Chapter 3

3

The moment I returned home from the bistro, I began packing my belongings.

It took me until the early hours of the morning to finish packing everything into suitcases.

Looking around the apartment I had so lovingly decorated, I took a deep, shaky breath.

Thank goodness my son had been staying with my parents these past few days, sparing him from witnessing this mess.

Just as I grabbed my suitcase to head for the door, Gavin pushed it open and walked inside.

He froze when he saw my packed luggage. "Ror, where are you going?"

"We never officially registered our marriage, so we don't need a divorce. Nate's legal custody is entirely with me, and he will stay with me from now on."

"You bought this apartment, so keep it. I paid for the car, so I'm taking it."

"Let's just end this here and never contact each other again."

I moved to walk past him, but Gavin lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.

He buried his face into the crook of my neck, nuzzling against my skin.

"Ror, please believe me. I'm going to divorce her as soon as possible. You and Nate are the only ones I truly love."

I caught a faint whiff of his scent.

Gavin smelled entirely of the expensive perfume Madeline had worn that afternoon.

And right above his collar, a fresh hickey was clearly visible on his neck.

I pushed Gavin away with all my strength. "I will never believe another word that comes out of your mouth."

Gavin frantically grabbed my hand, his voice laced with desperate pleading.

"Ror, please just listen to me! When my family's business collapsed years ago, marrying Madeline was the only way to secure funding from the Ford family."

"There were so many people depending on me, and I couldn't afford to be selfish. But I never loved Madeline!"

"I was miserable with her, and it wasn't until I met you that I understood what true love felt like."

"All these years, I've been working tirelessly to build a future for us. Just give me a little more time, and I'll finalize the divorce with Madeline soon."

Listening to his hollow excuses, I felt no warmth or sympathy whatsoever.

Only a profound, chilling sense of disgust.

Gavin was willing to marry Madeline purely for money.

And once he finished draining her family's resources, he was ready to discard her without hesitation.

How could a man like that ever possess any real decency?

I only cursed myself for being so utterly blind to his true nature for six years.

That night, Gavin begged on his knees for my forgiveness, but I dragged my luggage out the door without looking back.

The next morning, after dropping Nate off at preschool, I went to work at the elementary school as usual.

Right by the school gates, Madeline pulled up in her luxury SUV with Cece.

Cece shyly greeted me with a quiet hello.

Madeline handed Cece over to me with her usual graceful smile.

Looking at Cece, who shared such a striking resemblance to my son, a sharp pang of bitterness twisted in my chest.

Yet a child was completely innocent, and as her teacher, I would never take my anger out on her.

Cece had a rather withdrawn personality.

To help her adjust smoothly, I arranged for her to sit in the front row next to a lively, friendly classmate.

Throughout the day, Cece adjusted remarkably well and got along great with her deskmate.

When Madeline came to pick her up in the afternoon, I informed her about the upcoming parent-teacher conference on Friday.

Madeline hesitated slightly. "I have an appointment that day, and my husband is usually swamped with work, so we might not make it."

I kept a professional smile on my face. "That's perfectly fine. You're welcome to schedule a private meeting whenever your schedule clears up."

Madeline thanked me warmly and left with Cece shortly after.

I wandered aimlessly through the city streets for a long time before finally heading home.

The moment I stepped inside my parents' house, Nate threw his little arms around my legs. "Mommy, why hasn't Daddy come home yet?"

A sharp ache pierced my heart.

Nate was only four years old, and I had no idea how to explain this ugly truth to him.

I could not bring myself to tell him that his father already had another family and another child.

Fighting back my tears, I forced a smile. "Daddy's on a business trip. When he comes back, he'll bring you a brand-new action figure, okay?"

Nate nodded enthusiastically with a bright grin. "Yay!"

On the day of the parent-teacher conference, I arrived at the school bright and early.

As the first official meeting of the semester, most parents showed up well ahead of schedule.

By the time the conference began, Cece and her parents were nowhere in sight.

Assuming they would not be attending, I stepped up to the podium to begin my presentation.

Yet just a few minutes into my opening remarks, the classroom door was abruptly pushed open.

I looked up, and my eyes locked right onto Gavin walking inside.