My daughter, Delilah, complained for the ninth time that the fever medicine I’d mixed wasn't as sweet as Rhett’s, but this time, I didn’t get angry. I simply poured the full bowl down the sink and called Rhett. “Sorry, but Delilah insists on you coming over. She won’t take her medicine otherwise. I apologize for the trouble.” Delilah stared at me, her eyes wide with surprise, as if she expected me to suddenly throw a fit. Rhett walked in with his wife, Blair, close behind. Blair immediately offered a strained excuse. “We just happened to bump into each other downstairs…” I ignored the faint, star-like love bites scattered across the base of her neck and smiled as I listened to Rhett sweet-talk Delilah into swallowing the syrupy medicine. Just before they left, Rhett paused and asked me, his voice carefully casual, “Nolan, my family is pressuring me hard about marriage. Would you mind if I borrowed Blair for a weekend?” He claimed it was just an act—a temporary show—and promised to return her completely intact. 1 As they both held their breath, waiting for my outburst, I gave Delilah a gentle push toward him. “Take her, too. A family of three is much more convincing.” The color drained from Blair’s face. She told me if I didn’t want to ‘lend’ her out, there was no need for the passive-aggressive tone. I sighed. “I’m being serious. Delilah loves your cooking, Rhett. And no, I’m not angry.” “Nolan, my family pressure is just too much, and since you’re an orphan anyway, you don’t have to deal with—” Blair sharply elbowed Rhett before he could finish the crass sentence. Her shocked gaze fixed on me. “You really don’t care? You’re giving your wife and daughter to another man? Nolan, I never realized you were this… generous.” The man Blair married—the old Nolan—had been consumed by her. I used to hate it if she came home smelling of another man’s cologne, so she’d fired her male assistants. When I was sick, she’d stay by my side 24/7, worried I’d be paranoid or suspicious. In the eyes of the world, she was the devoted, perfect wife. But that devotion had been chipped away as Delilah grew older. Our daughter was fragile, constantly battling colds and infections, and I’d devoted myself to her care. Blair had complained countless times that we had no life together, once joking that she wished she could stuff Delilah back into her womb. I always reassured her, until that night. Delilah, in a fit of pique, had screamed, “I never want to eat Dad’s cooking again! I want Uncle Rhett’s!” It was then I realized Blair had a new assistant, and he had been around for two years. I’d exploded in a furious, hysterical tirade. Delilah had pointed her tiny finger at me and called me a controlling maniac, demanding that Uncle Rhett be her real father. That was the first time I ever struck her. The sound of the slap was sharp and cold. I escalated the situation, forcing Blair to fire Rhett. We remained in a tense cold war until my parents begged me to apologize to Blair. That’s when I realized the leverage she had—our family business depended on the contracts Blair’s corporation provided. I had no choice but to bow my head. Then, my parents died suddenly in a house fire. My entire world collapsed. I thought my small family—Blair and Delilah—was my final anchor, but it had already been perforated with a thousand holes. I raised my eyes—calm, utterly flat—and offered an explanation for Blair’s past affair. “He was just your employee. You had a professional relationship. I didn’t think anything of it. A superior taking care of a subordinate is perfectly normal.” “But…” Blair wanted to argue, but Rhett physically ushered her out the door, taking the feverish, sleepy Delilah with him. My daughter was beaming as she left, her illness seemingly forgotten. “I always wanted to spend New Year’s Eve with Uncle Rhett! Dad is just so boring and dull.” I glanced at the framed family photo on the side table, then swept it—all of them—into the trash. After cleaning up, I called Professor Hale. “I’ve decided to restart the research group, Master.” “Nolan, that’s fantastic!” My mentor was overjoyed, explaining that the antidepressant drug trials had ground to a halt after I’d quit. I remembered who I was before I married Blair: a promising medical student. But when I’d confronted her about Rhett, she’d pointed a finger at me and sneered, “You’ve been a house-husband for so long, you think everyone has your free time. Rhett is actually building something. Don’t slander him.” It was ironic. She was the one who had cried and begged me for a chance to take care of me, financially. Every memory now felt like a needle pressed into my heart. “I’m filing for divorce,” I said into the phone. “After this, I’m dedicating myself entirely to the lab.” “Why the sudden change? Well… that’s good, I suppose. I’ll be waiting for you, son.” 2 The moment Rhett ‘borrowed’ Blair and Delilah, he began a relentless campaign of romantic posts on social media. He shared a photo of his hand intertwined with Blair’s, a visit to a cheesy, famous lovers’ retreat where they’d hung up an elaborate, color-coded ‘fate lock,’ and then a picture of Blair at his family’s home, showing off her generosity. She’d given a Rolex or Patek Philippe to every relative. Delilah went a step further, kneeling to greet his parents, calling them Grandma and Grandpa. I was scrolling past the feed when Rhett flooded my private messages: Nolan, how long has it been since you and Blair did it? She says seeing that ugly, hideous scar on your lower back makes her sick. I’m the one she’s spiritually and physically connected to, not you, the useless house-husband. I had your fortune read. You’re a total walking curse. You killed your own parents, and now you’re going to drag down Delilah and Blair, too. Isn’t that right? He followed up with a dozen explicit photos, Blair’s face clearly visible in several of them. I almost thanked him for the first-hand evidence. I ignored Rhett entirely and focused on the paperwork required to restart my research. On the drive back from Professor Hale’s lab, there was a sudden thud. An oncoming car swerved wildly and collided with mine. I instinctively wrenched the wheel, and my head slammed hard against the window. Just before I blacked out, I heard my phone vibrating. It was a text from Blair. Sweetie, Happy New Year. So sorry I couldn’t make it back for midnight. Rhett gets terrible motion sickness, so I’m staying one more night to help him. I woke up in the hospital. My leg was badly sprained and scraped, but nothing was broken. I’d need time to heal. Blair rushed in late that night, her eyes red, but she hadn’t even bothered to change out of the matching sweater she’d been wearing with Rhett. The overwhelming scent of his cologne filled the sterile room. “Why didn’t you call me when you were hurt?” she demanded. “Nolan, I’m your wife!” She was frantic, scanning me from head to toe, and only seemed to relax when she was certain I wasn't critically injured. Her panic was so genuine for a split second that I almost believed the affair was a delusion. “What a horrible start to the new year, getting into a wreck,” she said, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. “Here, Rhett got you a good luck charm.” Blair extended her hand, and I sharply knocked the charm away. “I don’t need it.” “Nolan, Rhett was just being kind. Don’t read too much into it.” “I’m an agnostic,” I said, my voice cold and unfamiliar even to my own ears. “It has nothing to do with Rhett.” Blair frowned, ready to argue, when her phone rang. It was Rhett’s customized ringtone—a sickeningly sweet audio clip he’d recorded. She immediately hung up, but the calls began to flood in like a relentless, frantic attack. “You should take it,” I offered, preempting her excuse. “Could be something urgent at the company.” Blair quickly retreated to the hallway. I could hear Rhett’s low, anxious voice on the other end. “Blair, what do I do? I have severe anemia! I’m so scared. Can you please come stay with me?” Blair’s body stiffened. “I understand,” she whispered. “I’ll be right there.” She hurried back into the room, telling me to get some rest. She insisted it was urgent business… “A project issue, Nolan. I can’t trust anyone else to handle it.” “Go,” I told her. I leaned back against the pillows, offering no protest, no plea, no reason for her to stay. Blair, looking horribly guilty, promised she’d rush back as soon as she could. 3 During the days I spent recovering, Blair made a show of devotion. She had my favorite meals prepared by a nutritionist and sent fresh flower arrangements daily, with cards that rotated between syrupy declarations of love and apologies. The nurses raved about what a perfect wife she was—beautiful and so doting. But I knew she was spending most of her time accompanying Rhett to his barrage of medical tests. The man’s taunting texts continued: Blair says she only loves me, Nolan. Don’t you get it? You should have been gone a long time ago. My place is here, as Blair’s husband. Delilah even asked us to have a baby brother for her. Nolan, living a life like yours is truly a failure! I finally blocked Rhett, and as I was heading downstairs for a physical therapy session, I saw Blair hurrying in, looking concerned. She said she’d come to take me home and asked if I knew what day it was. I froze, instinctively pulling away from her touch. “What?” “Delilah’s birthday. And my day of suffering,” she said, forcing a little laugh. “Hospital stay must have muddled your head. You forgot.” She claimed I was normally so dedicated, usually planning the party for months. She also mentioned that Delilah was being good: “She promised not to run off and is waiting at home to celebrate with you.” I didn’t reply. As I settled into the passenger seat, I spotted a tacky, personalized sign that read 'Rhett's Ride' and a branded, blue-bear keychain hanging from the rearview mirror. Blair quickly snatched them down. “The guy is forgetful. Left them in my car.” “Uh-huh.” We barely spoke on the drive. As we pulled into the driveway, Blair reached out to steady me, but her assistant rushed up. “Bad news, Ms. Sutton. Rhett was pushed down a flight of stairs. Massive hemorrhaging. His life is critical.” “How could that happen?” Blair’s face went white. She spun around and leveled a terrifying look at me. “It was you, wasn’t it? All that show of being so mature and generous. I thought you were finally over being jealous of Rhett, but you’re still a monster.” I had no idea what she was talking about, but Blair was convinced I’d hired someone to hurt him. She reminded me how I’d shown up at the company before, raving like a lunatic, calling them a cheating whore and a parasitic bastard. “I’ve been trying to make things right with you, Nolan, and this is what you do? When did you become so malicious?” Her eyes were blazing red as she told me to pray Rhett lived. Otherwise, she’d make me pay. “I had nothing to do with it,” I snarled. “If you don’t believe me, call the police!” She grit her teeth. “Don’t think I won’t. Don’t push me into being the one who sends you to prison.” Blair scrambled away to the hospital. Watching her retreating back, I called my attorney and instructed him to draft the divorce papers. Some things, once dirtied, just need to be thrown out. When you find one cockroach in the kitchen, the truth is, the entire foundation is already infested. I spent the whole night alone. Rhett was in surgery. Blair sent me several texts, telling me Delilah had suffered a sudden cardiac episode after getting scared on a roller coaster. She was still hospitalized and screaming for her father. “She keeps calling out for Dad. You’re her biological father. Who else is going to go to her?” Now she remembers me. I’d repeatedly warned them not to take Delilah to the amusement park. My protective nature wasn't a perverse need for control; it was a desperate attempt to shield a brittle child I couldn’t afford to lose. “Rhett was being wheeled into surgery and all he could do was worry about Delilah. And yet, you, her own father…” “Get the papers ready,” I told the attorney. “I want a divorce. I’m no longer responsible for your family of three.” A sudden silence fell on the line. Then, Blair’s voice roared: “You want a divorce? Dream on!” 4 Blair went ballistic. She had her people surround the house, keeping me trapped inside. She demanded I stay put and pray with her that Rhett survived the surgery. “Ma’am, bad news. We have a blood shortage. Mr. Rhett is in desperate need…” “Take him.” Blair glared at me with icy indifference. She said Rhett and I shared the same, rare blood type. I stood frozen, refusing her demand. Her cold eyes hardened. “Don’t force my hand, Nolan.” “Don’t touch me, Blair. You disgusting, cheating fraud!” She grabbed my throat, her grip painfully tight, and claimed I owed this to Rhett. That I was the one who put him in that hospital bed. “It’s just a little blood, Nolan. After this, I promise I won’t let Rhett come near you again.” “Be a good boy. Don’t make a scene.” Blair was pretending to coddle me, but it was a final ultimatum. Her staff pinned me down and dragged me to the hospital. The cold needle pierced my vein, and I watched my blood flow away from me. “That’s 400 CCs, Ma’am. Mr. Nolan’s vitals are dropping. We should stop.” “Keep going. Rhett still needs more. Nolan, it’s just a little blood. I’ll compensate you later. Be a good boy.” Blair insisted Rhett needed more, and that they shouldn't stop. I was dizzy, verging on collapse. As my vision tunneled, I saw the true Blair: ruthless, cruel, and without a shred of humanity. Just before I fainted, I heard the good news being shouted from the operating room. Rhett was stable. “Thank God! Rhett is going to be okay!” “Where’s Uncle Rhett?” Delilah’s small figure stumbled through the door. She had only just been cleared from the ICU, but her first thought was for Rhett. My child, the one I’d risked everything to raise, didn’t even glance at me. She rushed past, desperate to see Rhett. Tears streamed down my face. Though I had accepted their cruelty long ago, the reality of it still tore my heart apart. I was the victim, yet I was the one paying the price. Boom. My world imploded. I could only hear Rhett’s whiny, tearful voice, and Blair’s ecstatic reassurance. “I thought I’d never see you again, Blair.” “I’m here.” “I’m here too, Uncle Rhett.” “Is that Nolan? He looks unconscious. Is he alright?” “He deserves a lesson,” Blair snapped. “There’s a limit to jealousy. He shouldn’t have hurt you like that…” Thump. Thump. My world was reduced to the heavy, staggering sound of my own heartbeat. Am I dying? Just as I completely lost consciousness, a strong arm lifted me.
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