Chapter 3

On the first day of school, Trudy updated her social media early in the morning, posting a photo of the house deed and one of her dropping Damian Stephens off.

The caption read:

"So this is what it feels like to be cherished by another woman's husband. Pure bliss."

"Study hard, Damian, so you can pay your godfather back one day."

I glanced at the corner of the photo, at her fingers laced tight with Raymond's.

He was even wearing the wedding ring he'd bought with me, right there on his ring finger.

I laughed at myself.

Then I tapped a like and left a comment:

"Impressive. My hat's off to you. The joy of this happy little family of three is practically spilling out of the frame."

I set the phone down.

Then drove my daughter to the school district office to transfer her enrollment records.

Fate has a sense of humor.

On the way out of the office, I ran straight into Raymond and the other two.

"What are you doing at the school district office?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Trudy's eyes flicked sideways and she dropped straight to her knees.

"Shelagh, please, whatever you want, take it out on me, okay?"

"Damian's still little. If you go to the office and report him, he really won't have a school to go to."

The anger crawled back onto Raymond's face.

He snatched the file out of my hand, the pages scattering.

"I'll teach you to make trouble!"

"No wonder you were so calm yesterday. You'd been sitting on this the whole time!"

"Too bad. Damian's already enrolled. It's done."

"No matter how much you scream or report, Cornelia isn't getting in this year!"

Looking at that twisted face, I suddenly lost all strength to argue.

Ever since I had my child, Raymond had turned into a different man.

No more tenderness.

He stood by and watched, cold-eyed, while I did everything I could to buy a home in that school district.

His whole mind was fixed on pleasing Trudy and her son.

I held my daughter's hand tighter and tighter.

"Come on. Mommy's taking you to get something good to eat."

Seeing me ignore them, Trudy started crying again, threatening to kowtow.

Raymond stopped her.

"You did nothing wrong. Don't beg her."

Then he turned and shouted at me:

"Shelagh Finch, do you even know what loyalty between brothers means?"

"I promised I'd take care of his wife and kid, and I'll keep that promise. If you can't stand it, then get a divorce."

The words had barely landed when Damian rushed up and slapped my daughter across the face.

"Get lost. Trash like you doesn't deserve to be Raymond's family. Me and my mom are his only family."

"And another thing. If you ever dare post those snide comments about my mom again, I won't let you off!"

The slap came out of nowhere. My daughter stumbled back several steps, fell to the ground, and burst into wailing sobs.

Her cheek swelling up high.

I couldn't hold back the fury anymore. I slapped Damian right back.

"A little kid learning nothing good. Who taught you to hit people!"

That was the moment it all broke open.

Trudy shielded Damian with her body, eyes red from crying, and rounded on me.

"Damian's just a little boy. A bit of mischief is normal. Why couldn't you just teach him right? Why did you have to hit him!"

"If you can't stand the sight of me and my son, you should've said so. If I'd known, I'd have taken Damian to join his father down below already!"

Raymond charged up and slapped me across the face.

"I never knew you were this heartless."

"You dare hit Damian? Aren't you afraid my dead brother will come haunt you in your dreams for his life?"

The onlookers passing by saw it and started pointing at me too.

"Bullying a child, what kind of skill is that?"

"You'd have to be cursed for eight lifetimes to marry a woman this vicious."

Everything I'd swallowed rose up in my throat.

I tried to explain, but not one person there would listen.

All I could do was cover my daughter's ears and flee the scene like a fugitive.

Behind me, Raymond's voice kept coming, clinging like a ghost.

Raymond saw it, rushed forward, and yanked my hands away.

"Don't cover them. Let her hear!"

"Let her see clearly what a stingy little wretch her mother is. A lunatic!"

That was the moment everything inside me broke loose.

"Raymond, let's get a divorce!"

After that, Raymond acted like he was sulking on purpose.

Three days straight without coming home.

I still remember what he said:

"Fine. Divorce then."

"When have you ever meant it? Quit trying to scare me!"

Right up until the day before he came home, Raymond's right eyelid suddenly started twitching wildly.

A wave of unease rose up in him.