Chapter 3 His Secret Lover

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The bed in the guest room was small and hard. No matter how I lay, my whole body felt uncomfortable.

I got up to go to the kitchen for a glass of water.

I had just reached the living room when I heard Daniel speaking in a hushed voice on the balcony.

His voice was gentler than I had ever heard it before. "Babe, don't worry. I'll have the money soon. Then, we can finally go on the vacation you've always wanted."

Babe?

My mind went completely blank. I shoved open the balcony door and rushed outside.

Daniel jumped and hurriedly hung up. "What are you doing? Why are you wandering around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Are you sleepwalking?"

I pointed at his phone, my voice trembling. "Who were you talking to? Who's 'babe'?"

A flash of panic crossed his face, but he quickly composed himself and turned the accusation back on me. "What are you talking about? I was talking to a friend about work. You're seriously losing it."

He shoved me back into the room and slammed the door behind me. "Stop being so paranoid all the time. Taking care of Susan and Sophie is what you should be doing."

I leaned against the cold door. My hands and feet felt frozen.

…

The next day, I used grocery shopping as an excuse to leave the house and secretly followed Daniel.

He did not go to work. Instead, he walked into a jewelry store.

A short while later, a young woman dressed to attract attention also walked inside.

I hid behind a pillar across the street, my heart pounding.

I watched Daniel pull my bank card from his pocket and pay with it. Then, he handed the woman a jewelry box.

She opened it, her face lighting up with delight, and affectionately kissed him on the cheek.

My blood boiled. I could not hold back any longer, so I stormed into the jewelry store.

"Daniel!" I shouted his name.

The moment he saw me, his face went deathly pale. The woman was startled too and instinctively hid the necklace behind her back.

Daniel reacted quickly and snarled at me. "What the hell are you doing? You followed me?"

I pointed at the necklace in the woman's hand, too furious to speak clearly. "Who is she? You used my money to buy her a necklace?"

"What are you talking about?" Daniel grabbed my wrist, squeezing it so hard it hurt.

"It's for Susan! She's been worrying herself sick over her son. What's wrong with me buying her something to make her feel better?"

He actually had the nerve to twist the truth with such confidence.

The woman quickly caught on and put on a wounded expression. "Emily, don't get the wrong idea about Daniel. He was only trying to do something nice."

I stared at the glittering gold necklace in her hand and felt sick to my stomach.

Just then, Sophie and Susan showed up too.

"Dad, Mom, what are you doing here?" Sophie frowned when she saw us arguing.

But when she noticed the necklace in the woman's hand, her expression changed.

She said nothing about it. Instead, she turned to me. "Mom, what's wrong with Dad buying a necklace for my real mom? Did you really have to follow him all the way here? How are we supposed to hold our heads up as a family now?"

I felt like a clown, a complete and utter joke.

With all four of them standing against me, I could not defend myself at all.

Daniel gripped my arm so tightly that it felt like he was about to crush my bones. He dragged me out of the jewelry store and shoved me into a cab.

The entire ride, he berated me, calling me an embarrassment and accusing me of making a scene over nothing.

I did not say a word. Inside, I felt completely numb.