Chapter 3
That night, Murray was tender, treating me with a lover's care.
He lit candles, played soft music, and even drew a bath for me.
"Elizabeth, you look beautiful tonight," he said, pulling me into his arms.
I forced a smile, but deep down, my mind kept replaying what I'd witnessed earlier.
"Murray, do you think we'll always be this happy?" I asked.
"Of course," he replied, kissing my hair. "We'll have lots of kids and grow old together."
All I could think about was the child he was already expecting with Sylvia—their baby, already two months along.
"If we have a child, will you love us even more?" I asked.
Murray stiffened for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.
"Of course. I'll be the best father in the world," he replied.
"But say, just for the sake of argument, if you were seeing someone else and even had a child with her, what would you do?" I asked.
Murray suddenly sat up, his expression clouded. "Elizabeth, why do you keep talking about this tonight?"
"I'm just curious," I replied.
"There's no 'if.' I would never cheat on you," he said, settling back down. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's our honeymoon."
As he described our upcoming honeymoon plans, my mind wandered to Sylvia. What would happen to her while we were away?
*****
Early the next morning, Murray's phone buzzed loudly, jolting him awake.
"What? There's a problem with the project?" he blurted out, sitting up with a dark look on his face. "I'll head over right away."
After he hung up, he gave me an apologetic glance. "Elizabeth, I'm really sorry. There's an emergency at the company, so our honeymoon will have to wait."
"It's alright. Work is important," I said softly.
"You're so considerate," he murmured, kissing me gently. "As soon as I fix this mess, we're off to Melirica for our honeymoon."
The moment Murray headed out, I immediately reached out to Eric.
"Ms. Sampson, your husband is at Evergreen Medical Center right now," Eric informed me in a lowered voice.
"The hospital?" I echoed, shocked.
"Yes," Eric continued, "he's over in OB-GYN with that woman named Sylvia."
I felt my world collapse. On just the second day of my marriage, Murray was already taking his mistress in for a maternity appointment.
"I'm going over right now," I said, my voice shaking a little.
"Ms. Sampson, just be careful. Make sure they don't notice you," Eric cautioned.
I hung up, quickly threw on some clothes and hurried out the door.
Evergreen Medical Center was the city's top private hospital—even celebrities came here when they needed treatment.
I threw on a pair of sunglasses and a mask, sneaking into the hospital without drawing any attention.
The OB-GYN was up on the third floor. I camped out by the stairs, spying through the crack in the door.
Before long, I spotted Murray and Sylvia stepping out of the elevator after her check-up.
Sylvia was holding onto Murray's arm, and together, they looked every bit like a loving couple.
"Murray, the doctor said the baby's doing great," Sylvia beamed, her face glowing with happiness.
"That's good to hear," Murray replied, gently touching her belly. "Our child is definitely going to be smart."
I felt a stab in my heart as I quietly started recording everything on my phone.
"Murray, what about Elizabeth? What if she finds out I'm pregnant?" Sylvia asked, worry etched on her face.
"She won't," Murray replied, pulling Sylvia close. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
"But you were with her last night..." Sylvia's voice trembled.
"That was just for appearances. You're the only one I truly care about," Murray reassured her, kissing her forehead. "Once I get those shares from Sampson Jewelry, we can finally let everyone know about us."
"Really?" Sylvia asked, her voice full of hope.
"When have I ever lied to you?" Murray replied.
Watching them flaunt their love, I nearly burst out from my hiding spot to call them out and rip off their perfect masks.
But I forced myself to wait—this wasn't the moment for confrontation.
As soon as they slipped into the doctor's office, I sneaked after them, keeping a low profile.
"Mr. Johnson, your wife is in great shape, and the baby's growing right on track," the doctor said.
"Thanks, doc," Murray replied, acting like it was perfectly normal to be called Sylvia's husband.
"But your wife is a little weak right now. Make sure she gets plenty of rest and nutrition," the doctor reminded him.
"I'll look after her," Murray assured.
"Good, then. Swing by for your next check-up next month," the doctor said.
After leaving the hospital, Murray and Sylvia headed straight for a nearby mall.
I trailed behind them at a safe distance, watching as Murray picked out maternity clothes, prenatal vitamins, and even some prenatal music for Sylvia.
He took his time with every item, choosing each one with obvious care and affection.
He had never done anything like this for me.
When they got to the jewelry counter, Murray suddenly stopped.
"Sylvia, take a look at this," he said, gesturing toward a stunning necklace.
"That's way too pricey. I can't possibly accept it," Sylvia protested, shaking her head.
"Don't worry about it. You deserve the best," Murray said with a confident smile to the salesperson. "Just ring this up for us."
"Sir, this necklace costs 300 thousand," the salesperson replied.
"Just swipe my card," Murray said, not even flinching at the price.
Watching Murray clasp that necklace around Sylvia's neck felt like a dagger straight to my heart.
Just yesterday, he was whispering sweet words of love to me. Yet today, he was out here lavishing gifts on another woman.
After leaving the mall, the two of them treated themselves to a high-end restaurant.
I waited outside for two hours before they finally came out.
Murray drove Sylvia to a swanky apartment complex, and then kissed her in the car, only pulling away after what felt like forever.
I made sure to jot down the address and apartment number.