Chapter 3

I received another message from Sean after the first one. It read, "I'll buy you a present tomorrow, okay, sweetie?"

There was suddenly a deafening clap of thunder outside. Shocked, I hastily covered my ears as tears began to stream down my face. Unwilling to give up just yet, I typed out a reply to Sean's message.

"There's thunder outside. Can you accompany me, please?"

Sean only took seconds to reply. "What's so scary about thunder? You're a grown woman now. Be good, sweetie. Go to sleep soon."

My nails had turned white from how hard I was gripping my phone. I sat in a daze on the bed for a long moment before I called the front desk.

"Hello? It's me, Mr. Clifford and Ms. Lincoln's caretaker. I need to deliver something to them, so can you tell me their room number?"

I could hear the receptionists whispering among themselves after the words left my lips. Their voices were colored with mocking.

"Didn't she say that she's Mr. Clifford's wife? Why is she admitting that she's actually their caretaker now?"

"Maybe she couldn't keep up the lie anymore. After all, no man would be daring enough to carry another woman into a hotel while his wife watches. He even reserved a room just for himself and the other woman."

"Only if his wife is an idiot."

I became deaf to everything else around me except for their mocking words. I clutched my phone in a death grip as the receptionists told me Sean and Felicity's room number.

The suite's door wasn't soundproof. I could hear Felicity's petulant voice coming through it when I stood in front of it.

"You're not going to go to your wife even though she's scared of thunder?" she asked.

Sean sounded impatient when he replied, "Do you really believe that she's scared of thunder? It's ridiculous when she's already an adult. She's always like this. I'm sick of dealing with her nonsense."

Felicity smiled and mentioned, "But I'm still afraid of the dark."

"That's different. I like you so much, and I'll keep liking you no matter what you're afraid of," he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

I bit down hard on my lip as I stood outside the door. Sounds of heavy breathing began to resound from the room.

"Who do you like better?" Felicity asked. "Me or her?"

Sean let out a deep chuckle. "Do you still need to ask? If I had met you first, I would never have married her.

"Why don't you have any confidence in yourself? She has no right to compare herself to you. She's nothing but an infertile and defective product, after all. We've been together for so long, but she can't even get pregnant."

Intense noises began to fill the suite.

"How long have you been holding it in?" Felicity asked through ragged breaths. "You're amazing, Sean."

Sean's voice sounded hoarse when he replied, "Doing it with her is like doing it with a wooden plank. I don't get excited at all. If I was not responsible for her because we're married, I would rather take care of it myself than touch her."

His cold and mocking words were like sharp icicles, stabbing into my heart and freezing my entire body. We had been together for so many years. Every time we were intimate with each other instantly felt like a huge joke now.

I covered my eyes and leaned back against the wall. A long time passed before I grabbed my phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Stone? Please prepare the necessary documents for me. I want to file for divorce."

…

The next day, when Sean returned to our suite, the lovebite on his neck couldn't be any more obvious. Had he given up on pretending altogether?

"How did you sleep last night, darling?" he asked as he strolled over to me, wanting to hug me.

"Don't touch me," I hissed coldly.

Sean was stunned for a moment before asking, "What's wrong? Are you angry, or are you jealous? Here, let me kiss your anger away."

He wrapped his hand around me, but I swiftly knocked it away. I felt disgusted just thinking about where his mouth could have been.

Sean's expression twisted. "What do you think you're doing, Maria? Are you so bored that you're trying to stir up trouble on purpose?"

I barked out a condescending laugh.

"What's wrong with accompanying a woman who's scared and alone?" he asked, his expression dark. "Don't you feel sorry for her at all? When did you become such a heartless person?"

He then kicked the door open and left.

My heart felt like it was freezing over as I watched Sean's retreating back. He disappeared for the rest of the day.

…

When night fell, my phone chimed. I looked at the screen and noticed that I had received a friend request from Felicity.

I frowned as I wondered what she was up to.