Chapter 2

The next morning, when I woke up, Duane was already dressed in the bedroom.

"You're up? Any later and I was going to tell you to go to the checkup on your own."

My voice was flat. "No need. I canceled it."

His hands stilled on his cuffs. "You canceled the appointment?"

"Lucretia, are you still angry about yesterday?"

"I told you, it's treatment."

I let out a cold laugh. "Treatment? Since when does treatment mean sleeping in the same bed?"

He rubbed the space between his brows and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"There's nothing between her and me. We just lay in the same bed. Nothing happened."

He paused. "You know how it is when the condition flares up. I can't control it."

The illness again.

I was sick of hearing that excuse.

Learning that I'd already canceled the appointment, he glanced down at his watch.

"If you canceled it, then I'm heading to work."

"Stay home and behave. Don't overthink everything. I don't have time to keep humoring your fits."

I gave a small laugh.

As his wife, I wanted him to keep his distance from another woman, and he called it throwing a fit.

I took a deep breath, about to tell him I had booked the procedure.

But Cheryl's voice came from outside the door, urging him along.

Duane picked up his bag and turned. "Cheryl needs to get to the office. It's on my way, so I'll drop her off."

The two of them went out together to say goodbye to my mother-in-law, walking side by side, as if they were the newlyweds.

I laid my hand over my belly.

I thought back to three months ago, when we found out I was pregnant and he took me shopping for baby things.

We picked through everything, choosing several little outfits.

Back then he'd said, "I'm going to make sure our child is the happiest child in the world."

And now, before the child was even born, he was wrapping his arms around another woman right in front of me.

I smiled at myself.

My mother-in-law looked over and frowned.

"Wipe that miserable look off your face."

"Cheryl's going to be living with us from now on. Don't go making a scene like you did yesterday."

Only then did I remember the pink suitcase sitting in the entryway last night.

So it had been Cheryl's all along.

I looked at my mother-in-law without a word, then turned and went back to the room to pack my things.

When I came out, she stopped me. "Hey, where are you going?"

I answered, "Isn't Cheryl moving in here? She stays, so I go."

At that, she didn't try to stop me. She just quietly picked up the phone.

Half an hour later, I got a text from Duane.

【Going to rest at your family's place is fine too. Take some time to cool down.】

【Remember to take care of the baby, and reschedule the checkup. Don't be difficult.】

I didn't reply. I turned off the screen.

The baby?

There would be no more baby between him and me.