Chapter 3

The next day, I went to the office as usual. I turned on my laptop and checked the home surveillance.

As expected, Wyatt was there and stretched out on my bed in my pajamas.

Queenie came in with breakfast and fed him.

“Has that fool left?” Wyatt asked.

“Yes. He has to work late tonight.” Queenie sat at the edge of the bed.

Wyatt pulled her into his arms, and the breakfast almost spilled onto the sheets.

Queenie pushed him lightly, but she kept her body pressed against his. “Don’t make a mess. Calvin will notice when he gets back.”

“He won’t notice a thing. He’s totally oblivious.” Wyatt reached into her blouse. “We didn’t quite satisfy ourselves yesterday, so let’s make up for it today.”

The surveillance footage began to shake violently. I muted the sound and focused solely on the image.

I watched them move from the bedroom to the living room and then onto the balcony.

Wyatt even deliberately pressed Queenie against our wedding photo.

It was the largest framed wedding photo in the living room, a symbol of the happiest time we once knew.

Queenie’s face pressed against mine in the photo, yet her body rocked with Wyatt.

I drew a deep breath and hit record to capture the footage.

After that, I transferred all the company’s liquid assets to a new offshore account.

Once the company’s accounts were settled, I mortgaged all the properties under my name and transferred those funds as well.

By the end of it, the company was nothing but an empty shell, and it was burdened with a pile of imminent debt.

I came home that evening to find the house already cleaned.

The sheets were fresh, and the floor had been mopped, but the lingering smell still hung in the air.

Queenie was sitting on the couch, and her face was unnaturally pale.

“Calvin, I don’t feel well.”

I set my briefcase down and moved closer. “What’s wrong?”

“I feel nauseous, and…” She glanced at me. “My period is two weeks late.”

A thought struck me, and I did the math. It lined up perfectly with the pre-wedding “party” mentioned in the forum.

“Should we go to the hospital?” I asked deliberately.

“No need. I bought a pregnancy test.”

Queenie pulled out a stick from her pocket. There were two clear red lines.

Her eyes shifted nervously. “Honey… I think I’m pregnant.”

I stared at the lines, and I was fully aware that the child could not be mine.

Besides being frequently away on business, I had undergone a vasectomy a year ago.

Queenie had once said she did not want children because she feared the pain.

I felt for her, so I had gone through the procedure in secret.

No one knew about it but me.

“Really?” I took the test from her. “That’s good news.”

Queenie exhaled in relief and smiled. “I think so too. We’re going to have a baby.”

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Wyatt appeared at the doorway with a box of milk.

“I heard that Queenie wasn’t feeling well, so I came to check on her.”

He walked straight in. When he spotted the pregnancy test on the table, his eyes lit up.

“No way! You’re pregnant?”

He rushed over and grabbed the test with trembling hands. “You’re actually pregnant?”

The sheer excitement on his face was undeniable.

Queenie shot him a glance and signaled him to tone it down.

Wyatt cleared his throat and clapped my shoulder. “Congratulations, Calvin! You’re going to be a father! And I’ll be the godfather!”

“Mm.” I took the test back and tossed it in the trash. “Yes. Congratulations are in order.”

Wyatt rubbed his hands together as he paced the living room. “This is a big deal. We must celebrate. I’ve already thought of names. If it’s a boy, we’ll call him… uh, never mind, Angus Lloyd. And Mirabel Lloyd for a girl.”

I sneered. They had even decided on the names. Clearly, they had been discussing this a lot in private.

“Is it really appropriate for you to name the baby?” I asked flatly.

“What’s inappropriate about it? We’re basically family!”

Wyatt plopped down beside Queenie and casually rested his hand on the back of her chair.

“I’ll treat this child like it’s my own.”

Queenie lowered her head shyly. “You’re so sweet, Wyatt.”

I watched them—a picture of happiness as a family of three—and felt like an outsider.

“Since you’re pregnant, you need to take good care of yourself. The company has been hectic recently. I might not have much time for you.”

Wyatt immediately cut in. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her. I recently left my job, so I’ll move in for a while just to look after Queenie.”

He did not even ask for my opinion.

Queenie nodded. “That’s a good idea. Wyatt is a good cook, and I feel comfortable with him around.”

“Alright,” I said with a nod. “I’ll leave it to you, then.”

Wyatt grinned widely. “It’s nothing! Looking after my own… Queenie and the baby, that’s what I’m here for!”

That night, Wyatt moved in with his suitcase.

He stayed in the guest room with just a wall separating him from the master bedroom.

Late at night, I heard the guest room door open.

Then, the master bedroom door creaked open.

Queenie lay beside me when Wyatt slipped under the covers, right behind my back.

He held Queenie, and as his hands moved over her, they even brushed against me.

“Shh! Don’t wake the poor sap,” Wyatt whispered, and his breath tickled Queenie’s ear.

She let out a soft hum in his arms.

They carried on right beside me in my bed.

Wyatt deliberately exaggerated his motions and made the bed groan beneath him.

He took pleasure in it and relished the thrill of dancing on the edge.

I closed my eyes and listened to their ragged breaths.

The red light on the recorder blinked relentlessly.

Each pulse marked another step toward their downfall.

Wyatt finally slipped back into the guest room as morning approached.

I got up and took a cold shower in the bathroom.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

All I had to do was endure just a little more.

Once the trap snapped shut, I would wipe them clean to the bone.