Anniversary of a Lie

After sending off the last of the guests, I dragged my exhausted body home. What should have been a celebratory party turned into my punishment site.The house was a mess with things knocked out of place. The sound of Harvey's sobs came from the bedroom, and he was crying so hard it seemed he might choke on it.I had only seen him cry like that on the day he lost his wedding ring on a trip. I had spent hours soothing him until he calmed down and bought us a new set of rings. And now, his tears were flowing for someone else.Bending over, I picked up a pillow from the floor and asked softly, "Is there something about the house that makes you unhappy?"Instead of answering, he asked in a broken voice, "If I had answered her call last night, would I have been able to see her one last time?""And then what?"My words stopped him cold, and he had no answer.A heavy weariness settled over me as I gathered the scattered items on the floor. Suddenly, he shot up from the bed and dragged

Harvey cut off all contact, so no one could reach him. The company was in chaos and scrambling to find someone to fill his role. Even with all the groundwork he had laid, the deal still collapsed in the end.Once he had everything settled for Cassie's funeral, he came back days later with a little girl. She hid timidly behind him, looking both adorable and pitiful."Say hello to Mrs. Clarke," he said while smiling, his voice sounding softer than I had ever heard.If we had children, maybe he would've been a loving father. But in all these five years, I showed no signs of pregnancy and even blamed myself, until the hospital discovered that the problem was his low sperm count.For the family's pride, Wendy begged me to keep it a secret.As I stroked the little girl's hair, she obediently slipped her arms around my leg and was so sweet that I couldn't help but smile. "So, where did she come from?"Harvey hesitated before saying, "She's Cassie's daughter."The smile froze on my face

The little girl was sent to Harvey's parents, only to be awkwardly brought back. On this matter, they sided with me. They already felt sorry for how I had been treated, and to bring home his ex-girlfriend's child was pure absurdity.Wendy spent the past two days soothing me. She had scolded Harvey and even tried to beat some sense into him, but he remained unmoved. His family members were decent people, and Harvey was the only one who wasn't.My heart was already cooling. Deep down, I wondered if I should resign to this and treat marriage as nothing more than a partnership. After all, it was rare to find such kind in-laws.I even tried to console myself that this way, I could become a mother without having to go through the pain of childbirth. Children were an agony to bear, and with this little girl all grown up now, not much effort was required.At the door, Harvey kneeled to change the little girl's shoes. When he looked up and noticed my bare fingers, panic crashed over him. He

Cassie had called a few days before our wedding anniversary. Harvey had hardened his heart and refused to answer, probably because he had made up his mind to cut off all ties. But that choice left him wallowing in regret.The question he had asked me at that celebratory party made no sense; this wasn't what I wanted at all. If I could never compete against a living first love, what chance did I have against her death that carved her presence deeper into his chest?He told me to calm down, and sure enough, I did. I was so calm that I reached out to a divorce lawyer and began dividing assets.After the lawyer, Mr. Sage, got into the seat across from me and ordered coffee, he made small talk to ease the air. I had never been good at such professional talks with strangers, and the jargon I couldn't follow terrified me. Back then, Harvey would squeeze my shoulder and steady me when I tried to retreat. "Babe, you'll get dumber if you don't talk to people," he'd say. Whenever I faltered,

When Harvey realized I wouldn't budge, he showed up at my parents' door with arms full of gifts. Dad threw them straight back out, scattering the expensive gifts across the porch. As the man who had once called Harvey the perfect son-in-law, he now gripped a frying spatula and wanted nothing more than to give the latter a beating.Harvey flinched but kept his head bowed and stayed on his knees as the spatula struck down again and again."When I handed Jil over to you, you promised to love and protect her. Have you forgotten? Only a few years in, and this is what we get! We may be old, but we're not dead!"Harvey dared not cry out in pain and only grunted softly every time the spatula struck. He wanted to explain himself, only to open his mouth and close it again."Just go. We don't want you getting hurt and blaming it on us later." Holding the spatula, Dad was about to close the door when Harvey, who had stayed silent the whole time, lunged forward and jammed his hand in the fr