Ava seemed to cling to me more after the fall. She remained glued to me, and I could not move without her, which drove me crazy at times. Meanwhile, Matthew didn’t give me space to figure things out.His work hours were punctual, and I had no room to pinpoint issues with him. Everything he brought back yielded no clues. I even began to question if I was hallucinating at times.After finally putting Ava to sleep at noon, I realized we were out of fresh vegetables and fruits at home. Since Ava was fast asleep, I knew I had to rush to the market before she woke up.The market was nearby, and I was too lazy to change my clothes, so I hurried out the door and aimed to return as quickly as possible. However, I was dumbfounded when I returned from buying groceries because I didn’t have my keys.I pondered for a while and smacked my forehead in frustration because I must’ve forgotten to bring them when I left. I decided to call Matthew, and he answered in a hushed tone. Afterward, I explai

Neither I nor Melanie spoke in the elevator. She pouted and lowered her head while leaning against the elevator wall. Frankly, I couldn’t be bothered to engage with her. Although her brother often spoiled her, I never had the patience.When we reached Matthew's office, he was indeed in a meeting. One of his employees saw me and Melanie and called Matthew out. Matthew seemed shocked as his gaze shifted between our faces before stopping at me.After some thought, he asked, “What are you—”“Did I embarrass you? Why should I dress up since I only went to the market?” I interjected, knowing what he was about to say. Irritated, I retorted, “Pass me the keys. Ava’s still asleep.”Immediately after, Matthew rushed to his desk and retrieved the keys from his bag to hand them to me, saying, “Didn’t you ask Mel to send them to you?”I took the keys and glanced at a displeased Melanie. "Does she have the time to bring me the keys? Pretending to be Mrs. Murphy here seems more important than pa

Johnson was our company’s Marketing Director. He greeted us warmly and playfully pinched Ava’s cheeks when he saw us. In a way, Johnson took my role by taking charge of the company’s marketing department.I was the one who brought him into the company, and he worked under me for over a year. Back then, the marketing department focused mainly on sales, consisting of just five people.Johnson was a quick-witted college graduate who was a natural at marketing. He had a silver tongue that could convince anyone of anything. He took over my position when I got pregnant while Matthew nurtured him.I knew Johnson frequented this place because he arranged a private room for us with the restaurant manager’s help. It was evident he was much more considerate than Matthew.Melanie was also familiar with Johnson as the two exchanged glances while Johnson ordered the food. Meanwhile, I didn’t pay much attention to the order and went straight into the private room since I knew Matthew wouldn’t let

Melanie didn’t take kindly to what I said. Her displeasure was evident as she retorted, “Chloe, don't be unappreciative of what you have. You know how my brother treats you, right? He's the one out there working hard, and you dare to be choosy? Don't be so overbearing."I glared at her, saying, "Oh? Do you feel bad for your brother? When did I ever need your two cents in conversations with him?"Melanie rolled her eyes, "I—"I didn’t let her continue and interrupted, "What's wrong with being a full-time housewife? It seems like you've got a bone to pick with that. No wonder you were desperate to experience a housewife’s life at Galar Tower. You enjoyed that, didn't you?"My gaze was intense as I stared at Melanie. My past submissive behavior made her think I was an easy target."You think your brother is the only one hard at work? Ask your brother if he dares to say that to me," I didn't give Melanie a chance to speak and continued, "Don’t you or your family remember me looking fo

The phone call shocked Matthew and me. His eyes narrowed, while mine grew sharper as I looked at him and demanded, “Answer it!”Matthew froze again.“You will answer this call in front of me if you have any conscience left. I’ll give you one last chance!” I stared at him, holding my still-crying daughter close.After a while, I straightened up and continued, “I used to believe my husband would never betray me, even in a world full of lies. You’ve let me down.”I finally uttered the words I never wanted to face. I never expected the concept of betrayal to affect us too. I cried as the words left my mouth. My cries mixed with Ava’s in a symphony of heartache and brokenness.Matthew slowly took his phone, and the ringtone was even more jarring in the tense atmosphere. I looked at my motionless husband staring at me. Gradually, his fingers clenched into a fist as I growled through gritted teeth, “Answer it!”Matthew glanced at the phone and said, “I-It’s Melanie.”"Answer it!" Regar