Kevin Swanson had an affair with a subordinate twelve years his junior.

After I found out, he chose to come back to the family.

Until I happened to see an unsigned text on his phone.

I'm getting married tomorrow. Can you come to Harbor City to see me one last time?

It was only a three-hour drive from here to Harbor City.

If he left now, he'd get there around one in the morning.

I watched him pack his suitcase and said quietly, "That's a lot of clothes. Planning to sleep with her one more time while you're there?"

"Oh, should I grab you two a box of condoms?"

Kevin Swanson looked up. His face was tired in a way I'd never seen before.

"Roberta Henson, I already chose you. What more do you want?"

"Do you really need to drive me to my death before you're satisfied?"

——

I remembered how panicked he'd looked when I caught him and Adela Fox in that hotel room.

And I'd acted just like those wives on TV who catch their husbands cheating—tearing at them, hitting them, fueled by rage and heartbreak. I took photos of them in their shame and posted them online.

Adela lost face completely. She was fired from the company and slunk back to her hometown not long after.

Kevin lost a deal worth hundreds of thousands because of the scandal. He was let go from his director position.

And under the weight of public condemnation, he knelt before me, apologized, and came home.

After that, he did everything I asked. If I said east, he wouldn't dare go west. Even while he was starting his new company, he took over all the nighttime care for our newborn daughter so I could sleep—shouldering pressure he'd never faced before.

In just one year, despite being busy and exhausted, his new company found its footing and started to thrive. As his status rose, he looked impressive wherever he went.

As if karma had skipped right over him.

Oh, except for a few bad colds early on when he'd worked himself sick.

And this was what he called me driving him to death?

The irony.

I curled my lip. "Kevin, where do you get the nerve to say that?"

"Did you forget you swore you'd never go looking for her again?"

Kevin put his clothes back in the closet, piece by piece, and closed the suitcase.

"Roberta, it's been a while since we visited Julian Finch at the orphanage. Let's go tomorrow."

"The baby's still asleep. We should get some rest—you know how wild she gets when she's slept enough."

His face was calm, even gentle.

I dug my nails into my palms so hard they broke the skin. I didn't feel it.

I hated this. The way he dodged and deflected.

He was the one who'd done something wrong. How could he stand there so composed?

"What about Adela?" I mocked. "You love her so much—aren't you afraid she'll be heartbroken if you don't go to Harbor City? Or are you just scared that breaking your promise will bring lightning down on your head?"

His expression stayed flat.

"Roberta, those kids love the pork buns from that place in Southridge. Don't forget to pick some up tomorrow."

This was how Kevin always was.

The colder he acted on the surface, the more clearly he drew his lines, the deeper the feelings he was hiding.

It used to be that way with me. Now it was the same with Adela Fox.

I wanted to rip that mask off his face.

I pulled open the drawer and took out a stack of letters. Fighting back the nausea rising in my stomach, I read them aloud, my voice dripping with venom.

"Adela, you're like a cloud in the sky—untouched, unstained. When I see you, I finally understand that something this pure and clear can exist in this world."

"Everyone says clouds drift away. But I want to keep you tucked inside my heart, year after year, protecting you, keeping you clean and whole."

"All I want in this life is to drift through the clouds with you, never apart, morning or night."

"Adela, the woman who shares my bed isn't the one in my heart. Only in my dreams, late at night, can I still see your face—so pure it makes my heart ache."

Kevin's composure finally cracked. He lost control and shouted, "Shut up! Roberta, I made one mistake! Haven't I paid enough for it this past year?"

"It's over and done with—why do you keep dragging it up?"

I laughed coldly, grabbed the women's lotus-print panties, and flung them at his face.

"I'm the one dragging it up? Oh, your love letters to her were so touching, I just had to keep them. To remind you that you've got a pure, beautiful Adela Fox tucked away in your heart!"

"And you call that paying for it? Poppy Abbott isn't just my daughter. Taking care of her is your responsibility—nothing more!"

Kevin had always been the romantic type. When he loved someone, he'd pull out all these sappy gestures.

I used to roll my eyes at them while secretly feeling giddy inside.

I thought I'd be the only woman he'd ever love.

Until one day, bored and cleaning, I found a box hidden at the bottom of his bookshelf.

Inside was a stack of papers.

Over two years, he'd written her five hundred and twenty-one love letters.

The lotus-embroidered panties Adela gave him were her answer to his devotion.

It was like I'd opened Pandora's box. The demons inside devoured my soul in an instant.

That day, the shock sent me into early labor.

Kevin didn't know I'd found their filthy secret. He kept playing the star-crossed lover with Adela—until I exposed them both.

I'd barely finished my postpartum recovery when I stuffed that thick stack of letters into my bag and stormed to his company, ready to unmask them in front of everyone.

But the receptionist said Kevin had taken Adela on a supply run.

A female coworker noticed how pale I looked. Thinking I was just there to drop off documents for my husband, she took pity on me. "I heard Mr. Swanson tell Adela this morning he was taking her to Mariposa Pavilion."

My last shred of hope died.

I stopped thinking.

When I got to the hotel, the staff assumed I was there to cause trouble. I had no choice but to call the police.

With their help, I finally found them in a suite—my husband, panicked, shielding his mistress like she was something precious.

I lost my mind. I clawed at them, screamed every vile curse I knew, took photos, exposed everything.

The whole thing went smoothly. It wasn't even hard.

But it drained every ounce of strength I had.

Kevin rubbed his temples, irritated. "Was all that really necessary? Fine, the hotel—I lost my head. But that was the only time we were intimate. You barged in and ruined it before anything more could happen."

I shot back, "Don't you dare act righteous about cheating!"

"Kevin, you're despicable!"

He smirked, his voice calm and cruel. "You know what, Roberta? The more you throw these tantrums, the more beautiful Adela looks in my mind."

"You'll never compare to her. Let's see how long you can keep this up."

My breath came fast and shallow. I stared at him, unblinking.

His mask had finally slipped—but instead of satisfaction, I felt a boulder crushing my chest.

The man who once looked at me like I was his whole world now wore a face I couldn't stand.

I'd thought about letting it go.

He'd apologized, come back to the family. We had an infant daughter who needed us both.

But this past year, every time he climbed into bed with me, every time he reached for me as a husband—all I could see was him tangled up with Adela.

I felt sick to my stomach.

I couldn't pretend nothing had happened.

All the hurt and rage I'd been burying came roaring to the surface.

"Then divorce me and marry her!" I screamed. "Kevin, you don't have to keep acting like you're the one making sacrifices here. It makes me want to puke!"

I snatched up that pair of panties and ripped them to shreds.

"Slut! You're both disgusting!"

Kevin watched my meltdown with what looked like satisfaction. He reached out and wiped the tears from the corner of my eye.

"See what you've done to yourself? Getting this worked up just to get a rise out of me—was it worth it?"

"Roberta, that's in the past. Why can't you just move on?"

"We have a daughter now. Stop talking about divorce."

I slapped his hand away and said nothing.

Our daughter had woken up from all the noise and wouldn't stop crying. I went to the bed and picked her up, rocking her gently.

Kevin watched for a moment, then left and closed the door behind him.

Once I got her settled, I went to the living room to get water for her formula. That's when the sharp smell of alcohol hit me.

I looked over at Kevin.

He was sitting on the floor, eyes glazed, several empty bottles scattered around his feet.

He looked half-dead.

Drowning his sorrows because his precious Adela is about to marry someone else?

His phone rang.

He glanced at it. Something flickered across his face. His hand trembled as he answered.

"Adela. I'm here."

The voice on the other end was soft and breathy. "Kevin, she won't let you come see me, will she?"

His expression darkened. "Adela, she's my wife. We have a daughter together. I have responsibilities."

"I know. You're a good man, Kevin. Dependable. Responsible. I always knew I had good taste."

Adela's voice was feather-light, like it might break at any moment.

Kevin gripped the phone tighter, his tone gentle. "We shouldn't see each other anymore. Adela, I hope you and him have a happy marriage. Grow old together."

Just as he was about to hang up, she pleaded:

"Kevin, can I say a few words to her?"

Kevin hesitated, then held the phone out to me. "Adela wants to talk to you. Try to control your temper—don't scare her."

I didn't take it. But Adela seemed to know I was right there.

"Roberta, since he's chosen to stay with his family, I'm begging you—please treat him well. He works so hard out there, dealing with so much stress. It's not any easier for him than it is for you."

"He doesn't like spicy food. He loves sweet drinks, especially mango pomelo sago. Don't let him have too much cold stuff in the summer—his stomach can't handle it."

"Oh, and I bought him a massage pillow. His neck and shoulders bother him. Remember to use it on him when you have time. Also, he's at a critical point in his career right now, and you just had the baby not too long ago. If you two are going to be intimate, be careful—don't get pregnant again and distract him. Make sure he uses protection..."

I let out a cold laugh. "Are you done?"

"God, you really have no shame, do you? Sticking your nose in from a thousand miles away! Since you can't let him go, how about I gift-wrap him and deliver him to your bed tomorrow? Perfect timing—you can swap out your groom!"

"After all, a shameless homewrecker like you doesn't care what people think, right? Why don't we let everyone see what you really—"

Kevin snatched the phone away. "Shut up! What the hell is wrong with you?"

I glared at him with pure hatred. "She can do it, so I can say it. You two are pathetic—a cheating bastard and his whore. And you have the nerve to coo at each other right in front of me."

Through the phone came Adela's soft, trembling sobs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset your wife."