Chapter 3

I couldn't stand staying in that suffocating hospital any longer, so I begged Rylie to help me check out.

When I got home, I quickly threw some stuff into a bag and got ready to crash at Rylie's place for a while. At least there, I could escape all this mess for a bit.

However, as soon as I walked in, I froze. Kevin was home.

His smile died the second he saw me, replaced with pure annoyance.

"Why didn't you answer my mom's call? Why can't you just stay home? And why are you always running around causing trouble? Come on, we're going to my mom's," he snapped.

He tried to grab my wrist, but I dodged without thinking.

I stared at the glaring lipstick stain on his shirt, a chill running through me. "Do you even know what yesterday was?"

Kevin waved his hand, clearly annoyed. "What? Another anniversary? Why do you always have to make everything so complicated? Should I just spend every single day celebrating some anniversary with you?"

I suddenly felt like I barely knew this man anymore.

The man who used to climb seventeen floors in pouring rain just to bring me a cup of hot coffee was gone.

Now, he was just a shell without a soul, and whenever he looked at me, all I saw in his eyes was irritation.

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. "It's not some anniversary. It's the day we lost our child."

I paused, my voice catching. "Kevin, I lost the baby."

I looked at him, and for a split second, I saw shock flash in his eyes.

Soon, his shock twisted instantly into mockery. "Seriously? How old are you? Can you be mature for once?"

He let out a cold laugh. "We've been married ten years with no pregnancy, and the moment I do a 'good deed', you magically get knocked up, huh? And now a miscarriage? Nora, have you lost your mind?"

I stood there, frozen, and my mind drifted back to when we first got married.

Once, we walked past a couple having a heated argument, and I turned to Kevin, asking, "Do you think we'll ever be like them?"

He shook his head instantly, looking me straight in the eyes. "No, never. We'll just keep loving each other more every day."

Yet now, all we ever did was fight.

When I didn't say anything, Kevin snorted. "Alright, my mom wants you home for dinner. Hurry up and get in the car. She's been waiting forever."

I nodded numbly and got in the car with him.

I stared at the divorce papers my lawyer had sent me on my phone, thinking that maybe this was the clean break I needed.

Halfway there, the car stalled out. Kevin hopped out and headed to a nearby gas station for help.

I stayed in the car, going over the details of the divorce papers one more time.

When Kevin came back, there were a few girls with him, chatting away excitedly, and he looked genuinely happy.

As I got closer, I realized they were talking about Ashley.

"So, Dr. Sanford, you and Ashley are a thing, right?" one of the girls asked, her voice full of excitement.

Kevin glanced at me, then nodded calmly. "Yeah, it's real."

The girls exchanged glances and practically bounced in excitement. "We're shipping a real couple. That's sweet."

They walked up to the car, looking puzzled when they saw me. One of them asked, "Who is she?"

Kevin casually stepped in front of me, blocking their view. "That's my aunt."

The girls nodded. "Alright, Dr. Sanford. We'll leave you to it. Don't forget to post a video when you and Ashley tie the knot."

They laughed as they left.

Kevin glanced at me, clearly getting irritated by how quiet I was, and quickly added, "Don't get the wrong idea. It's just part of her therapy.

"Ashley is obsessed with making short videos, so she pulled me in to film with her. Her account is just getting popular, and if people find out it's just acting, she might lose followers. I don't want her to get worse."

I just gave a smile and said nothing.

Once the car started up again, he suddenly slammed on the brakes, and I accidentally hit the side of the door.

I peeled something off and held it up to the light. It was a black pastie with a lipstick stain on it.

I looked at Kevin, my voice cold. "What is this? Did you fuck in the car?"

He cut me off. "Ashley just changed clothes in the car. Don't make a big deal out of it. I didn't even know that thing was here."

Seriously? In the front seat?

I let out a cold laugh, feeling suffocated inside. "Kevin, let me out of the car."

He frowned. "Can you not throw a fit right now? You're really wearing me out."

Before he could finish, his phone started ringing again.

I knew it. It had to be Ashley.