Chapter 1

It was my seventh wedding anniversary.

Silas's spoiled brat of a childhood friend called. She said a pipe in her house had burst.

Without a second thought, he turned around and left to play plumber.

A few minutes later, Melody's social media updated right on schedule.

"No matter when or where, one phone call brings my Superman running. How should I reward him?"

The picture showed a floor covered in used protection and torn clothes.

I smiled and dialed a different number.

"A pipe at my place is broken. Do you want to come fix it?"

01

The voice on the other end answered quickly.

"What do you mean? Clara, are you treating me like a damn plumber?"

He sounded shocked, but then his voice turned shy and hesitant.

"You aren't playing with me, right? I'll book a flight back to the States the day after tomorrow to fix it for you!"

"I'll be waiting for you then!"

I smiled and hung up the phone.

I looked at the clock.

The minute hand had just hit twelve.

My seventh anniversary with Silas passed in total silence.

Then, my phone buzzed.

It was Silas calling.

I answered with a blank expression.

"It's too late, so I won't be coming home. Happy seventh anniversary!"

His voice was thick with lust. I could hear Melody's loud, exaggerated moans in the background.

She clearly wanted me to hear every sound.

"Silas, that's too fast! Slow down!"

"Is today your anniversary with Clara? Tell her happy anniversary for me!"

I found it hilarious and completely absurd.

The line went dead, leaving me alone in the empty house.

The decorations I spent all afternoon setting up looked like a massive joke.

Just like the years I spent with Silas.

The next morning, I was woken up by the sound of movers.

Workers were busy dismantling and carrying away the furniture I had picked out myself.

I stopped them and demanded to know what was happening.

That was when I saw Silas carefully leading Melody into the house.

When she saw me, Melody acted like a frightened rabbit and hid in Silas's arms.

"Silas, Clara's eyes are so scary!"

Silas looked at me with pure annoyance. "Clara, you're scaring Melody!"

I stared at them coldly. "What are you doing? Why are you touching my things?"

Silas chuckled and gently rubbed Melody's stomach.

Melody blushed as she looked up at him.

Silas gave her a doting smile.

"Melody is pregnant. I don't feel safe with her living in that tiny apartment alone, so she's moving in with us!"

I froze for a moment, staring at him.

So this was his seventh-anniversary gift to me. How ironic.

"That sofa isn't good for a pregnant woman. Melody and I ordered a custom one just for her."

I watched Silas tell the workers to destroy the sofa I had designed myself. I had sketched it line by line during the year we got married.

Silas and I used to sit there for hours, dreaming about our future.

Now, it was nothing but a pile of trash.

"By the way, move your stuff out of the master bedroom. Melody and I are sleeping there. She needs someone by her side at all times."

He saw me standing there, unmoved.

Silas snapped at me. "What's with the face, Clara? I gave you this house, so I can do whatever I want with it!"

Melody's eyes suddenly turned red. She grabbed Silas's sleeve.

"Forget it, Silas. If Clara doesn't want to, then let's not. Don't let me and the baby ruin your marriage!"

She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Clara, I'm not trying to steal Silas from you. I promise I'll leave once the baby is born. I don't want to be a burden!"

Silas immediately pulled her into his chest and comforted her.

"Don't say such stupid things! The baby needs a mother! Nothing will ever change the fact that you're the mother of my child!"

He looked up at me and frowned, putting all the blame on himself.

"Clara, don't be so petty. The pregnancy was an accident. I didn't use protection last time."

"When the baby is born, it'll call you Mom anyway. Melody doesn't want a title, she just wants you to take care of her. You'll still be the lady of this house."

I stared at Melody's flat stomach. It was proof of Silas's betrayal.

Yet he expected me to play nursemaid.

Melody puffed out her chest as if she were showing off.

"Don't be jealous, Clara. I heard that having a baby in the house brings more babies. Maybe after mine is born, you'll finally have one too!"

I looked at Silas silently. I remembered the many times I had asked for a child.

He was always impatient with me.

"A kid would just ruin our lifestyle. It's not the right time yet," he would say.

Since he didn't like the idea, I stopped asking.

I buried my desire for a child deep inside.

I even lied to my dying mother, saying I was the one who didn't want kids to protect his reputation.

It was all a joke.

He didn't hate children. He just didn't want a child with me.

The difference between love and indifference was so obvious.