People used to say Kevin Liddell wasn’t just rich—he was the perfect husband. He stuck by his wife no matter what.

Miscarriage, depression, or even after her body changed, he never left. He was the picture of a devoted husband. Or so everyone thought.

That night, I was asleep when a noise woke me up. I rolled over, reaching for Kevin, but he wasn’t there. The bed was cold.

Still half-asleep, I followed the sound to the living room. And there he was, on the couch with our nurse.

Her arms were around his neck, his hands gripping her waist. Their clothes were a mess and they were kissing like they didn’t have a care in the world.

"Kevin," she purred, "why don’t you just leave that fat supermodel already? I’m the only one who really loves you. I’m the only one who understands you."

He hugged her tighter, his face flushed. "You’re perfect," he said. "Just give me some time, okay?"

The rain outside was coming down hard, the cold from the floor biting into my bare feet. My whole body felt numb.

I turned and walked away, my chest so tight I could barely breathe. Back in the bedroom, I grabbed my phone and booked the first plane ticket I could find.

I didn’t care where. I just knew I had to leave and make sure Kevin never found me.

——

I climbed back into bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to convince myself it wasn’t real. Maybe it was all just some horrible nightmare.

But then I heard the bedroom door creak open. My heart stopped.

The bed dipped behind me. I didn’t move. My breath caught in my throat as I heard her voice again, soft and teasing.

"Wow, you’re bold," Kevin said, laughing quietly.

"Relax," she whispered. "She’s out cold. Those sleeping pills knocked her out, she won’t even notice."

I laid there, frozen, my back to them. I could feel her presence, hear the smug tone in her voice like she was smiling at him.

Kevin groaned quietly. "You’re going to get us caught."

"That’s what makes it exciting," she said, her laugh soft and breathy. "Just like last time."

It turned out... this wasn’t the first time.

I thought maybe I could push it all aside, pretend it didn’t hurt. But then this dull pain hit my chest, like someone had just knocked the air right out of me.

Breathing got harder and I couldn’t help but open my mouth, trying to get some relief.

Then this heavy, musky smell hit me, deep in my lungs. It was suffocating, like I might just pass out from it and forget everything.

Honestly, I kind of wished that would happen. But then, through the thick air, I picked up something else—a familiar scent.

Perfume.

Not just any perfume. The one Kevin had gotten made for me. It was from a discontinued brand he tracked down and paid a ridiculous amount for.

He said it was special, just for me. He wanted me to feel like the happiest woman alive.

"Do you like how I smell?" the nurse asked, her voice all teasing and playful.

"Careful," Kevin said, gasping between breaths. "Don’t let Sabrina find out!"

"No one will," she laughed. "I even put on her dress, the one that made you fall for her. Don’t you think I look better in it? I have a better body than her, don’t I?"

The nurse, Molly Carter, sounded smug, like she was loving every second of this.

I felt the world tilt, like the ground beneath me was crumbling. My body just went cold and I couldn’t stop the tears.

They started to roll down my face, dripping onto the pillow, but their laughter covered everything.

"Of course you do!" Kevin said, his voice full of confidence.

I just laid there, tears streaming, unable to do anything but listen to them.

Before we got married, I didn’t mind Kevin’s issues. I didn’t care about his fertility problems.

I was willing to sacrifice everything; my career, my life, my body, just to have a child with him. I gave up being a supermodel to go through all the treatments: the injections, the old remedies, anything that might give us a baby.

But after three years, my body had changed. My skin, once smooth and glowing, was now rough.

My thick hair had thinned and fallen out. And the body that used to be lean and toned was now swollen, heavier.

I looked at the needle marks on my belly, felt the bitter taste of that medicine swirling in my stomach and couldn’t even walk properly with how swollen my legs had gotten.

But I kept pushing through, clenching my teeth, trying to hang in there.

Every time I saw Kevin happily decorating the baby room, excited about our future as a family of three, I convinced myself that all the pain would be worth it.

Then I heard it.

"Oh, shit! Kevin, I think I forgot the condom!" she said, her voice playful and breathless.

"It's fine, baby. I’ll give you a child," Kevin said, too casual for my liking.

I bit down on my lip, trying to keep my emotions in check, curling up under the blanket as the tears started falling.

He had told me it didn’t matter about the baby.

When I miscarried, his eyes were red and he held me close, his hands shaking as he whispered in my ear, trying to comfort me. "It’s okay, Sabrina. This baby wasn’t meant to be. But we’ve still got each other. That’s enough."

Kevin had promised he had never lie to me, that he’d never betray me. But now, less than six months later, here he was, doing exactly that.

"Kevin, you’re amazing! Come over tonight!" she cooed, her voice full of lust.

After a long silence, Kevin finally walked out, Molly in his arms, their footsteps fading down the hall.

Once they were gone, I grabbed my phone with trembling hands and opened it. There it was, the confirmation for my flight.

The betrayal was all real. The suffocating feeling didn’t leave. The clock barely ticked, but it felt like hours, maybe even days.

I staggered barefoot across the cold floor, stumbling as I opened the window.

The cold wind sliced through me, but weirdly, it helped the knot in my chest loosen just a bit. I breathed in the icy air, punishing myself with every breath, until I tasted the sharp, metallic tang in the back of my throat.

Without thinking, I dialed the number. "I’ve made up my mind," I said, my voice steady despite everything.

"Are you really going home? Are you sure you want to leave Kevin?" my brother on the other end asked.

My nose suddenly tingled and tears started to fall. I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t say anything.

He went quiet for a moment, then sighed. "Pack up, you're always welcome back here."

I forced out a hoarse, "Okay. Pick me up at the airport in three days. I’ve still got some stuff to take care of."

I had left everything behind to marry Kevin, ignoring my parents’ objections.

I followed him to Derriston, thinking that would be enough, that he was the one I was meant to be with for the rest of my life. But everything changed in just a few years.

I couldn’t sleep at all that night, but I felt something in the air, something uneasy, getting closer.

I opened my eyes and saw Kevin's face, looking so handsome and affectionate. It almost felt like I could see myself reflected in his eyes.

He reached out to touch my hair, just like he always did, like the sweet mornings we used to share.

But all of a sudden, I felt a wave of nausea. I slapped his hand away and rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

I didn’t expect it, but my body was rejecting him already. Just being in the same space as him made me feel suffocated.

I stayed hunched over the toilet, gagging until I could breathe again. When I finally looked up, I saw a black-and-white photo sticking out of the laundry basket.

It was an ultrasound picture of the baby we lost. She was already four months old. I could just make out her little smiling face and almost feel her gentle movements inside me.

I stared at the photo, unsure of what to do. I didn’t dare touch it, afraid that if I did, she would disappear. Or worse, she would somehow laugh and call me "Mom," or cry and accuse me of not protecting her.

She seemed to be laughing at how I failed to protect her, at how stupid I was for holding onto love and at me—so heartbroken I couldn’t even speak.

Since the miscarriage, I had been in a haze. The doctor called it mild depression, so Kevin took it all into his own hands.

He hid everything about the baby, moved us to a new place and even got Molly, a nurse, to take care of me.

Kevin rushed after me, looking panicked.

He pulled me up with this horrified expression and wrapped me in a tight hug. "Sabrina, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Why did you push me away? I can’t lose you, I only have you left. Please don’t push me away."

He held me so tightly, his damp head resting on my shoulder. I almost reached out to comfort him, but the rose scent on him snapped me back to reality.

That was Molly’s shower gel. She had told me it was her favorite, which meant Kevin must’ve gotten it specially for her.

This guy, who had just been sleeping with another woman, was still lying to me, whispering sweet words.

I tried to pull away, but when I saw his tired face, I managed to speak as calmly as I could. "Maybe the new meds Dr. Leighton prescribed are messing with me."

Kevin sighed with relief and grabbed my hand, leading me to the couch. He knelt down, grabbed a wet tissue and started wiping my hands like he was trying to fix everything.

That damn rose scent again. Why did everything in the house smell like roses now?

"I made your favorite for breakfast, soy milk and fried eggs," he said.

I glanced at the soy milk on the table, but my stomach turned. The thing that had covered the photo earlier, some weird white lace underwear, made me feel even worse.

However, I forced a smile at Kevin.

"Kevin, Sabrina might not feel like eating right now. Should I share my orange juice with her?" Molly asked, holding up a glass of bright orange liquid.

The red string bracelet on her wrist caught my eye, standing out like a flashing neon sign.

Kevin had the same one in his car. I remembered how he had taken my carefully chosen amulet, the one I had gone out of my way to get and replaced the string, saying it would look better and more discreet for work.

He swore it didn’t change the meaning. At the time, I’d believed him. Now, seeing that identical red thread on Molly’s wrist? The meaning was all too clear.

"This is freshly squeezed by Kevin this morning!" Molly added, smiling at me as if she didn’t notice my stiff expression. "Sabrina, you’re so lucky. A husband like Kevin? Handsome, rich, thoughtful—you’d better keep an eye on him. Wouldn’t want someone else to snatch him away!"

Kevin, still focused on cutting the ham and eggs on my plate, shot her an annoyed glance. "Molly, stop it. That’s not appropriate."

She wasn’t fazed in the slightest. Instead, she slid the medicine box toward me, her voice dripping with fake concern. "How did you sleep last night, Sabrina? Was the new prescription any better?"

I didn’t answer right away. My eyes caught hers, then flicked over to Kevin. He was too busy pretending to care about the ham to notice her smug little smirk.

"Did you hear anything… unusual?" Molly pressed, leaning just a little closer. "Or maybe see something strange?"

My hands clenched in my lap, gripping the fabric of my skirt, but I managed a small shake of my head.

Kevin broke the silence. "Come on, sweetheart. At least have a bite of these eggs," he said, holding out a forkful with that same overly patient tone he always used when he thought I might break.

I looked at the eggs, at his hopeful face and shook my head. I let my shoulders sag, playing up the exhaustion instead of the anger bubbling under the surface.

Molly didn’t miss a beat. "Oh, let me help!" she chirped, standing up and grabbing Kevin’s hand. Before I could react, she popped the eggs into her mouth, then licked the fork with a slow, playful grin.