“Is everything set?” I asked one of my men.

Today is our wedding anniversary. I am waiting for my husband to show up. I wanted to surprise him, he had been very busy with our business, and it’s fine for me, I understand it. Knox took responsibility for me.

I took my phone from my pocket and sent him a message, ‘Where are you, Love?’

But I didn’t receive any message or call from Knox. I even tried asking his secretary but his secretary told her that he doesn’t know where Knox went. I tried calling him again but he didn’t answer. This wasn’t the first time that I couldn’t get a hold of Knox, It started a a few months ago.

Usually, whenever Knox is away he would always call and text me from time to time and tell me how much he misses me and once he comes home he would always bring me flowers. But I noticed that he had been away for weeks and wouldn’t contact me, he would only message me that he would be busy.

And I ignored it because I love him and I trust him. That he wouldn’t betray me for another woman. I went to our room and went to the walk-in closet. I rummaged through the laundry basket and took his worn shirt. I hugged it and cried like a child.

I cried harder when I caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent from his shirt. My hands trembled as I touched my stomach, I don’t wear perfumes nor Knox because he knows that my nose is sensitive.

I took my phone again from my pocket and dialed Knox's number. After a few rings, he answered.

“Hello?”

My stomach churned when I heard a woman’s voice, I covered my mouth with my hand, stopping myself from making a noise.

“Hello, who’s this? Why are you calling my boyfriend is in the bathroom if you need something important from I suggest you call after two hours because we have an appointment today-”

That was my last straw, I ended the call and lay on the cold floor, crying my eyes out. I don’t wanna lose Knox but I don’t want to lose the respect I have for myself. I fell asleep while crying. The next day I woke up when I felt someone touching my face. When I opened my eyes, I saw Knox with his worried eyes staring at me.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Why did you sleep here?” His voice was so soothing and I wanted to hug him.

“You didn’t come home last night,” I muttered, trying to hide the anger and disappointment I felt.

His eyes widened and guilt was written all over his face, “Sorry, Baby. I got busy last night. I had a lot of transactions last night. Is that why my baby is crying?”

I swallowed hard trying to stop myself from telling him that I knew the truth. “It’s our anniversary yesterday.”

Knox chuckled, “I know and I am sorry for not being able to celebrate with you, Baby.” He cupped my face with his hands, “So please stop crying, okay? I got you something.”

Knox helped me stand up, he brushed my hair with his hand. Then we went outside the walk-in closet. He let go of my hand and picked up the bouquet in our bed and handed it to me.

“I hope this still counts, Baby. I know this is your favorite flower. Happy anniversary to the most beautiful woman in my life,” then he handed me the bouquet of Tulips, I tried to smile when the truth it is I wanted to throw it to his face.

I never liked Tulips, my favorite flower is the sunflower. He leaned closely and kissed my forehead and because of that, I caught a whiff of that unfamiliar scent. I clenched my hands, my nails dug through my skin.

“I should take a shower now. I feel icky, Baby. Can you please take out my things from the luggage?”

I didn’t answer him, I just looked at him. His forehead creased, and annoyance flicked across his face.

“I already told you I was busy with some transactions, Luane. So what’s with the long face? You know that I didn’t like working, right? But I had to because you can’t handle the job of a Patriarch, remember? So please, Luane, stop acting like a fifteen-year-old and be mature about it. I can’t be with you all the time.”

‘Liar! You didn’t work, you were with a woman! How dare you make me wait for the whole night while you were with a woman!’ Instead of answering him that way, I just smiled at him and nodded.

“Okay, Know. Go take a shower,” I answered sweetly.

Knox headed to the shower, I immediately rummaged through his luggage. I stopped when I saw a hair tie on his baggage right after I took all his clothes to put in the laundry basket. My hands were trembling as I took it.

I could hear Knox humming from the bathroom and I could feel the pain on my stomach. I clutched my stomach as I silently cried. “Oh, Baby… Looks like your Dad has found a stepmother for you. You and I are about to fight for our rights.”

While Knox was in the shower, I went back to his luggage and looked at every corner of it. When I felt something hard in the pocket of his luggage, I opened the pocket and took his phone. I opened every app on his phone but I couldn’t find anything.

But before putting it back, I installed a tracker on his phone. I may have become a stay-at-home wife but I am the only daughter of Renaldo Grimaldi, the Patriarch of the Grimaldi Clan. My father trained me since I was a kid to be like him. He trained me to become the perfect successor to the clan. But for me, it wasn’t my calling.

When I heard the water stop running I immediately put his luggage back in its position and I sat down on the bed, while touching my stomach. Know got out of the shower room, his hair was dripping wet. My eyes went down to his body. He smirked when he saw me looking at him.

“Well… I know you want me, Baby. But I can’t right now, I am still exhausted. But you know that I love you, right?”

“Hmm, yeah. O-of course, Baby.”

I tried to sound casual, to not let him know that I was hurting.

It wasn’t because I wanted him, It was because of the red mark on his neck, near his beard. If I were an average woman, I wouldn’t notice it but because my father trained my visions, I immediately notice it.

How can Knox smile at me? How can he act normal when he ruins our marriage? How can he say that he loves me but he is cheating behind my back? All I ever did was to love him, please him, give him everything that I can…

It took years to get me pregnant, that was the only thing that was missing piece on our marriage… but now? I am carrying his child but he had a girlfriend? How could he do that?!

I wanted to shoot him, and torture him… but a part of me still wanted to forgive him and start a new life with our unborn child. But the pain of his betrayal settled over me like my heart was being ripped to pieces. Like a sharp shard pierces through my chest.

Would he stop seeing that woman if I told him that I was pregnant with his child?

Knox came out of the walk-in closet, he was dressed already. We both turned our heads in the bathroom direction when we both heard a loud ring. Knox headed to the bathroom and when he got out, he was holding a phone. I blinked hard when I realized that it wasn’t the same phone that I saw in his luggage, it was a different phone but the same unit.

“I will answer this call, Baby. Okay?” Knox said while holding the phone and headed towards the balcony.

I was left alone, biting my lips in frustration. The curtains weren’t closed and I could see Knox's soft expression. It’s the same way how we would talk to me before. I hurriedly went to the walk-in closet and took the laptop that I had hidden. I typed some codes on my phone until I entered his phone’s system.

Whereas I could read their conversations on the screen.

Knox: Okay, I pick you up, Darling. You better get dressed, okay? I will take you to the hospital.

Caller ID: Make it faster, Darling. My stomach is hurting I am afraid that we will lose our baby.

“Baby?”

I didn’t answer, I waited for him to come inside but he didn’t. After a few minutes, I went out and my husband wasn’t there anymore but he left a note on the bed that he would be out for a while. I changed my clothes, I wore a mask, sunglasses, and a hat to hide my identity.

I located where Knox went and headed there, and to my surprise, they were standing outside the OB-GYNE office. Everything was clear to me… my Dad always told me to kill those who were blocking my way but I was against it, I didn’t like violence but seeing Knox holding that woman’s waist made me regret that I didn’t bring a gun with me.

With my hands shaking, I took a picture of them and sent that picture to Saldivar, the person whom I could trust my life with other than my parents. I told him to investigate that woman. After thirty minutes, Knox and that woman got out of the doctor’s office.

I was sitting on the bench and pretended to look at the magazine I was holding. I could hear them talking.

“Oh, Darling, thank you for coming with me today. I am sorry if I called you, I was just scared when I saw the small blood on my underwear,” the woman said softly.

“It’s okay, Darling. I am glad that you told me, I don’t want you or our baby to be in danger.”

And then they left. I was sitting there as tears pooled down my eyes, clutching my stomach.

I stood up wiping my tears away, I hurriedly went to my car and followed Knox with that woman. They went to a shopping center. I removed my hat since it was one of the protocols of the building. They stopped at a woman's clothing shop. I was just meters away from them and I pretended to find some maternal clothes.

I saw how Knox held that woman with gentleness. He would cover her with his body every time someone would walk past them. I felt a searing pain in my chest when I saw Knox kiss that woman’s forehead.

“Careful,” Knox said when that woman almost tripped.

The woman giggled and softly slapped Knox's arms, “I am fine Darling. You’re being overprotective.”

“Of course, Darling. I don’t want anything to happen to you, okay? Anyway, after this we should buy another bag for you. And oh, of course, a new ring. You lost the one that I gave you right?”

“I didn’t mean to lose it, Darling. So please, forget about it, okay? And I know you can afford to buy me dozens of rings,” she even tugged Knox's necktie, pulling him down, and gave him a quick kiss.

Knox's ears turned red, “Of course, Darling. I would buy anything you want.”

I almost snorted when I heard that. Buy her everything? That money he had been using was my money! Our family's money. Knox was an orphaned child, I met him when he was seventeen at the orphanage and I was fifteen. I fell in love with him and asked my parents to bring him to our house and they agreed.

Since then, my family supported Knox financially, my father didn’t like Knox but he couldn’t throw him away because of me. Because I was in love with him and I thought of Knox as the man that I would spend the rest of my life with. But I was wrong, he became someone I no longer know.

Knox at that woman was choosing clothes for her, my eyes went down to her stomach. Her stomach was bulging already, Knox suddenly bent down and kissed her stomach. I felt nauseous, I know Knox loves kids, we’ve been together for almost eight years and we’ve been to a lot of doctors because I couldn’t get pregnant.

And now, I am pregnant with his child, finally. But he also has a child with his mistress.

Knox went outside the store because of a call. The woman was left inside the shop. She waved at me, I flinched.

“How far along are you?” She said while she tried to walk closer to me, but I stepped back. “Well, I am almost five months pregnant. Oh, almost six I guess. My boyfriend is beyond happy that I am pregnant. He said that his ex-wife was infertile. Oh, sorry, I am yapping nonsense. How about you?”

Her eyes told me that she knew who I was, and a smug smile appeared on her lips She went away from me when Knox went back and I hurriedly left. I was hurt by the words she said. Is that a reason for someone to cheat on their partner?

I left, I couldn’t bear it anymore, I went to my Dad’s mausoleum, and I stared at his picture. Wanting to hear his voice that would tell me, “I told you so.” I sat down on the floor and hugged my knees.

“Daddy, what should I do? Should I let go of him or should I cling to him?” I said as I cried like a child.

“Honey?” I flinched when I heard my mother’s voice. “What’s wrong, Honey? Why are you here and why are you crying?”

I felt my mother’s presence beside me, she sat down and held my hand. And I cried harder, I felt my mom’s arms wrapped around me. It was like, I was back from being a toddler, crying my eyes out in front of her.

She let me cry, and after a few minutes, I calmed down. She cupped my face, “What’s wrong with My Princess? Did Knox hurt? Tell me, I will shoot him-”

“Mom!”

My mother rolled her eyes, “I won’t kill him if he didn’t hurt you, okay? I am not that cruel… but if he did hurt you, I won’t kill him immediately, I will make him suffer like how you suffered.”

“Mom, I am pregnant.”

With those words escaped from my mouth, my mother cried. She was sobbing like a baby. And I don’t dare to tell her more, I don’t want to ruin this moment for her. My mother was there for me when I struggled to get pregnant. She was there when I cried when all those pregnancy tests came out negative.

After that my mother drove me home, and I was alone in our room again. There was no Knox, no messages or calls from him. And I was relieved that he wasn’t home yet because It broke me when I saw the email Saldivar sent me.