Chapter 3

The diagnosis was clear. It was a severe case of appendicitis, and the doctor insisted on immediate surgery.

If I delayed it any longer, it would rupture.

I signed the paperwork and was admitted that night. The surgery was scheduled for the following afternoon—right around the time I was supposed to pick up Lily from school.

I sent Chloe a Snapchat message, asking her to pick up our daughter tomorrow.

But I didn't get a single reply all night.

We used to be so different. When did she change into this monster? I couldn't sleep, my mind racing.

But surely, Lily was her own daughter. Chloe wouldn't be heartless enough to neglect her.

The next day, right after I woke up from the anesthesia, my phone rang. It was Lily’s elementary school teacher.

"...Mr. Miller? Are you caught up with something today? Lily is still at school, and no one has come to pick her up..."

Then I heard Lily's small, trembling voice over the phone. "Daddy? Are you working late today? I’ve been waiting for so long."

My heart stopped. "Didn't Mommy pick you up?"

The teacher replied that they had been waiting for over an hour, and neither of us had notified the school.

Lily had finished all her homework in the office, and the teacher only called because she was worried we had forgotten. She tried calling Chloe, but the line went straight to voicemail.

I comforted my daughter, ignoring the doctor’s orders to rest after surgery.

I pulled out my IV, got dressed, and took an Uber straight to the school.

When I finally got back home with Lily, I saw Chloe lying comfortably on the sofa, a facial mask on her face, scrolling through her phone.

She barely looked up, completely indifferent. "Where have you been? Why are you guys so late?"

Suppressing the burning anger in my chest, I asked her if she had seen my messages.

She gave a careless shrug.

"Oh."

"I was too busy. Slipped my mind."

She quickly changed the subject, pointing to some dishes on the dining table.

"I knew you guys would be hungry, so I brought some takeout back."

I walked over and looked at the plates.

It was a plastic container filled with a few wilted lettuce leaves, some tiny scraps of beef, and a couple of soggy eggplant slices.

It looked exactly like leftovers someone had scraped off their plate.

An hour ago, I had seen Julian’s Instagram story. He had posted a picture of someone cooking in his kitchen. The face was cropped out, but I would recognize those hands and that silhouette anywhere.

It was my wife, Chloe.

Julian’s caption read: *“Some things never change. Cooking my favorite meals and laughing like the old days.”*

He even tagged a few mutual friends.

I poked at the cold, greasy food with a fork, feeling incredibly nauseous. The surgical stitches in my abdomen started to throb with pain.

"I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat this."

Chloe tossed her phone onto the coffee table, her face tightening. She raised her voice. "What is your problem now? I went out of my way to bring you food, and you're throwing a tantrum?"

"Is this still about the townhouse deed? Why are you being so dramatic?"

"Julian was devastated after his divorce. He has a kid and nowhere to go. I'm just trying to support him. I didn't know you were this petty, Ethan."

"We grew up together. There is nothing going on between us. Stop overthinking."

I was physically and emotionally exhausted. With the last bit of my energy, I whispered,

"I'm not overthinking. I just didn't expect to find another man living in the house I bought for our daughter. I only asked him a question..."

Chloe waved her hand impatiently, cutting me off.

She sneered. "He is not 'another man.'"

"Just a question? Who knows how rudely you asked him! You basically chased him out!"

*Is that really who I am in your eyes?*

I felt like I couldn't breathe. Lily was standing right beside me, and I didn't want her to see her parents screaming at each other.

"I didn't chase him out. But you didn't even have the decency to tell me—"

"Enough!" Chloe screamed, slamming her mug onto the glass table. She glared at me with cold, venomous eyes.

She laughed mockingly. "Julian was right about you."

"You are just a petty, insecure, jealous control freak! You make a huge scene over every little thing. I must have been blind to ever marry a guy like you!"