Chapter 3

The lights were off, and in the chaos, something got knocked over.

The night should've been intimate and full of passion, but my reflexes outran my thoughts. Unable to shove her away, I struck her right across the face, the sharp smack echoing through the darkness.

The room went dead silent.

As the lights flickered on, I found myself staring straight into Josephine's eyes, bloodshot and filled with hurt.

"They're allowed to, so why can't I?" she whispered.

I turned my head away and kept my lips pressed into a thin line, staying silent.

She bit her lip as tears streamed down her face. "Luke, I'm your wife!"

"Don't overthink it. The baby has a fever right now, and I'm honestly just not in the mood," I reassured her gently.

Josephine stared at me in disbelief. "You're rejecting me over a bastard?"

"Stop calling my kid a bastard. I don't like it."

I frowned.

When she looked at me with those wounded eyes, I couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. "Josephine, I want to be a father."

"Then ship the kid abroad! I'll go get my IUD removed today, and we can start trying!" she pleaded desperately.

I went silent again.

The light in Josephine's eyes gradually faded. "You don't want to?" she asked, her voice raspy.

I still didn't say a word.

She looked ready to explode, but she choked back the words at the tip of her tongue. Her lips trembled as she clutched her head, sliding weakly down the wall until she sat helplessly on the floor.

"What's wrong? What is going on with you? Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Just tell me, and I'll fix it! Please… Just don't treat me like this."

Seeing her like that made my chest tighten with discomfort.

"Josephine, stop this," I said. "If you really can't handle it, we can just get a divorce. I don't want to watch you suffer either."

"No! I will never divorce you!"

She despised it whenever I brought up the topic, yet she still couldn't bring herself to cuss me out. She stumbled to her feet and ran upstairs, not coming back down for the rest of the night.

I thought about going up to comfort her, but I gave up on the idea.

I was never good with words anyway.

Besides, she would always find a way to fix herself, just like every other time before.

Sure enough, before I could even go to sleep after my shower, Josephine walked into the bedroom. She kept a cold, expressionless face as she blow-dried my hair for me.

Once I drifted off, she wrapped her arms around me from behind, her demeanor still icy.

The crook of my neck felt wet. It seemed she was crying again.

I opened my eyes, wanting to say something, but I ended up just staring blankly at the wall until dawn.

The next morning, Josephine mentioned a new product launch and asked me to accompany her to the office, so I agreed.

The moment we stepped outside, however, we ran straight into Nicholas, whose eyes were swollen.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things about you yesterday," he apologized. "It was all my fault. I won't do it again!"

Before I could even utter a response, Josephine snapped with disgust, "Get lost. Don't you ever show your face in front of my husband again."

Nicholas' eyes reddened, but he didn't dare make a sound, slinking away in defeat.

I was long used to Josephine fighting my battles like this. I just glanced over at her and climbed into the car.

The seat angle was adjusted perfectly to my comfort, my favorite red wine waited in the mini-fridge, the stereo played my favorite artist, and the air carried my usual brand of cologne.

She still knew me inside out.

And everyone knew just how much she loved me.

When we arrived at the office, her secretary, Jonathan Wemby, met us with a cup of coffee each. He looked at me with earnest, worried eyes.

"Mr. Winthrop, Ms. Yates has given you everything you could ever ask for. She's a woman who gave up her own chance at motherhood just for you. Please stop putting her through the wringer…

"There aren't many people in this world who truly care about you. You need to learn to cherish that. Have some mercy on Ms. Yates. Don't keep hurting her."

To be honest, I had heard variations of this lecture so many times that I was completely numb to it. Josephine, however, had zero tolerance for anyone who spoke ill of me.

"Jonathan Wemby, you're fired. Pack your things."

Jonathan froze. "Ms. Yates, what did I do—"

"My husband's character is none of your business," she said, stepping right between us to cut him off. "I pay you to work, not to play his moral compass. Pack up your desk and get the hell out!"

"I just hate seeing you get the short end of the stick, Ms. Yates. I was only trying to talk some sense into him—"

"Who do you think you are? I don't need you to feel terrible for me."

Faced with such a ruthless public tongue-lashing from Josephine, Jonathan's eyes welled with tears. Yet, she showed zero mercy. "Would you rather I call security?"

I gave her sleeve a gentle tug. "Mr. Wemby has been your secretary for the past eight years. He's earned a little slack."

"In my world, absolutely no one comes before you," Josephine declared.

Jonathan forced a strained smile. "I appreciate you looking out for me, Mr. Winthrop, but she's right. I was out of line."

He gave a stiff nod and walked out.

I let out a soft sigh and picked up the cup of coffee.

Josephine stared at me, suddenly breaking the silence. "Luke, about that kid… Can't we just send him abroad and wash our hands of this?"

"I'm keeping him," I replied.

She stared at me for what felt like an eternity, her jaw set. I looked down and noticed a faint trace of white residue clinging to the ceramic rim of my mug.

I drank it anyway.

Right before losing consciousness, I felt Josephine lean down and press a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Just sleep, Luke. By the time you wake up, everything will be over. We can start our own family."

But Josephine, that was the last chance you were ever going to get from me.

When I finally came around, my phone buzzed with a text from the kid's mother.

"Ms. Yates cut us a check for ten million dollars to go abroad. We're not allowed to return, nor can we ever reach out to you again."

Strangely enough, the news didn't sting. If anything, a massive weight was lifted right off my shoulders.

I should thank her for being so ruthless. It meant that I didn't have to hold back anymore.

Now, it was time to put an end to things.