Chapter 4

The agonizing pain made me think of Leo. He was such a sweet, sensible boy. He must be so scared right now.

I remembered how much Chloe had changed after she picked Carlos up from the airport.

She stopped caring about me, and she barely paid attention to Leo.

Until a week ago, when Chloe, who had been MIA for weeks, unexpectedly came home early and cooked a huge dinner.

She apologized softly, claiming she had been neglecting us because of work.

Leo was so happy that day. But he didn't understand—what kind of "work" makes a mother completely ignore her child for three whole months?

Yet, despite the flimsy excuse, I chose to believe her for the sake of our family.

Ever since Carlos returned, she hadn't sat down for a single meal with our son.

I had tried to respect her choices. Even when Leo cried for her, I did my best to soothe him.

But now, I finally understood.

It was all because of another man.

That rare family dinner was interrupted by a phone call from Carlos before we even started eating.

Carlos's low, depressed voice on the line sent her into an instant panic. She grabbed her car keys and bolted.

Leaving behind a resigned me, and a heartbroken Leo.

The trail of blood on the floor was hard to ignore. Chloe finally noticed, and her grip on my hair loosened.

She hesitated. "Are you really hurt?"

I could only offer a bitter laugh.

When we first got married, we were so in love.

Chloe’s entire world revolved around me. Back then, let alone this much blood, she would worry over the tiniest bruise.

And now?

Every vow we made had become a worthless, forgotten promise.

An impatient look crossed her face as she grabbed her keys. "Fine. If you were hurt, why didn't you say so earlier? Let's go to the hospital."

I didn't argue. I let her help me into the car.

The moment I sat in the passenger seat, I realized her car had completely changed too.

On the dashboard was a bottle of cologne from France—where Carlos had just returned from.

And in the corner of the rearview mirror, there was a Polaroid of her and Carlos.

Seeing my eyes fixed on it, Chloe looked slightly guilty.

"Don't overthink it. It's just a silly photo we took as friends. He pasted it there for fun."

"If you don't like it, I can take it down...?"

I leaned my head against the window, closing my eyes to block out the sun.

"It's fine. Just take me to the hospital."

As a man, how could I not see through Carlos’s little games?

He was quietly invading my space, marking his territory, and mocking me.

In the past, I would have thrown a fit.

But now? I didn't want this woman anymore. Anything related to her no longer mattered.

We had only been driving for a few minutes when Carlos called.

Over the phone, Carlos’s whiny voice was accompanied by Leo’s hysterical crying.

My heart clenched. Helpless, I grabbed Chloe’s arm.

"What's wrong with Leo?! Why is he crying like that?!"

But Chloe didn't care about my panic. She pulled over to the curb, unlocked the passenger door, and shoved me out.

She left me with one sentence: