At the concert, my husband James Felton and his assistant ended up on the kiss cam. They made for a beautiful couple, and the clip immediately went viral.

In the video, I saw my son cheering in between them.

The next thing I did was share the video on my Instagram feed with the caption, [How sweet.]

James immediately gave me a video call, labeling me a jealous woman. “We were only acting to fool her ex! Stop making a fuss out of everything!”

Our friends in the know were all laughing behind my back, placing bets on when I would apologize.

This time, however, I was not going to play to their tune.

My friends texted me to ask why I was not joining my son’s sixth birthday party.

When I clicked into the photo attachment, I saw my husband’s assistant holding my son as he cut the cake. It looked like she was his mother instead.

It was my son’s sixth birthday today. I had been busy prepping around the house since nine in the morning until eight at night. However, no one responded to my calls or messages.

It turns out they had already celebrated with someone else.. Or rather, without me.

I looked at the table full of food and the custom-made cake. Finally, I took a slice and ate it myself.

James and our son Max arrived home at midnight, making so much noise they woke me up. They held a bunch of presents, but their bright smiles faltered when they saw me.

Max harrumphed and pointed at the cake I had ordered for him. “That cake looks so lame! I prefer the one Aunt Pearl bought for me. It has a picture of Ultraman on it.”

James shielded Max with his body. “Max was the one who said not to invite you along today. You went too far last time.”

I narrowed my eyes and gave it some thought. By “last time”, James probably meant the time Max grabbed a little girl’s gift and shoved her when she refused to give it to him. I had made him apologize.

So that was going too far?

I nodded and did not retort, cleaning up the food on the table.

James took Max to wash up and then hugged me from behind with his wet hands, holding out a small paper bag. “Pearl told me to give you this. She said a mother should be remembered and thanked on her child’s birthday. Isn’t she so considerate?”

I glanced at the logo on the bag and instantly knew it was a free gift.

He probably had no idea that I had seen the logo on another bigger bag in the closet ages ago. I waited and waited, until our wedding anniversary came and went two weeks ago, but he never gave me any presents.

Now I finally realized that the gift was meant for someone else all along.

His tone grew slightly cold at my silence. “Don’t hold a grudge against her. It’s not like she dirtied the house on purpose. She’s just a young lady who hasn’t even graduated yet. She barely knows anything in life, but she still remembered to give you an apology gift. Isn’t that enough?”

I remembered now. I remembered when I first noticed something was off with James.

It was when he brought his precious assistant home because she was having period cramps. He ran about, buying her painkillers and tampons, and even let her dirty the couch despite his usual obsession with cleanliness.

He had never been so considerate of me. I could tell at a glance that he treated her differently.

Returning to the present from my memories, I realized I could not even muster the energy to be mad. “Just leave it there. I’m cleaning up, so I don’t want to dirty it.”

Thud! There was a sound from outside. James immediately let go of me and headed out.

I saw the cake Max had smashed to the floor, so I picked it up and tossed it into the trash.

The next second, Max wailed. “You mean lady, don’t touch my cake!”

He threw a glass onto my head. After a burst of pain, I smelled blood.

James hurriedly helped me up. “Pearl gave him that cake, and it had an Ultraman picture on it. You shouldn’t have thrown it away.”

I could only smirk as I wiped away the blood. James said he wanted to take me to the hospital, and I did not reject him. The gash on my forehead probably required stitches.

We had barely stepped out, however, when his phone rang. His tone was anxious as he answered the call.

I immediately knew who the caller was.

“Wendy, Pearl said there’s someone stalking outside her house. I’ll go check things out, then I’ll be right back…”

I interrupted him mid-sentence. “The hospital isn’t that far away. I can go by myself. Take Max with you.”

With that, I put on my coat and left. By the time I reached the hospital doors, my vision was going black. I collapsed onto my knees at the nurse’s counter.

After I woke up, the doctor told me I was pregnant.

When I got home, there was no one else in the house. The food I had yet to clear away the night before was still on the dinner table.

James and Max never came home.

I went into Max’s room and brought out the carefully-chosen gifts I had left on his bed. When I tossed out the food, I put the gifts on top of the trash can.

Since he did not appreciate them, I would leave them for someone who did.

As I was eating some oatmeal, there was some noise from the door.

Max walked into the house with his little backpack, looking impatient. He came up to me reluctantly and held out his hand. “Where’s my birthday present?”

I looked up from the comedy show I was watching. “Oh, sorry. I forgot to buy any.”

Max was furious. “I knew it, you don’t care about me at all! You’re a failure as a mother. You’re nothing compared to Aunt Pearl!”

His mood changes on a dime, just like his father's.

I looked at him and said seriously, “I nearly died when I gave birth to you, and I’ve treated you well these years. I gave you almost anything you wanted. If you hate me because I made you do your homework, then your wish has come true. You never have to do homework again.”

Max looked at me in disbelief. “Really?”

When I nodded, he gave me a nasty smirk. “You’re trying to make it sound nice, but you just can’t teach me anymore.

“Granny said you’re a high school grad, but Dad and Aunt Pearl both went to college. You’re the stupidest one around here! No wonder Granny doesn’t like you.”

My education was a sore point in my life. No one remembered that my results in school were much better than James’s back then, but the school could only afford one scholarship, so I gave it to James.

I knew his mother did not like me, either. She thought I was a lowly orphan and that he deserved someone better. I even went out in the rain to buy her medicine before, just to win her approval.

Her attitude toward me improved after I gave birth to Max, but I never expected her to badmouth me in front of my own son.

Max glared at me like I was his enemy. All of a sudden, I felt exhausted.

When James came back, he was drunk. He collapsed onto the couch, and a piece of cloth fell from his pocket.

When I picked it up, he abruptly grabbed my wrist, his tone cold. “What are you messing around for this time?”

His grip hurt, so I winced. After that, he let go, and the silk scarf fell to the floor.

I took a deep breath. “I just wanted to ask you if you needed this washed. Whatever, you decide.”

James’s breath was thick with alcohol. I resisted the urge to puke.

He gave me a long look, then clicked his tongue. “Could you stop overthinking things, Wendy? Someone stuffed it into my pocket during team-building games at work. If you’re curious, just ask. Don’t accuse me of random offenses.”

True, James used to care a lot about his boundaries. It was only after meeting Pearl that he kept making exception after exception.

I used to do everything from throwing tantrums to storming off in jealous fits. Looking back now, it was quite embarrassing.

I said, “I wasn’t overthinking. You can check the surveillance cameras if you must. Stay in the living room until the alcohol wears out, would you? I’m heading back to sleep.”

When I stood up, James hugged me tightly. I caught a waft of rose perfume amid the stench of alcohol, and the combination made me throw up.

James looked like he had stepped in feces. I suddenly grinned at him.

“James, I’m pregnant.”

After a moment of silence, James spoke up. “You can’t even raise one child, much less two. Right now, I just want to make sure Max grows up well.”

I stared at him, my eyes stinging.

“I was joking.”

That was all I could manage to say before I ran to the toilet to throw up. When I reemerged, James was rushing out of the door with his phone in hand.

I tried to stop him, but he shoved me aside, roaring in rage, “A life is at stake here, and you’re still being jealous? Her stomach hurts because she drank too much beer to score a business deal! Unlike you, she can’t make a living just by staying home all day!”

I took a business card out of the drawer nearby. “It isn’t safe to drive while you’re drunk. This is a cab driver’s number. Call him to pick you up.”

James took the card, opening his mouth as though to say something. When no words came out, I turned around and gave him a bunch of painkillers from the first-aid kit.

“Your assistant is always having aches and pains. You should take her to the hospital.”

As I watched him dash away, I remembered the time when we first started the company.

I did not have a college degree, but I was a talented jewelry designer. Until now, my designs still sold the best out of all the company’s products.

When I fell pregnant, James and his mother convinced me to take a backseat at the company. When I applied for a part-time college course, James accused me of abandoning my family for my own ambition.

At the time, Max had just started speaking. The way he called me “Mama” melted my heart, so after some hesitation, I gave up the college offer.

I put my life on the line to give birth to that boy, so I loved him with everything I had.

Now, though, he was scratching my hands and screaming at me.

James never came home after going to care for Pearl that night. Max called him several times to no avail, then he placed the blame on me.

“I want Dad and Aunt Pear! I don’t want to stay with you, you meanie! Give me back my daddy!”

He punched me several times in the stomach. I gritted my teeth through the pain and took him to the company.

The new receptionist did not know me, but she knew Max.

I took Max upstairs. Once the office door opened, I saw Pearl sitting on James’s lap. She cried out when she saw us and buried her head in James’s shoulder, saying softly, “Why are you here, Wendy? It’s not what you think it is!”

James quickly put her down and shielded her behind her back. “Don’t misunderstand, Wendy.”

I completed his next sentences for him. “Let me guess. You’re going to say you spend every day together at work anyway. If you really wanted her, you wouldn’t have waited this long.”

James frowned. “There’s no need for sarcasm, Wendy. There’s nothing between us, and I have nothing on my conscience.”

I nodded. “Yeah, yeah. You’re perfectly innocent.”

I shoved Max toward them. “Max kept yelling for you, but you wouldn’t pick up his calls. Send him to your mom’s place later. I got something else to do.”

I walked out of the office briskly, and James did not give chase. When I reached the stairwell, I leaned against the wall and forced the tears back in.

“Hello, Dr. Richards? I want to schedule an abortion.”