Chapter 01

“Mommy, what is this?”

My daughter Stephanie appeared in front of me holding a black lace camisole, her face full of innocence.

When I saw what was in her hands, my mind roared like thunder, and my breathing halted.

It was a piece of lingerie.

But, Robert and I hadn’t been intimate for over a year. How could a new piece of lingerie appear?

The answer was screaming in my mind.

With trembling hands, I snatched the camisole from her, as overwhelming shame and anger surged through me.

I despised Robert’s betrayal, and even more, I hated that he now seemed to indulge those women, targeting my daughter!

I squatted down, struggling to find words, and managed to say in as steady a voice as I could, “Stephanie, this is mommy’s clothing. Could you go back to your room, please?”

Obediently, she hugged her teddy bear and returned to her room.

As I picked up the lingerie in front of me, the scene from a couple of days ago involuntarily came to mind.

Robert had brought home his new secretary.

The girl was quite young, just over twenty, about the same age I was when I first met Robert.

Her face was full of youthful charm, a stark contrast to my waxen complexion.

My heart had long been numbed by Robert’s years of betrayal. The pain I felt seeing him with a new girl was now a luxury I could hardly afford.

Seeing me silent on the sofa, Robert couldn’t help frowning.

“Sonia, stop sitting there and doing nothing. You…”

My eyes, full of fatigue, tightened around the fingers clutching my test results as I heard his words.

Then, I slowly curled my lips and looked at the girl by his side.

“What? Am I even in your way by just sitting here?”

Deirdre bit her lip, her eyes darkly challenging as she looked at me.

“Sonia, don’t be upset. There’s nothing between Mr. Lee and me. Just some work stuff he needed to bring home. Mr. Lee works so hard to support the family, facing a lot of pressure that a stay-at-home mom like you can’t imagine. Please try to be considerate.”

What kind of work would end up in bed?

I smirked sarcastically, but my eyes couldn’t help but fall on the man who had been by my side since he was twenty.

Yet, his face was filled with indifference, showing no intention of defending me, and my gaze grew dim.

Forget it. What was I still hoping for? I should have gotten used to it over the years.

“Sure, I understand. After all, you’re the eighth secretary he’s brought home to 'handle work'.”

My words instantly drained the color from Deirdre’s face, and she looked uncertainly at Robert.

The man’s face darkened.

Watching their sour expressions, I laughed heartily, but as I laughed, a scratchy soreness in my throat made me cough uncontrollably.

Robert, impatient, pulled Deirdre away with him and slammed the bedroom door harshly.

“Don’t mind this consumptive. So annoying.”

The moment the bedroom door closed, my tears still uncontrollably slid down my cheeks.

The congestion in my heart almost left me breathless.

In fact, I was not a strong person. I’d just learned over these years with Robert how to use words to protect myself.