"Be a good girl and wait for me. I'll be right there."

He hung up and didn't so much as glance in my direction before heading for the door.

I lay on the cold floor, something warm and wet pooling beneath me. "Please... don't go..."

Lester's steps faltered for a split second, but he didn't turn around. "Something urgent came up at the office. I don't have time to watch you put on a show."

"Enough with the theatrics. Don't disappoint me."

The door slammed shut behind him.

When I woke again, it was the next day.

After Lester left, I'd scraped together the last shred of strength I had to dial 911. By the time the ambulance arrived, I was already unconscious.

The moment I came to, I grabbed the young nurse's hand beside my bed. "The baby. How's the baby?"

Her eyes rimmed red. She shook her head gently. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Delgado. We did everything we could."

"The pregnancy was still early, and you were already showing signs of instability from overexertion. On top of that, you ingested something you were allergic to..."

An allergen?

I froze. I'd been so careful since the pregnancy. I never ate anything I hadn't prepared myself.

Except... that bubble tea from yesterday.

The pain was so sharp it nearly suffocated me.

It hit me almost instantly. The bubble tea had herbal jelly in it.

I'd told Lester a long time ago that I was allergic to herbal jelly. But anything that had to do with me never seemed to stick in his memory.

Maybe the baby was disappointed in his father too.

Maybe he wanted to give his mom a chance to start over.

That was why he chose to leave me.

I wiped my tears, pulled myself together, and got ready to leave.

As I passed the nurses' station, I caught snippets of their conversation.

"Did you hear? Some big shot came in last night."

"I know, right? The whole production. Apparently the girl just had period cramps, and the guy called in every specialist in the hospital. He was practically in tears over it."

"Must be nice, being that adored. Meanwhile, that pregnant woman from last night had to crawl to the phone and call 911 herself. Two completely different worlds. Her husband still hasn't shown up."

I followed their gaze and saw Lester, his arm wrapped around Lucy, about to walk out.

Lucy was nestled against his chest, cheeks rosy, whining for him to carry her.

Lester tapped her nose with an indulgent smile and scooped her up in his arms. "Just wait till we get home. I'll deal with you then."

I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I pulled out my phone and took a photo.

...

When Lester came home, he looked perfectly normal.

The second he saw me, he pulled me into his arms on instinct. "How's my wife doing? Was the baby good today?"

"Work's been crazy the past couple of days. Once things settle down, I'll take you to your checkup, okay?"

I twisted away from him. "Don't touch me."

I wasn't going to waste my breath arguing. I tossed my phone onto the table.

On the screen was the photo of him and Lucy.

A flicker of panic crossed Lester's eyes before it was swallowed by sudden, explosive rage. "You followed me?"

His voice was so loud it made my eardrums throb.

"Wendy, are you ever going to stop?"

"She's just my assistant. Can you quit being so unreasonable? She's nothing like you. You're independent, you don't need me. But Lucy is young, she lives alone, and she wasn't feeling well. What's wrong with me taking her to the hospital?"

"No wonder your parents didn't want you. You've got no one to blame for your personality issues but yourself."

He didn't wait for my reaction. The door slammed shut behind him.

I sat on the floor, unable to collect myself for a long time.

When Lester and I first started dating, I told him I came from a broken home. My parents divorced when I was little, and both of them fought over who got to keep my brother. Neither one wanted me.

Because of that, I grew up starved for security.

When Lester found out, he pulled me into his arms, his eyes full of aching tenderness. "Baby, don't worry. You're the only one in my heart. I'll give you a hundred percent of the security you've never had."

But those promises had become the very blade now cutting me open.

I closed my eyes and sent Lester a message: Let's get a divorce.

By the time I finished reaching out to a lawyer and checked my phone again, the internet had exploded.

Lucy had started a livestream to expose me.

My hands were shaking as I tapped into her stream. She was crying, tears rolling down her face like spring rain. "I really never imagined Wendy was that kind of person."

"I came across her account online a while back. She seemed like such a hardworking young woman, and I felt for her. I happened to have some couture pieces I wasn't using anymore, so I reached out."

"But then she turned around and went after my husband. When he ignored her, she just wouldn't let go."

She held up her phone, showing screenshots of my chat history with Lester. The screen was almost entirely my messages. Lester had only replied with the occasional "Mm," "Sure," or "Got it."

The comment section detonated. A wall of abuse crashed toward me.

"I've seen her posts before. Seemed like a decent girl. Turns out she's a homewrecker."

"Who knows if it's even a real business? Probably uses the whole luxury resale thing as an excuse to chase other women's husbands."

"Disgusting. Someone ban this woman already!"

I stared at the screen, ice spreading through every inch of my body.

The next second, Lester entered the livestream and sent Lucy ten mega-tips in a row.

That sealed it. Everyone in the comments was now convinced I was the other woman.

I tried desperately to explain, but the messages scrolled too fast. My comments drowned in seconds.

Within a single hour, followers abandoned me in droves, turning on me as they left. My inbox filled with vile curses.

I held myself together by sheer force of will and took a cab to Lester's office.

The moment Lucy saw me, she put on a frightened act, shrinking behind Lester.

I didn't give her the chance to speak. I swung my hand and slapped her across the face.

A split second later, Lester's palm struck me even harder.

My vision went black from the pain, but I forced myself to stay upright.

When he saw the raw hatred in my eyes, Lester froze. Instinctively, he reached out to steady me.

But Lucy grabbed his arm first, clinging to him. "Lester, I told you she already knew everything. If I hadn't started that livestream, she would've—"

His voice went flat. Dead. "Go live right now. Apologize to Lucy publicly. Tell everyone you were jealous of her, that you deliberately smeared her name, and that you were the one trying to destroy someone else's relationship."

Then he looked at me and softened his tone. "Wendy, as long as you behave, you'll always be my wife."

"You want to build your brand? Once this blows over, I'll set you up with a brand-new account. There's no need to make a fuss."

I stared at the face I once knew better than my own. All I felt now was revulsion.

After a long pause, I met his gaze. "And if I refuse?"

There was nothing warm left in Lester's eyes. "Sweetheart, I don't want to have to destroy your career with my own hands."

A bitter laugh escaped me. Every last spark of feeling died. "Fine. I'll do it."

I sat down in front of the screen and looked straight into the camera.

The instant the stream went live, viewers flooded in like a dam had burst.

I looked into the camera, my voice steady. "Hi, everyone. I'm Wendy Dudley."

"I'm here to formally report that Lester Delgado, CEO of the Delgado Group, committed adultery during our marriage and misappropriated marital assets."