Chapter 2

Cooper smiled as he paid with his card.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" the salesperson greeted us with a smile.

I spoke quietly, "I'm looking for a couple of outfits for my little girl to wear right now."

Cooper and the others glanced over at us.

Pretending I didn't see them, I took Rosa inside.

After we finished trying on the clothes, Nova and Olivia were already gone.

Cooper gave me a complicated look. "It's Olivia's birthday today. I'm getting her some clothes as a gift..."

"Yeah, just wish her happy birthday for me," I said.

Then I turned to the salesperson, who looked a bit puzzled. "Can you wrap up both sets for me?"

Just as I was about to pay, Cooper stopped me.

I quickly pulled away.

The salesperson glanced between us. "Ma'am, are you and Mr. Brown..."

I smiled. "We know each other."

There was a sudden clatter behind me.

"Mr. Brown, you dropped your phone!" the salesperson called out.

I turned around to find Cooper fixing me with a hard stare. "What are you talking about?"

I looked at him, still puzzled. "Aren't you going to join them for her birthday?"

He just glared at me, his chest heaving, but he stayed silent.

I was still confused, but I didn't want to get on his bad side. I took Rosa's hand and walked out.

As soon as we stepped out of the store, Cooper pulled me back.

He asked in a low voice, "Are you just going to let them get the wrong idea about us?"

I smiled. "Aren't you always so concerned about Nova's reputation?"

Cooper was caught off guard by my words, and after a long pause, he finally said, "Why are you so different now?"

Back then, I used to get upset about things like this.

Cooper would always get impatient. "Stop overreacting. Nova's a single mom, it's tough for her. With the status of Mrs. Brown, no one would dare give her trouble."

But now, what was the point in arguing with Nova about any of this?

All I wanted was to bring Rosa up right and make sure she got the comfortable life she deserved.

I said calmly, "Isn't this exactly what you've always wanted?"

Cooper's face was grim as he turned and walked away without another word.

I just shrugged it off. Rosa and I treated ourselves to some snacks and drinks, and ended up shopping for a bunch of things.

For a moment, it felt like life had gone back to how things were before the divorce—when money was never a problem.

After we got married, I became a stay-at-home wife.

People envied me because I had a rich dad, and I'd married a self-made young entrepreneur.

For a while, I honestly thought my happiness would last forever.

That all changed when Nova got divorced.

For the first time, Cooper missed Valentine's Day, telling me he had to work late at the office.

But as soon as he got home, Nova brought his tie over to our place.

I felt suspicious.

Cooper just rubbed his nose and said, "Nova works at the office, so she just brought it over since she was passing by."

I wanted to press him for more, but seeing how exhausted he looked, I just couldn't do it.

Here I was, living the cushy life at home, while he was out there busting his ass every day.

Maybe I really shouldn't be suspicious after all.

I kept reminding myself that, at the very least, a couple should trust each other. I shouldn't get jealous for no reason.

But these kinds of suspicious things just kept happening more and more often.

On our wedding anniversary, Cooper left me sitting alone in the restaurant so he could rush off and deal with Nova's landlord problems.

When a sudden storm hit, Rosa and I were stranded at the preschool, while Cooper drove Nova and Olivia home instead.

Rosa came down with a severe flu and spiked a high fever, and even started convulsing.

I couldn't get hold of Cooper, so I took her to the hospital all by myself, only to walk in and see him there with a team of specialists, having them examine Olivia's scratched hand.

Every single time, Nova would always text me updates.

She said: [Sorry, Ms. Parry. Cooper said I shouldn't stay here anymore, so he put me up at his place.]

[Sorry, Ms. Parry. It's my fault for feeling dizzy. Cooper will come get you right after he drops me off.]

[Sorry, Ms. Parry. Cooper is just super anxious about Olivia. Don't worry, I'll talk to him later.]

I couldn't take it anymore. Time and again, I confronted Cooper, demanding, "Who is your wife? Who is your daughter?"

At first, he'd patiently try to explain, "We've known each other for so long. If I can help her out, I will."

But as time went on, he just got more and more impatient.

He said, "You grew up with money. You have no clue what it's like for people who have to struggle. Can't you try to understand her situation for once?

"Nova's a single mom, it's not easy for her. Why are you always so hard on her?

"Can't you manage on your own? I've got so much work to deal with. Do I really have to be at your and Rosa's beck and call all the time?

"If you can't handle raising her, just hire someone else! She's already bullying other kids at her age. What's she going to turn into, a real menace?"

Rosa and I stopped waiting for him to come home, hoping for anything good because whenever he walked through the door, all we got was another argument.

Rosa became more and more withdrawn.

Even her kindergarten teacher started asking if everything was okay at home.

The moment I truly made up my mind to get a divorce was on the day of Cooper's company gala.

He told me he had to work overtime.

Back then, I was constantly tired and drowsy. It completely slipped my mind that there was a company event.

It wasn't until I came across a trending local post.

It read: [The CEO of Nexora Tech and his wife are just perfect together. They look like they stepped right out of a romance drama!]

The post was accompanied by a photo of Cooper and Nova standing side by side at the gala.

I called Cooper five or six times, but he didn't answer.

On the seventh call, he finally picked up, but it was Nova's voice on the other end.

"Ms. Parry, Cooper's really busy right now. If you need anything, just let me know," Nova said.