Chapter 3

Dominic was still working in the study.

At 11:00 pm, I carried a glass of milk into the study. The door was left ajar.

Dominic was on the phone, speaking to the person on the other end of the line with a gentle tone that I hadn't heard in a very long time.

"You should sleep now. Let's talk tomorrow. I miss you too."

Dominic looked up after he hung up. He was briefly stunned when he saw me standing at the door.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" he asked.

"Do you talk to all your subordinates with such a gentle tone?" I retorted.

"I was just speaking normally. Don't overthink it."

I didn't say another word before turning around and leaving.

A moment later, I heard the door shut firmly behind me. Dominic had never used to close the door to his study.

I waited for him for 20 minutes. I was still awake when he entered the room.

"There's something I want to tell you, Dominic. Ever since I was a child, I've had this power. I can see the person someone loves the most just by touching them."

Dominic froze just as he was shrugging off his coat.

"When I touched you for the first time when I was seven, I saw myself in your heart. When you held my hand when I was 18, I still saw myself. When you proposed to me, it was still me in your heart.

"But when I touched your throat on the morning of our third wedding anniversary, I saw two faces. Mine and Tiana's."

Dominic fell silent for a long time before he suddenly burst into laughter. "You have quite the imagination. Have you been too bored because you've been stuck alone at home for too long?"

"I'm not joking. Every word I'm saying is true."

Dominic's smile faded. "Have you been too tired recently, Cassandra? Do you need to see a doctor?"

I stood up and reached for his hand. "Let me touch you for a moment. Close your eyes and think of someone. I'll tell you who's the person in your heart."

Dominic hastily pulled his hand away. It was subtle, but he had done it without any hesitation.

"That's enough, Cassandra! If you're unhappy with Ms. Ashford, you can take your frustrations out on me. She has a boyfriend. Stop imagining things. It's unfair to her."

He grabbed his coat and stormed out of the room.

I stood rooted to the spot for a long time. My hand was still suspended in midair just like before when I was touching him.

…

Dominic reeked of smoke when he returned at 2:00 am.

I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

He gently lay down on the bed and pulled me into his arms a few moments later.

I kept my eyes closed. There was only one face this time—Tiana's. Mine had completely disappeared.

Dominic rested his arm on my waist and breathed right next to my ear.

I had known him for 21 years, but this was the first time that I couldn't find myself in his heart.

When I gently freed myself from his embrace, he mumbled for me to stay still. I turned on my side so that my back was facing him when his breathing evened out.

Moonlight streamed past the curtains and shone on the vanity. Dominic had never paid attention to the things sitting there.

When dawn was just about to break on the horizon, I got up, packed my belongings into a small box, and moved it to the guest room.

The next morning, Dominic noticed my bedroom slippers in front of the guest room when he got up to have breakfast.

"Why are you sleeping in the guest room?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep last night. I didn't want to disturb you."

He hummed in response. He looked down and continued scrolling through his phone. He didn't question me further.

…

Three days after I moved into the guest room, two lines appeared on the pregnancy test.

I dropped by the hospital to do a blood test. It confirmed that I was six weeks pregnant.

I slipped the ultrasound photo into my diary and wrote a sentence on a blank space.

"You're here now, but Mommy no longer has a place in Daddy's heart."

Later, I stopped by Dominic's company to look for him. As I arrived, I saw him opening the car door for Tiana.

Tiana lowered her head and slipped into the front passenger seat—the spot that used to belong to me.

Dominic even shielded the top of her head with his hand before he got into the car. He used to only do that for me.

"Let's go home," I said to the driver.

I clutched the ultrasound report in my bag and didn't ask him to stop.

…

I was sitting in the living room, waiting for Dominic when he returned home that night.

"I dropped by the company today," I said.

"Why didn't you come in?" he asked as he took off his shoes.

"What would I have said if I did?"

Dominic glanced at me, looking a little frustrated. "What's gotten into you lately?"

"I saw you open the car door for her. I also saw you shield the top of her head. You used to only do that for me."

He sighed and said, "She's my assistant, Cassandra. I was just being polite by opening the door for her. You weren't like this before. You used to be more understanding and mature."

"Understanding?" I scoffed. "So, you're allowed to do the same things that you used to do for me, and I'm supposed ot be fine with it? Otherwise I'm being unreasonable? Is that what you're saying?"

Dominic rubbed his forehead. "I'm really tired today. I don't want to argue."

He then walked into his study and closed the door behind him.

In the past, I could tolerate and ignore some of his actions. However, I felt nothing but exhaustion at that moment.