Chapter 2

Back in the car, Scott must've picked up on her mood. He reached over and grabbed her hand. "What's wrong? Another tough patient?"

Vanessa had always been empathetic, often feeling deeply sorry for her patients.

"Yeah..." She paused, then looked at him. "Saw a pregnant woman today. She's someone's mistress. Crazy, right? Makes me wonder—why do people cheat? Is trash from outside really that tempting?"

Scott's eyes flashed with panic, but he covered it fast, tugging her into his arms. "Babe, you're too sensitive. You always take on other people's problems. But... look, people are people. They have impulses. Sometimes they just want something different. It's human nature."

Vanessa met his gaze, her emotions tangled.

At noon, she'd been wrecked—seven years of loyalty, down the drain. Anyone would've crumbled. But after hours of letting the betrayal simmer, something inside her shifted.

Now, hearing Scott's smug little life lesson about "impulses," she wasn't hurt anymore.

She was done.

"So, you thinking about trying something new?"

His hand twitched on her shoulder. Just for a second. Then came the practiced answer. "You're all I need," he said softly. "What we have? Can't be replaced. I don't need anything else."

Right. Sure. Vanessa gave a bitter smile to herself.

If she hadn't met Cindy today, maybe she'd still buy that lie.

Then his phone rang.

Scott glanced at the screen, his expression tightening before smoothing out. With a quick look at her, he answered and angled himself toward the door, putting space between them.

Subtle.

But not subtle enough.

His Bluetooth earpiece beside her was still on.

Vanessa heard everything.

Cindy's voice rang through the earpiece.

"I've been feeling so sick today," Cindy said. "Morning sickness is brutal. Come have dinner with me? I even bought that little uniform you like."

Vanessa's nails dug into her palms as she held it together. Barely.

Scott wrapped up the call fast, turning back to her with that apologetic grin. "Sorry, babe. Something urgent came up at work. I gotta go. Let me call you a car, okay?"

Vanessa's head buzzed. She couldn't even process how casually he was lying to her face. Urgent at work? Right.

Feigning concern, she said, "I'll come with you. I'm not busy."

His face tightened instantly.

"You've had a long day," he said. "I'll be tied up for hours. You'll just get tired waiting around. Be good, okay? I'll come home as soon as I can."

There it was—his 'thoughtful' act. But Vanessa already knew everything.

She didn't push it. She was too drained—emotionally wiped.

She told the driver to pull over, got out of the car, and stood by the roadside, watching Scott's luxury car disappear into the night.

Her heart felt like ice.

She wandered under autumn night, her mind dragging her back to the early days.

Scott quit his stable job to chase a startup dream, full of big promises and bigger risks. She'd supported him through it all—quietly, patiently.

She'd used her own paycheck to keep them afloat.

She could still feel the sting of those brutal winter mornings, biking to work through the freezing cold, shivering just to save cab fare. All so Scott could eat a decent meal.

And back then?

He used to tell her:

"Vanessa, trust me. I'll make it big. I'll buy us a house. We'll have everything."

And:

"I'll never let you down. Not in this life. Never."

Vanessa let out a bitter smile as she walked.

Scott had kept his promise. He gave her the big house, the fancy life.

But somewhere along the way, he forgot the part about never letting her down.