Chapter 2

2.

She left her phone on the table. I tried my birthday as the passcode. Error.

A photo of Ashton Rhodes' birthday party from her feed flashed through my mind. On a whim, I entered his birth date.

Click. The phone unlocked.

In that second, I felt like my stomach was being turned inside out.

The top pinned chat was a contact saved as "Kiki's Puppy."

I tapped it, and the content nearly made me stop breathing.

There were graphic texts, disgusting photos, and even videos.

I fought back the urge to vomit and took pictures of the most important logs and videos with my own phone.

I wiped the history and put her phone back exactly where it was before she came out.

Before sleep, Kiki pressed her body against mine. Her hot breath tickled my neck.

"Babe, it's my peak fertility window. Are you sure you don't want to try?"

My body went rigid. I moved away from her. "No. We aren't trying for a baby, so there's no rush."

She seemed surprised, and her voice actually sounded lighter.

"You've changed your mind? I always felt we were young. Waiting a few years is better."

I didn't answer. I just closed my eyes and faked sleep.

Kiki had always been terrified of getting pregnant.

Once, she had an unexpected pregnancy and went for a medical procedure to end it without telling me.

At the time, I was heartbroken and angry. I asked her why she didn't consult me.

She lay weak in the hospital bed, her eyes red as she screamed at me. She asked if I only married her to be a breeder.

She asked if I even saw her as a human being.

Seeing her so devastated, my heart softened. I apologized over and over.

But now, I saw the truth in those chat logs.

That baby wasn't an accident. She lost it during one of their aggressive "workout sessions."

The medical procedure was a necessity because of the damage they caused.

I felt like my heart had been hacked into pieces, raw and bleeding.

In the dead of night, she quietly got out of bed and left the room.

I snapped my eyes open, then squeezed them shut.

I was done. I wanted a divorce.