"Heather just got back and has nowhere to stay. Since we have spare rooms, I thought she could stay here for a couple of days."

Behind Chandler, Heather stepped inside with her suitcase, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. When she saw me, she immediately put on a sweet, apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, Danielle. It's peak tourist season, and every hotel nearby is fully booked, so I had no choice but to ask Chandler for help. You don't mind, do you?"

My hand tightened around the stair railing as I forced out the words. "Do whatever you want. Just don't touch anything."

Heather beamed and eagerly pulled her suitcase further inside. From the moment she entered, Chandler never left her side, his eyes following her every move.

An uncomfortable knot tightened in my chest. I was about to retreat to my room when I heard a voice down the hallway. "I want this room, Chandler! I love it!"

Panic surged in my chest as I ran over and shouted to stop them, "No!"

Startled, they both turned to look at me. My eyes were red-rimmed as I blurted out, "This was my grandma's room before she passed. There are plenty of other empty rooms; just pick any of them but this one."

Heather's eyes glinted with mischief at that. She clung to Chandler's arm and whined playfully. "I really want this room, Chandler. I love the decor; you can see the garden from the window!"

Chandler looked at her with clear affection before turning to me with a helpless sigh. "Your grandma's been dead for years, and the room's been empty ever since. No harm done if Heather uses it for a few days."

I was nearly begging as I cried out, "Please, Chandler. We promised we'd always keep this room exactly as it was."

He hesitated because he'd indeed promised me that at Grandma's funeral.

Sensing his reluctance, Heather suddenly released his arm and put on a pitiful act. "I know what, I never should have come here. If Danielle won't even let me stay in a spare room, I should just leave."

She turned to wheel her suitcase out, so Chandler immediately panicked and yanked her back. "Don't be ridiculous. It's late, and I won't let you stay outside alone.

"Danielle, let Heather have this room."

His tone was firm and cold. In all seven years of marriage, he'd never spoken to me in such a sharp, commanding tone, but I stood my ground.

To my surprise, he shoved me aside and led Heather into the room.

I stumbled back and collapsed to the floor in a daze. In the room, Heather twirled around happily before flopping onto the large, soft bed. "Thank you for being so understanding, Danielle. I promise I won't touch anything—Oh!"

Before she could even finish, her arm swung out and "accidentally" knocked over a vase on the bedside table. It was my late grandma's favorite porcelain vase, now shattered into pieces on the floor.

I couldn't take it anymore and stormed forward to shove her hard.

"I'm so sorry, Danielle. It was an accident—" Heather began, but before she was done with her apology, a sharp, stinging pain exploded across my cheek.

It was Chandler, who'd just slapped me for the first time in all seven years of our marriage.

For a moment, an eerie silence hung in the air. He stared at his hands, eyes wide in panic.

I recoiled as he reached out to steady me, and his expression quickly darkened. "Are you done causing a scene? It was just a vase, so was it really necessary to push her?

"Heather's staying in this room tonight. You go back to yours and calm down."

With that, he gripped my wrist firmly and pushed me into my room.

As the door slammed shut, I slid helplessly to the floor, my tears finally breaking free.

I started packing.

After seven years with Chandler, nearly everything in the house carried a memory of us together.

I selected essentials for my suitcase and threw everything else away. Pictures of me and Chandler, every gift he'd given me, souvenirs from our travels, matching couple's pajamas and slippers… I figured that once Heather moved in, they wouldn't want to see any of it anyway.

As I was sorting through my belongings, there was a knock at my door. I opened it to find Alfie standing outside.

"The room next to mine is really noisy, Mom. I can't sleep."

If I remembered correctly, the room next to his was Grandma's.

"You can sleep with me tonight, sweetheart," I said. Alfie obediently climbed onto my bed, and I hummed a lullaby until he drifted off.

Once he was asleep, I quietly slipped out of the room and approached Grandma's room. As I drew closer, I could unmistakably hear heavy breathing and muffled sounds from within.

"Not so loud, Chandler… What if someone hears?"

"Don't worry. Alfie sleeps like a rock, and no one will notice. Or perhaps… you like the thrill of it?"

The bed creaked rhythmically before I heard Heather's sweet, intimate voice. "Darling, who's sexier? Me or Danielle?"

Chandler seemed spurred on by her calling him "darling," and his movements grew rougher. "You, of course, my dear wife. She's had a child, so her body isn't the same anymore."

I wanted to burst into the room and demand answers from Chandler.

Did that mean I wasn't the person he fell in love with? Or was it simply that youth, a perfect body, and the newness of it all were more important?

But my hand rested weakly on the doorknob. I couldn't turn it.

I felt like a fool. The forged marriage certificate, his clear favoritism toward Heather, and their entangled bodies right now were the best answers I could ever receive.

After a final, intense moan, the movement in the room stilled. I turned and quickly walked away.

Back in my room, I gently closed the door, only to hear Alfie's voice behind me. "Mom."

I turned to see him standing by the bed, looking up at me with careful eyes. "Did Dad find a new woman? Is he going to leave us?"

My heart ached like it was being squeezed tight. Even at his young age, he could sense that something was wrong, but this wasn't a burden a child should carry.

I stroked his hair and tried to comfort him. "It's okay, sweetheart. Your dad will never abandon you."

"But what about you, Mom? I saw you packing. Are you leaving Dad?"

I hadn't realized he'd noticed, so I had no choice but to nod quietly.

Alfie wrapped his arms tightly around my hand and said, "I'm leaving with you. I don't want that woman to be my mom; I only want you."

For some reason, tears welled up in my eyes once more. "Okay."

Holding Alfie close as though he were my greatest treasure, I finally fell asleep.

After moving into the house, Heather began acting as if she owned the place and criticized everything about its decor.

She complained that the paintings on the wall were ugly, the carpet was the wrong color, the stuffed animals were hideous, and the garden flowers were too plain…

Utterly smitten, Chandler indulged her every whim. He took down the oil paintings I'd done myself, replaced the carpet we'd chosen together, and threw Alfie's favorite stuffed toys into the storage room.

Turning around, he dug up all the lilies I loved from the garden and replaced them with her preferred roses. It was as if Heather were the true lady of the house.

I pretended not to care. After all, they were legally married, and in the eyes of the law, this house was indeed their shared property.

Plus, I was leaving soon anyway, and this was no longer my home.

I let Heather have her way until one night, while she was out, I slipped quietly into Grandma's room. When Heather first moved in, she'd promised not to touch anything, but now, the entire room had been transformed.

The simple, solid-colored bedsheets had been replaced with bright pink ones. The decorations that once adorned the walls and desk were gone, now swapped with Heather's makeup and jewelry. Grandma's last traces had been erased.

Fighting back tears, I reached under the bed and pulled out a small wooden box, holding Grandma's belongings. Heather hadn't found it, so it remained safe and untouched.

I opened it; inside were Grandma's belongings and an old picture album filled with years of memories of our time together.

Suddenly, a sharp voice came from the door. "Danielle, what are you doing in my room?"

Heather had returned, and I instinctively hid the box behind my back.

"This was never your room. You're just a guest." I tried to explain, but she dropped her usual gentle act and strode forward to snatch the box from my hands.

"Are you stealing from me? I can't believe this is who you really are."

"Give it back! Those are my grandma's stuff!" I shouted and struggled with her over the box, and in the chaos, its contents scattered across the floor. With a deliberate stomp of her heel, she crushed the photo album before ripping it apart.

"Look closely. This is what happens when you try to take what's mine!" She lifted her chin smugly before a small figure darted into the room and rammed into her.

"Don't you dare hurt my mom!"

It was Alfie. He kicked and punched at her, but as an adult, Heather quickly overpowered him and slapped him twice across his face.

"You little brat! Did your mom never teach you manners?"

Rage surged through my veins. "Don't you dare touch my son!" I shouted and shoved her away with a force I gathered from nowhere.

She fell backward and knocked her head against the corner of the table before blood immediately began to flow.

Just then, Chandler walked in, and his expression darkened with fury as he took in the scene. "Danielle! I never thought you could be this vicious. How could you attack her like that?"

Hugging Alfie close, I tried to explain. "It wasn't me. She hurt Alfie first…"

"Enough!" Chandler roared. I'd never seen him so mad.

"According to the Leighton family rules, you will spend one week confined in the basement. As for Alfie, his summer camp is canceled, and he's grounded for a month."

My face paled. "No, Chandler, please… You know I'm afraid of the dark..."

But he ignored me and scooped Heather into his arms before rushing out. Looking at the wreckage, I stood frozen in despair as bodyguards barged into the room and seized me by the wrists without mercy.