Chapter 3 It's Clear Now

Zack didn't think I would bring it up again. He tugged on his tie and said nonchalantly, "Whatever."

I turned around, but he stopped me. "I don't want you bothering Noelle again. She did nothing wrong."

"Sure," I answered without hesitation.

My overly calm answer raised some suspicion inside Zack, but he said nothing. He and Noelle left without even turning back once.

I went to the tattoo parlor to wash off that humiliating mark.

Agony swept across my body, and tears kept spilling. I couldn't tell which was more painful: the tattoo getting washed off, or my heart.

Yet, I clenched my teeth and swallowed the indignity. Three hours went by, and I had no strength left. I went home to pack.

The home I made myself was now a cold tomb.

I ran into Zack, who had just returned. I noticed the hickeys on his neck. Though I knew the truth now, they were still an eyesore.

He stared at me and took a deep breath. "Wendy, my mom wants us to have a baby." He pulled me into his embrace. "Don't worry, I won't let Noelle bother you. I'm still your husband as long as you want me to be, and you'll be my only wife."

The place where the tattoo once sat was throbbing. I pushed him away. "No. From now on, we're done."

His eyes fell upon my chest, and he frowned. "You erased the tattoo?" He grasped my wrist. "You have coagulopathy. You could've got yourself killed."

Sadness filled my heart. "First time finding out, huh?"

The bandage at the corner of my eye was visible. After I got the tattoo, I was sent to the hospital because the bleeding couldn't be controlled.

When I went back, there was a piece of underwear in Noelle's size on the tattoo bed. I thought she tossed this around like she usually did, so I shrugged it off.

With the truth laid out, I realized they must've been having fun while I was facing death.

Zack was stunned. "Noelle stayed by my side without asking for anything, and she even lost her child, so it's the least I can do for her."

So they betrayed me together. That woman slept with my fiance and got pregnant with his child.

"If there's an ounce of conscience left in you, you'll let me go."

He looked downward and handed me a card. "If you're that brokenhearted, go on a trip. We'll try for a baby once you're back."

This was absurd, so I ignored him. All I wanted was to leave this suffocating place.

I went into the bedroom, but Noelle was in the bed, wearing the pajamas I bought for our first night as husband and wife.