Chapter 3

3

There was nothing I could do. I apologized to the manager, lying that she had a sudden pregnancy and needed bed rest.

As for the gift money she collected, her parents had already taken the ledger and the cash. There was no getting it back.

After we got married, Annie and I lived with her brother. We had zero privacy. I complained a few times, asking when her mom would take him back.

She told me this brother was a miracle. She said she had to protect the family legacy for her parents.

Her backward way of thinking left me speechless.

I was paying for every diaper, every meal, and every toy. It felt like her parents had just outsourced their parenting to me.

But we were married. I loved her. I couldn't just divorce her because she was babysitting her brother, right?

I thought things would change once we had our own child.

So, we started trying.

I researched everything. I followed every medical tip for male fertility.

But after a year, nothing happened.

I doubted myself and went for a check-up. The doctor said I was perfectly healthy and suggested I bring my wife in.

I brought it up to Annie.

Two days later, she showed me a report saying she was fine.

The date she got the IUD was exactly two weeks after that report.

For a long time, I just thought we were unlucky.

I never suspected her.

Now I realize she never intended to have a child with me.

I finished cleaning the house and went to our room after showering.

Annie was whispering on the phone. When I walked in, she hung up instantly, the smile still lingering on her face.

When we were dating, she used to smile at me like that―soft and glowing.

Back then, I would have given her the world just to keep her that happy.

But everything changed after her mother got pregnant. She stopped wanting to spend time with me, staying at her parents' house to help out instead.

I understood that. Family comes first.

Back then, she looked so exhausted from helping them that she looked years older.

I thought marrying her would rescue her from that burden. I didn't care about the high price tag her parents set.

I thought having her in my home would be enough. I didn't realize she was bringing the burden with her.

Memories flashed through my mind like a movie.

Looking at the tired woman on the bed, I felt like she was a stranger.

Had I never really known her? Or did the arrival of her brother change her?

She saw me standing in the doorway and whispered a warning to be quiet so I wouldn't wake Toby.

"Who were you talking to?" I asked.

Her hand paused on the blanket. She acted casual. "Just my mom. She wanted to know if Toby was being good."

"If she's so concerned, why doesn't she take him back?" I shot back with a sarcastic smile.

Anger flared in her eyes. "Lucas, are you trying to start a fight? I don't have time for this. Go sleep in the guest room."

This was always her move. I couldn't say a single bad thing about her family, or she'd trigger a massive fight or the silent treatment.

I didn't move.

She gave me a cold look, shut off the light, and turned her back to me to cuddle her brother.

This was the start of another cold war. She was freezing me out.

The room was dim, lit only by a tiny nightlight. I couldn't see her face.

I shut the door and went to the guest room.

I logged into our shared cellular account to check her call logs.

The call lasted 23 minutes and 17 seconds. It was the same number as before.

The area code was for a city three states away. It wasn't her parents' number.

She was lying to me.