whole hour before I finally left.

I was so distracted that I slipped on the slippers, and I had to go back home to change.

Then I left my phone by the entryway and had to return to get it.

Finally, heavily pregnant, I waddled back to the couch, spaced out for a few seconds, and ended up just grabbing a tissue.

I caught a cab. My head was spinning on the way, and all I could think about was one thing.

How could the man who massaged my cramped leg all night just yesterday suddenly cheat on me?

With all those mixed feelings, I ended up standing right at the hotel room door.

Then I heard his voice inside, so familiar that it made my stomach drop, and whatever hope I'd been clinging to just collapsed.

I raised my hand but couldn't bring myself to knock.

I even turned away a few times, scared that the ugly truth behind that door would wreck my whole life.

However, right when I was about to walk away, I suddenly remembered what Xavier Pierce had told me on our wedding day.

He said, "Leah, if I ever stop loving you someday, you should leave me. I don't want to hurt you."

I could still see the sincere look he had that day.

I laughed and said, "Alright, if that day ever comes, I'll definitely kick you out of my life."

The click of the door made the two of them jolt.

I stepped inside, my foot landing on the brand-new shirt I'd bought for Xavier, each step crushing not just the fabric, but what remained of our marriage.

I watched as Xavier instinctively pressed the girl beneath him closer, as if trying to hide her.

"I want a divorce," I said, feeling exhausted.

When Xavier saw me, he freaked out.

Almost at the exact same moment, he blurted out, "No."

I brushed past Xavier, shooting a glance at the girl whose face was buried under the blanket, with Xavier still on top of her.

I had no idea what other women would do if they walked in on their husbands like this.

Right now, I couldn't even muster the energy to fight her, as if beating her would somehow prove how much this marriage had hurt me.

Seeing that I kept ignoring him, Xavier scrambled off the bed.

Compared to his earlier panic, he forced himself to look a little more composed.

He said, "Leah? What are you doing here? It's just work."

And with that lie, the sting in my chest dug in a little more.

I never thought that even after I caught him cheating, Xavier would still try to fool me.

After a few seconds of silence, I took a few steps forward.

The girl on the bed kept trembling as I moved closer.

Just as I was about to grab the blanket over her head, Xavier stopped me.

"Leah, I'm sorry. Please, just forgive me, just this once," Xavier begged, desperation in his voice.

His face contorted with pain, like he really understood how badly he'd screwed up.

I knew he was lying again. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to lie to me a moment ago.

I yanked my hand away from him and stared straight into his eyes. "Xavier, tell me. How many times did you fuck her?"

His gaze wavered, as if he was still struggling to come up with something.

"Three, or four times," he mumbled, but couldn't even finish; he couldn't keep track anymore.

I let out a bitter laugh. I laughed at how freely I had trusted him, and at how painfully late I'd found this.

In just a few days, my pregnancy would hit eight months.

It was too late for an abortion now.

I had been standing for so long that my whole body felt heavy and sore.

Honestly, I still wanted to ask him how long this had been going on.

Did it start before I got pregnant, or did he just cheat while I was expecting?

Xavier was still desperately trying to explain himself. "Leah, I swear it's only been three months with her. Before that, I never cheated."

I stared into his bloodshot eyes, cold and merciless. "That just makes it even more unforgivable."

He didn't care about everything I went through carrying his child, and that broke me. I lost all hope in this marriage, and that was when I made up my mind.

"Xavier, I'll have my lawyer draw up the divorce papers. You should get your own lawyer ready, too," I said, my voice steady and resolute.

Xavier scrambled after me, but the moment he realized he was naked, he froze, unable to chase me any further.

"Leah, I won't divorce you. Never," Xavier yelled, his voice cracking with desperation.

While he was still yelling, a girl's timid voice piped up from under the blanket. "Mr. Pierce, is Mrs. Pierce gone? Can I come out now?"

That voice sounded familiar.