Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“You found out about… No! I only gave that money to Ken as compensation…”

“What about me?”

She gulped and was speechless. I panted and said, “When did you get together with him?”

Ken looked at her with conflicted emotion. She gave up. “Before we got married, one of my relatives set us up on a blind date…”

“Were you involved with him when you married me?”

“No, I broke up with him before I married you. After that, he came into the city for work and…”

She could no longer continue because the truth was ugly.

Counting back nine months from Hailey’s birthday, this affair seemed to have started when her maternity leave ended.

At that time, I was solely responsible for Jack. I made sure he slept well, fed him at night, and soothed his cries and his tantrums. I had barely slept.

Grace insisted on going back to work after her maternity leave ended. Then, she claimed that she had to be away for a work trip for six months.

When she came back, Jack’s routine had stabilized. He was barely crying after that.

However, she went on another work assignment for a full year.

It turned out those were not work assignments.

She could not stand Jack’s cries and my haggard appearance, so she had an affair with him.

When she could no longer hide her pregnancy, she simply found an excuse and left to give birth.

She had been carrying on an affair for nine years of our ten-year marriage.

She did not say another word.

Ken mustered up the courage and said, “Sam, please don’t blame Grace. I was the one who begged her to give birth to Hailey. She pitied me, that’s why she helped me…”

It all felt like an absurd joke.

But it was not funny to me.

“Pities you?

“My wife earns $50,000 a month. She gives you $20,000 and leaves me with $5,000. She spares an additional $15,000 to buy gifts for you! She also sets aside $10,000 to buy stuff for you and your daughter.

“She bought a mansion for you and enrolled your daughter in a private school that costs $100,000 a year. She brought her parents here to take care of your daughter.

“As for me, I took care of Jack alone. I had to budget to cover our expenses as a family of three. I paid you a large sum from my meagre salary and had to struggle to make the rest last on my son’s public school expenses. I was crazy to have hired a homewrecker to be my manny!

“And you say she pitied you? Ken, who is more deserving of pity? You or me?”

He teared up and grabbed my wrist.

“I’m sorry, Sam. This is all my fault…”

I was disgusted. I wanted to free my wrist, but he almost fell.

Grace frantically helped him. She almost fell too.

When they regained their balance, Grace’s eyes filled with rage.

“Be careful!

“I’m pregnant!”

It was then that I recalled she was wearing loose clothing and had complained about tummy aches recently.

Something snapped in my brain at that very moment.

They were having a second child!

Grace realized she had said the wrong thing. She quickly told Ken to go into the house.

She then said in a soft voice, “Sam, I was drunk! I thought he was you… It’s entirely my fault.”

I looked at her silently.

She looked guilty as I stared at her. Her voice became softer as she said, “I know I’m wrong. After I give birth to this child, I’ll give him the child and break up with him.

“In the future, I’ll give you all my salary. Don’t you like a house with a garden? I’ll buy a mansion under your name, and we can move in as a family…”

She sounded apologetic, but I knew it was all fake.

I stared into her eyes.

“Grace, it’s only been an hour since I discovered this.

“You’ve lied to me for ten years! You apologize and resolve to break up with him in an instant…

“That I’d forgive you, let you cheat on me, and let you have another man’s child? Do you think I’ll allow you to use our home to raise someone else’s baby?”

Her face paled as she shook her head.

“I don’t think you’re stupid. I just felt sorry for him, so I wanted to make it up to him.”

“And you didn’t feel sorry for Jack and me?”

“I’m sorry…”

“You’re sorry now? When you bought him a mansion, gave him money, and had your parents help raise his child, were you sorry then? What about when you asked me to quit my job, told me to pinch every penny, and then hired him as our manny? Did you feel anything at all back then?”

She felt even more guilty as I went on. In the end, she blurted frantically, “But I gave you money! At least I didn’t let Jack and you suffer in poverty all these years!”

There was no hint of remorse in her voice.

I let out a snort. Her face tightened in anxiety. “I didn’t mean that. Sam, I—”

“You don’t have to waste your breath on him!”

Her mother, Eloise Anderson, came out of the house furiously.

“Why are you acting so high and mighty? Grace wanted to divorce you anyway, but you didn’t want to let her go!”

“Mom! When did I ever say I wanted a divorce?”

Grace anxiously covered Eloise’s mouth, but Eloise turned around to scold her.

“I told you that these city men are no good! When you were pregnant with Hailey, I told you to divorce him. But you said his location was better, that you could slowly move us all here first. You said you’d leave him after that.

“You’re pregnant with Ken’s second child! What are you still waiting for?”

I was stunned.

I thought I knew the truth, but I had not expected there to be more to it.

“Grace, you set me up?”

“No! Wait, I’ll explain! Mom, stop talking nonsense. I only love Sam. I never wanted to divorce him!”

Eloise seemed to have made up her mind. She said loudly, “Nonsense! If you love him, why’d you have secretly aborted his second child?”

At that moment, everything fell dead silent.

I recalled her pregnancy three years ago. A month after we found out, she had a miscarriage in her sleep.

I thought it was my fault for not working hard enough. I thought she lost the baby because she was overworked. I felt so guilty over it that I had a nervous breakdown and almost took my own life.

She had given Ken some time off while she stayed at home with me. She wrapped her arms around me to stop me from picking up a knife.

She kept insisting that it was because of fate that we had lost the second child because Jack was enough for us.

In the end, she was the one who had killed our child.

Unlike then, she was protecting her second pregnancy with Ken and was afraid of losing the baby.

I had been a complete clown for the past ten years.

“Grace…”

Grace, who was trying to drag Eloise away, was stunned. She looked frantic.

“Since you want it, let’s get a divorce.

“But I want Jack’s full custody. And don’t even think about touching our marital assets!”