Chapter 3 Know When to Leave

I was sitting alone outside the obstetrics clinic when Sue called.

"I had someone take a look at the Astoria Heights penthouse. Top floor, private terrace. You could probably get around 55 million for it, depending on negotiations."

"Okay."

Sue fell silent for a couple of seconds before asking, "Bailey, did you actually terminate the pregnancy?"

"No."

"Does Xavier know?"

"No."

The click of a lighter came through the phone, followed by a long breath. "You've got guts."

I said nothing.

"So, what's the plan?" she continued. "You can't hide it forever."

"Only until I get everything I need."

"And after that?"

"I'll take my baby and leave. I'm leaving for good."

Sue let out a short laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Fine. I'll keep an eye on the property for you. Just be careful. Don't let him find out."

After the call ended, I stared at my phone for a while.

Sue was one of the clearest-eyed women I had ever met.

The first time I saw her, she was wearing a borrowed dress and a pair of worn-out heels that had rubbed the backs of her feet raw. She spent the entire cocktail party carrying a glass of champagne from table to table, smiling politely at people who barely bothered to hide their contempt.

Everyone treated her like a joke.

The wealthy wives whispered vicious things behind her back, while the rich young men called her "Sue" to her face and far uglier names once she walked away.

She heard them. She always did. She simply smiled and kept moving.

Back then, I was still young enough to believe the world rewarded people for doing the right thing.

One evening, I finally asked her, "Don't you ever get tired of living like this?"

Sue was applying lipstick in front of a mirror. She did not even turn around. "You think this is what I wanted? When I was sixteen, my mom went into kidney failure. My dad disappeared, so I worked three jobs. Everything I earned barely covered a fraction of her dialysis.

"Then, one day, a man offered me 2,000 dollars just to have dinner with him. So I went. Two thousand became five. Five became ten. Eventually, 10,000 dollars became an apartment."

She capped the lipstick and set it aside before finally turning to me, her gaze calm and clear. "Bailey, staying alive is hard enough. Pride doesn't put food on the table."

I had not understood her back then.

I thought my situation was different.

I had married Xavier.

There was a marriage certificate bearing both our names, and I had legal standing beside him as his wife. Surely, that had to mean something.

Eventually, I learned that a legal title was still only a piece of paper, and paper could be torn up the moment someone decided it was no longer useful.

My baby had not even been born yet, and Xavier had already brought another woman's child into our home.

That was when I finally understood what Sue had been trying to tell me.

Playing by the rules did not guarantee the world would treat you fairly.

My prenatal appointment went smoothly, and the doctor confirmed that the baby was perfectly healthy.

…

When I returned home, the housekeeper stopped me near the entrance with an uneasy expression. "Mrs. Davis, Mr. Davis asked me to let you know we'll have guests for dinner tonight. The kitchen is preparing for ten people."

"What guests?"

She hesitated before lowering her voice. "Ms. Scott."

My grip tightened around my car keys. "Just her?"

"I believe she's bringing a few friends."

I nodded as though it meant nothing, then went to the kitchen and helped with the dinner preparations.

…

At seven that evening, Eloise arrived.

She was thinner than I remembered from three years ago. An ivory cashmere dress fell neatly around her frame, and her hair rested loosely over her shoulders. She wore almost no makeup.

Somehow, the lack of effort only made her beauty harder to ignore.

Xavier went to the door himself to greet her.

I stood near the dining room with a fruit platter in my hands when Eloise noticed me.

She paused for the briefest moment before smiling. "Bailey. It's good to see you."

Her tone was warm, almost as though we were old friends.

Something shifted in Xavier's expression, so faintly that I might have imagined it. He said nothing.

…

At dinner, Eloise sat on Xavier's right, with Kai beside her.

Looking at the three of them together made something tighten painfully inside my chest.

They looked natural, just like a family.

I sat at the opposite end of the long table and barely touched the food on my plate.

One of Eloise's friends eventually noticed. "Bailey, aren't you eating?"

I said, "My stomach's a little upset."

Xavier did not even look up.

After dinner, Eloise crouched in front of Kai and pulled him into her arms. She kissed his forehead, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her neck, murmuring, "Mommy."

I turned away before anyone could see my expression and walked straight into the kitchen.

Then, I turned on the faucet.

Water crashed loudly into the sink, drowning out the voices behind me.

I pressed the back of my hand against my mouth and bit down hard.

Still, a small, broken sound escaped my throat.