Chapter 3 The End of a Marriage

I stood there, frozen. I never imagined I would hear such words from my son. Charlie was born prematurely, and after a tough labor, he spent nearly three months in the ICU. His digestive system was weak, and he was constantly sick. One minor error, and we'd be rushing to the hospital again. He was a piece of my flesh. I felt both heartache and guilt for his condition. Hence, for the past four years, I had personally handled everything from his daily routine to his meals and clothes. Fearing that something might go wrong, I regulated his diet and forced him to exercise. Due to the restriction and control, he resented me. But I convinced myself that he was young. One day, when he grew up, he would understand. I hadn't even had time to process the pain from earlier when Charlie's next words struck me like a lightning bolt. "If only that dream were true. Then you and Aunt Alexis wouldn't have to sneak around." A muffled sound quickly followed, as if someone had covered Charlie's mouth. Then, chuckles and playful shushing reached my ears. I stood rooted to the spot, trembling uncontrollably as my face turned deathly pale. "You little brat. What nonsense are you talking about?" "I'm not making anything up! I saw it with my own eyes!" Charlie's sharp laughter rang in my ears. For a moment, a pain I couldn't even begin to describe ripped through my chest, stomach, and soul. The man who had courted me for a whole year; the man who had confessed to me 99 times before I finally agreed to be with him; the man who cried his heart out the day I gave birth because he was worried about me; the man who had vowed to love me for the rest of his life… He had betrayed me. I didn't move. For a long time, I couldn't. Then, with great effort, I lifted my feet and turned around. Without hesitation, I threw the thermos straight into the trash. I went home alone and entered William's study. I had never entered his study without permission before. This was the first time. His computer was locked with a password. I entered his birthday, but it was incorrect. I tried Charlie's birthday, but it was still inaccurate. My fingers shook as I nervously tried again. This time, the screen flashed up to display his WhatsApp texts. The password was my birthdate. For a moment, I wondered if I was being too paranoid by trusting a four-year-old's words. Hesitation filled me as I stared at the screen. The most fundamental foundation of a marriage was trust, but I had abandoned it. Just as I was about to turn off the computer, a group chat called "A Happy Family (3)" unexpectedly popped up. The colors on my face drained away instantly when I saw this. William's nickname was "Handsome Daddy", Alexis' was "Pretty Mommy", and there was one "Sweet Baby". The chat was filled with photos from their outing today. William and Alexis stood side by side, each holding Charlie by the arm. Charlie held one ice cream cone in each of his hands. The three of them were smiling so brightly and happily that it was almost blinding. Below the photos was a voice message from WIlliam. "Charlie is fine. He's already asleep. He even called out to you in his sleep, saying he wanted you to hold him. Here, listen." His voice was so soft that it could melt anyone's heart. William had probably put the phone closer to Charlie because I could hear his drowsy, baby voice muttering, "Dad, divorce Mom. I want Aunt Alexis." Alexis sent a laughing emoji, then a voice message. I clicked on it. "Mwacks, come here, my little sweet baby. Let me give you a kiss." Then, William's voice chimed in, full of affection, "What about me?" I sat there, staring at their messages, watching my husband and my sister flirt before me. Tears streamed down my face. And yet, I still opened every single voice message, listening to it repeatedly until I had no strength left, and the pain numbed me completely. I wiped my tears, left his study, and spent the entire night wide awake.