Chapter 1

My son, Frank Morton, ran to Full Health Pharmaceuticals after school to find his dad, Leonard Morton.

He pushed open the door to the lounge and saw Leonard with his arm around his female assistant, Kelly Parker.

Kelly slapped Frank across the face, snapping, "Don't you know any manners?"

The five-year-old Frank ran home in tears, clutching his cheek. As soon as he walked in, he choked out, "Mom, did I do something wrong?"

I crouched down, staring at the five clear fingerprints on his face, grabbed my phone, and called Leonard.

I said coldly, "Leonard, you have five minutes. Make that woman come and apologize to Frank. If you can't do that, don't think about sitting in that chair tomorrow."

Leonard said I was overreacting. Kelly was crying on the phone, saying it was a "reflexive touch."

He told me to stop making a fuss and let him save face.

I wasn't having it. If he didn't even care about our son, I didn't see why I should bother saving his face.

*****

I was heating some milk for Frank when the door swung open.

When Frank burst in, the first thing I heard wasn't his crying. It was his ragged, gasping breaths.

He was panting so hard that he could barely breathe, hiccuping with sobs. His shoes scuffed against the entryway as he stumbled inside.

I set the cup down and turned around.

Frank stood in the middle of the living room, his backpack dangling from one arm, his school uniform collar crooked.

His left hand was clamped over his cheek, and through his fingers, a vivid red mark stood out, almost painfully bright.

My throat tightened. I hurried over and crouched down in front of him.

"Take your hand away, sweetie. Let me see," I said softly.

He refused.

Frank was trembling, crying as he shrank back, keeping his face covered as if hiding it could somehow make the slap never happen.

I gently pried his fingers away, one by one.

Five swollen, bright red fingerprints stood out starkly on his left cheek.

The living room fell silent for a moment.

The hot milk on the table was still steaming, and outside, a car drove by, the sound fading away in the distance.

"Who hit you?" I asked, still crouched in front of him, keeping my voice soft.

"Take your time. Mom's here, listening," I said.

Frank sniffled, his lips trembling. "Mom..."

"I'm here," I said softly.

"I... I wanted to see Dad after school," he stammered.

He paused after every word, like each one was a struggle to get out.

Frank went on. "The driver dropped me off downstairs, and I took the elevator up by myself. The receptionist knew me, so she didn't stop me"

My hand tightened into a fist.

He went to the CEO's office on the 32nd floor of Full Health Pharmaceuticals.

That was great.

I pulled Frank over to the couch, sat down, and handed him a tissue. My movements were steady.

"And then what happened?" I asked.

"I wanted to surprise Dad," Frank whispered.

His words were so quiet that I could hardly hear him.

"The assitant wasn't outside, so I went into the inner room by myself. The door wasn't locked. I pushed it open," Frank said.

He hunched his shoulders, refusing to meet my eyes.

"What did you see?" I asked as I rubbed his back.

"It's alright. You can tell Mom," I said softly.

Frank pressed his lips together, tears streaming down his face.

He whispered, "Dad had his arm around a woman.

"She was leaning against him, her clothes were all rumpled."

"Dad didn't push her away."

The harsh white light in the living room left nothing hidden.

I lowered my eyes, the tissue balled up in my fist.

Leonard was something else.

Keeping a mistress at work was one thing, but getting caught by his own son was next level.

"Who was that woman?" I asked, my voice flat.

"I heard Dad call her Kelly," Frank said, his voice breaking with sobs. "I think it was Kelly. I saw her at home once before."

It was Kelly Parker.

When that name came up, I wasn't surprised at all.

Leonard had been coming home later and later, his shirts carrying a scent that wasn't his, his phone glued to his hand. Even when charging, it stayed under his pillow.

I wasn't blind to it. I chose not to act.

Things at Full Health Pharmaceuticals were still a mess, and Leonard's mother, Ella Morton, was in poor health.

If I made a scene at this moment, it'd be a disaster all around.

I was holding back, not because I was scared.

But these people thought I didn't exist anymore.

"And then what happened?" I asked, my voice even softer.

Frank looked up at me, his eyes brimming with grievance and feeling so wronged.

Frank said, his voice trembling, "I stood frozen in the doorway, too scared to move. Kelly saw me first and jumped up from Dad. She was furious.

"She demanded who let me in, said I had no manners, and that kids shouldn't be wandering around here.

"I told her I was looking for Dad..."

His lips were trembling so hard that he could barely get the words out.

"Before I could finish talking, she slapped me," he whispered.

I gritted my teeth.