Cheated On, Traded Up
At the dinner table, my wife's best friend suddenly speaks to her in Lytian.
"Three years ago, you married Julian in a grand wedding just to help Jace get Julian's letter of forgiveness. Over the years, I've seen Julian fall more and more deeply in love with you. Yet, you're still lying to him.
"You gave him sterilization pills but passed them off as his depression medication. Aren't you afraid that he'll fall apart if he finds out the truth?"
My wife, Erica Inman, briefly shows a conflicted expression on her face.
She then gives a bitter smile and says, "A child unwanted by their mother has no reason to be born. As long as Julian doesn't stand in the way of Jace's happiness, I will keep my promise and stay by his side for the rest of his life."
No one knows that I've learned Lytian to keep up with Erica.
I stand in the living room and look at the fresh kiss mark on my neck. As I glance at the medication I take regularly for my depression, my whole body turns cold.
It turns out that all of Erica's affection toward me was fake. What I thought was my salvation turns out to be nothing but a carefully planned deception.
Since that's the case, I'll do my part to make sure they all get what they want.