Chapter 3

My heart sank.

[See? That lipstick mark is all the proof you need. Those two have been sleeping together for a long time!]

[What a scumbag! Run! Divorce him! Why keep a man like that around?]

[And that little liar in your belly? Get rid of him too! He's been defending that cheating jerk the whole time!]

The floating comments flooded my vision like they had gone insane. Every word dripped with malice, stabbing straight into my heart.

[Mommy... that's impossible... Daddy would never...]

The baby's tearful voice argued back in broken fragments.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

None of the arguments and explanations seemed to matter anymore.

The evidence was right in front of me.

The lipstick mark on that shirt unquestionably belonged to Emily.

All my thoughts felt like a joke in the face of that lipstick stain.

Expressionless, I opened the bathroom door and returned to the couch.

"What's wrong, Cindy? You look awful," my mother-in-law asked, noticing something was off.

I slumped onto the couch while the baby's desperate cries echoed in my ears.

[Mommy! I can't feel Daddy breathing anymore! Please open the door!]

The words pierced my heart like a knife.

Scenes from my first life flashed through my mind.

Herman lying unconscious on a floor covered in rose petals, his face purple from the cold.

My in-laws holding up my phone and calling me heartless.

And then that final shove...

The memory sent a chill through my entire body.

Just then, a dull thud came from inside the bedroom.

Both of my in-laws froze and exchanged confused glances.

I forced myself to remain calm despite my racing heartbeat.

"I thought you said Herman wasn't home. He's in there, isn't he?"

The floating comments immediately exploded across my vision.

[That woman accidentally knocked something over. Don't fall for it!]

[They're just waiting for you to open the door so they can stab you through the heart and spend the rest of their lives together!]

[Why won't she listen? Run already!]

The baby cried even harder.

[It's the puppy Daddy bought for Mommy! The puppy's trapped inside a crate and must be freezing too!]

The two voices continued clashing inside my head.

My fingers dug into the armrest of the couch.

Under no circumstances could I be the one to open that door.

If my in-laws opened it instead, I refused to believe Herman would just sit there and watch them get hurt.

"Herman!" I deliberately raised my voice and shouted toward the bedroom, anger lacing every word.

"I've been home this long, and you've been hiding in there the whole time instead of coming out to see me. Do you even want this marriage anymore?"

No one answered.

My in-laws rubbed their hands anxiously.

"Cindy, don't be upset. He's in there preparing a surprise for you..."

"Oh, so you both knew about it?" I let out a cold laugh and seized on their words.

"Then why didn't he come pick me up today? I've been working myself to death out there, and he's hiding in the bedroom without even showing his face!"

My mother-in-law hurried to explain.

"That's not it. He's spent days preparing your surprise gift..."

I sneered inwardly, though I put on a wounded expression.

"I don't care. Either he comes out right now, or this marriage is over!"

The floating comments erupted with warnings.

[Run! For all you know, your in-laws are in on it too!]

[What if they force you to open the door? Use your brain and get out of there!]

The baby's voice had become utterly desperate.

[Mommy, just leave. Daddy's probably frozen to death by now. Grandma and Grandpa will blame you...]

Just as my mother-in-law reached out to grab my arm, I violently shook her hand off.

I didn't hold back.

She staggered backward two steps.

My father-in-law's face darkened immediately.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" he demanded, anger creeping into his voice.

"Herman's been preparing this surprise for you for days. Can't you be a little more understanding?"