Chapter 2

2

When I got home, I saw the package sitting on the living room couch.

Inside were the tiny onesies and socks I had joyfully ordered when we first learned the news.

Now, that child would never come into this world.

I buried my face in my hands, letting silent tears wash over my grief.

My phone rang just as I finally gathered my composure.

Seeing Cecilia's name on the screen, I hesitated to answer for the very first time.

I picked up and called her name, but no one responded.

Just as I was about to hang up, faint voices filtered through the receiver.

It was Cecilia and Jared.

"Cecilia, it's all my fault you had to suffer," Jared whispered gently.

"Get some rest now. I'll handle everything for the upcoming gallery exhibition."

Cecilia's tender response chilled me to the bone.

"Don't blame yourself. The timing of the baby was just terrible."

"Leave the exhibition funding to me. Garrett has plenty of cash, so I'll make him invest."

"You're so good to me, Cecilia. I'll make it up to you with all my love."

The sound of soft moans and wet kisses followed.

I gripped the phone until my knuckles turned white, blood rushing straight to my head.

Even after losing our child, she was still in the mood to fool around with him.

Shortly after hanging up, I saw Jared's latest social media update.

He posted a grid of nine photos showcasing his completed painting.

The caption read: "A masterpiece born of love. Counting down the days until the exhibition!"

I stared at the painting titled "Beloved," my vision turning dark.

It depicted the slender figure of a naked woman from behind.

Although her face was obscured, the crescent moon tattoo on her lower back gave her away immediately.

That was Cecilia.

In the comments, Cecilia had replied: "It was an honor to be your muse."

I closed the app, a sharp pain piercing my chest.

I remembered the day we first met on a hiking trail where I had sprained my ankle.

She had gotten separated from her mineral-collecting group and stumbled upon me.

With no cell signal in the woods, she helped me limp down the mountain for miles.

I fell in love with her that day and pursued her relentlessly for two years before she agreed to date me.

Even after we got together, Cecilia remained emotionally distant.

I naively assumed it was just her naturally aloof personality.

When she suddenly proposed marriage, I thought my devotion had finally melted her icy heart.

Only later did I discover that our wedding was on the exact day Jared had gotten engaged to someone else.

Back then, my father saw right through her and warned me sternly.

"You love her far more than she loves you, Garrett."

"Her heart isn't with you. You will suffer if you marry her."

I was stubborn and insisted on marrying Cecilia, so my parents reluctantly respected my choice.

I believed that unwavering warmth could eventually win her over.

I was wrong; a heart made of stone never warms up.

Ever since Jared returned to the country, they grew closer under the excuse of being childhood friends.

Cecilia became completely detached from our marriage.

A single phone call from Jared could pull her away from my side at any moment.

Every business trip she claimed to take was actually a private vacation with him.

They watched the snowfall in Aspen and kissed under the Northern Lights in Iceland.

I finally realized that her warmth and passion had always belonged solely to Jared.

Her reckless mountain trek that cost our baby's life was the final wake-up call.

Cecilia had never let go of Jared, not even for a second.

Memories piled up, and before I knew it, the ashtray beside me was overflowing with cigarette butts.

Numbly, I dialed my attorney's number and instructed him to draft a divorce settlement.