I was with Noah when he had nothing, building his company from the ground up. Five years into our marriage, he cheated on me with an intern. When we met again, two years later, a deep, knowing smile spread across his face. “It’s been a rough couple of years for you, hasn’t it? If only you had been a little more obedient back then.” “Come back,” he said, his voice soft. “I told you, the title of Mrs. Peterson will always be yours.” Just then, a man who radiated the effortless grace of a genius investor wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. “Babe,” he murmured, “who’s this old guy?” The wine glass in Noah’s hand shattered. His voice trembled as he begged me to come back to him. 1 The day I found out Noah was cheating was painfully ordinary. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon. On a whim, I decided to make lunch and bring it to his office. When I arrived, a young woman was fast asleep, her head pillowed on his desk. The framed photo of us that usually sat beside his computer was now lying face down in a messy pile of documents, like a piece of trash. I tapped lightly on the desk. The girl frowned, letting out a soft, sleepy groan. “Stop it, old man. I’m tired.” I paused, then tapped again. She finally lifted her head, her eyes still clouded with sleep. “You must be Mr. Peterson’s maid, right?” “Maid?” She ignored my confusion, her gaze landing on the lunchbox in my hands. “Mr. Peterson’s in a meeting. Just leave it on the coffee table.” I placed the lunchbox on the table and sat down on the sofa. She stretched languidly, then casually opened the lunchbox and popped a piece of chicken into her mouth. She looked up at me again. “Why are you still here?” I watched her stuff her face, a faint smile on my lips. “I’m waiting for Noah.” … She ignored me again, turning her attention to the shredded potatoes in the container. After a few bites, she took out her phone, snapped a picture, and sent a voice message. “Old man, your maid brought you lunch. I tried some for you—it’s way too spicy. Doesn’t she know you have a sensitive stomach?” Noah returned shortly after, looking flustered and out of breath. “What are you doing here?” Before I could answer, the girl piped up, “She brought you lunch.” She stuck her tongue out at Noah, her face a mask of innocent charm. “I saved half for you, but honestly, your maid’s cooking isn’t that great. That place we went to the other day was so much better.” “What are you talking about?” Noah snapped. “She’s your sister-in-law.” Her mouth fell open in feigned surprise. “Sister-in-law? Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I just saw what you were wearing and thought you were the help.” I glanced down at my clothes—a simple white T-shirt and jeans, my hair tied back casually. It was true, I hadn’t put much effort into my appearance. She then extended a hand toward me, introducing herself as if nothing had happened. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. My name is Skylar, I’m a new intern here.” I had no intention of shaking her hand. Noah’s voice was sharp with impatience. “You talk too much. Get out.” She pouted, feigning hurt, and waved at me. “Bye, ma’am.” After Skylar left, the air in the room grew heavy. Noah was the first to break the silence. “She’s just a kid, she doesn’t know what she’s saying. Don’t mind her.” He sat down in the spot Skylar had just vacated and shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth. “This is delicious. My wife’s cooking is getting better and better.” I sat there for a moment, thinking. Then I said, “Fire her.” “What?” “An intern who calls you ‘old man’ and sleeps in your office is disrespectful. Fire her.” “And,” I added, watching him use the same chopsticks Skylar had just used, a wave of nausea rising in my throat, “isn’t that… dirty?” Noah’s expression changed. He slammed the chopsticks down on the table. “I told you, she’s just a kid! Why are you making such a big deal out of this?” “Do you have any idea that she needs this internship for her degree? What’s she supposed to do if you get her fired? Can’t you be a little more forgiving?” Noah rarely lost his composure like this. In five years of marriage, he had always been so agreeable. We almost never had arguments this ugly. I was stunned into silence. His defense of Skylar was a sharp knife twisting in my gut. A sour, bitter feeling clogged my throat, the pain spreading through every nerve. I couldn’t say a word. After a long moment, I flexed my numb fingers, then swept the lunchbox off the table. I stood up and stormed out, slamming the door behind me. Outside, Skylar leaned against the wall, a triumphant, mocking smile on her face. 2 As the elevator doors closed, I stared at my reflection, a heavy feeling settling in my chest. Trapped at home all these years, I really had let myself go. Back when I was helping Noah scout locations and meet with clients, I used to put effort into my makeup and clothes. But once the company stabilized and I didn’t need to be out in the field anymore, I took a step back, content to be a homebody. On the rare occasions I went out, a quick swipe of sunscreen and lipstick was all I bothered with. I looked at my face in the mirror, at the tired, defeated woman staring back. I was no longer at an age where I could get by on natural beauty alone. The sun beat down on me, but it couldn’t burn away the frustration building inside. I took a deep breath, counted to three, and decided to do some damage with Noah’s credit card. I called my best friend, Ava, as I walked toward the mall. “A maid?” Ava was laughing so hard she could barely stand, leaning against the makeup counter where I was getting a makeover. “Is that girl blind? Seriously, if she doesn’t want her eyes, she should donate them. Rebecca, you were the campus beauty queen! Your skin is flawless. Even in a T-shirt and jeans, you’re miles ahead of her.” I let the makeup artist work her magic, brushing and blending powders on my face. The woman in the mirror was starting to look a little less pathetic. “It’s not what she said that bothers me,” I explained. “It’s just… a wake-up call. I need to make some changes.” I thought about Noah, eating the food I made for him while defending Skylar. He had always been so particular about boundaries, so clean. Yet he had used her chopsticks without a second thought. He was a neat freak, yet he had allowed her to turn his desk into a chaotic mess. In the places I couldn’t see, he had already changed so much. Halfway through our shopping spree, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Noah. A screenshot of a termination notice. [My dearest wife, I have followed your command and dismissed the irrelevant person. I was out of line earlier. I’m on my way home to kneel on a keyboard as penance.] 3 That evening, I returned home laden with shopping bags to find Noah busy in the kitchen. The dining table was pretentiously set with a few candles and two glasses of red wine. Hearing the door open, he peeked out. “You’re home, honey. Just a minute, your favorite tomato beef stew is almost ready.” I sat down on the sofa. He presented me with a beautiful box. Inside was a glittering diamond necklace. “Honey, I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you over someone so unimportant. I’m ready for my punishment.” I raised an eyebrow. “Any punishment?” “Any punishment.” I thought for a moment. “Transfer me fifty million.” He froze. In five years of marriage, this was the first time I had ever asked him for money. “What, you can’t?” If the man I had given my heart and soul to had a change of heart, I thought, then getting his money was the next best thing. He quickly denied it. “Of course I can. What’s mine is yours, right?” I just smiled, not answering. He was true to his word. After a quick call to his assistant, the fifty million was in my account. Earlier, while shopping with Ava, she had mentioned a student’s startup project at our old university. It had potential but lacked funding. I got the account information from her and transferred the money over. Better for me to fund a charity than for Noah to use it to support his new pet project. The food was served. As usual, Noah chattered on about his day at work. I chewed the beef in my mouth. It was tasteless. He had made this dish countless times, and I always cleaned my plate. Now, it was bland. Food, I realized, was like people. It could lose its flavor. We both tacitly avoided mentioning Skylar. After that day, he started coming home on time every evening, bringing me a bouquet of fresh flowers without fail. He would ask if I wanted to eat at home or go out. On weekends, we’d watch TV and play video games. He was spending more time with me than ever before. Everything seemed to be back to normal. Ava tried to reassure me. “Maybe it was nothing. The girl was just an opportunist trying to stir up trouble. If you let it get to you, you’re just falling into her trap.” I considered it. It was normal for a successful man like Noah to attract attention. Besides, Skylar was gone. We would probably never see her again. But I was wrong. … I was woken from my afternoon nap by a series of sharp, urgent knocks on the door. I opened it to find Skylar standing there, holding Noah’s jacket. “Noah forgot his jacket. It looks like it’s going to rain, so I brought it over for him.” I stared at her slightly rounded belly, a loud ringing in my ears. The world went blank, and I felt myself falling, falling into a bottomless pit. Outside, lightning flashed across the sky. The clouds had turned a dark, bruised purple. A storm was coming. It took me a long moment to find my voice. “What do you mean?” She cradled her stomach. “I’m pregnant. It’s Noah’s. He didn’t come home for our prenatal routine at lunch today, and the baby must have missed him. It’s been kicking me all afternoon, so I came to check on him.” My gaze traveled from her belly to her face. “You’re saying he sees you every day?” She looked at me with exaggerated surprise. “The man you share a bed with isn’t home at night, and you don’t even know?” “He’s always so busy with work, and then he has to run back and forth to take care of me and the baby. Sometimes I get hungry in the middle of the night, and he brings me food. He’s so nervous about every little thing the baby does.” She then looked me up and down with disdain. “Oh, why am I even telling you this? The joy of creating a new life with the person you love… a barren woman like you would never understand.” My heart seized. Pain and dizziness swirled together. I gripped the doorframe to keep from collapsing, my stomach churning. Images of Noah’s recent attentiveness flashed through my mind. What I had thought was a return to normal, a rekindling of our love, was just a carefully orchestrated performance by a master of time management. While I was angry and sleeping in the guest room, he was putting on a show of reconciliation while secretly running to Skylar’s apartment night after night. And I had almost, almost forgiven him. I heard my own voice, trembling uncontrollably. “Skylar, what are you trying to say?” A slow, cruel smile spread across her face. She leaned in, looking down at me. “What, am I wrong? Noah told me himself. You’re just a hen that can’t lay eggs.” Ignoring my shattered expression, she eagerly stepped inside. “The mistress of this house will be me soon. Your taste in decor is terrible. It looks like the baby and I will have to redecorate when we move in.” I fought back the nausea, watching her feet tread across the living room floor, each step feeling like it was on my face. “Get out of my house.” She ignored my rage, glancing outside as if just noticing the weather. Then, surprisingly, she complied. As she reached the doorway, she suddenly rushed toward me, grabbing my hand and screaming, “Don’t hit me! Don’t hurt my baby!” Then, she threw herself down the front steps. My hand was still outstretched, my body trembling uncontrollably. The steps weren’t high, but Skylar lay on the ground, screaming in agony. A dark, crimson stain was spreading from beneath her dress. I instinctively moved to help her, but Noah, who had just run up from outside, shoved me aside. I stumbled back, my voice a pale, desperate whisper. “Noah, it wasn’t me…” He was already cradling Skylar, his bloodshot eyes filled with a hatred and rage I had never seen before. “You vicious woman! How could you? It’s just a child!” “Noah.” I ran after him. He turned and glared at me, his eyes like daggers, ready to tear me apart. I froze. He didn’t look at me again. He settled Skylar in the back seat, murmuring reassurances, and then sped away without another word. 4 A clap of thunder, and then the rain finally came, in huge, heavy drops. I don’t know how long I sat there, on the wet steps, before Ava rushed over as night fell, draping her coat over my shoulders. When Ava and I arrived at the hospital, Noah was at Skylar’s bedside, his eyes red-rimmed. Skylar was hysterical, throwing the bowl in her hands and screaming at me to get out. Noah pulled us into the hallway, his eyes cold and unfamiliar. “Rebecca, no matter what, the baby is innocent! How could you do that? If something happens to the baby, I’ll…” “You’ll what?” Ava’s voice was like ice, cutting him off. “What does the baby have to do with Rebecca?” “You shut your mouth.” Noah’s temper flared, and he yelled at Ava. “This is our family’s business! What right do you, an outsider, have to interfere?” He then sneered at me. “I told you not to hang around with her. She’s the one who corrupted you with her shameless, manipulative ways.” Slap. I hit him across the face, cutting off his vile words. “You don’t get to talk about my friends. Why don’t you explain why a fired intern is pregnant with your child, instead of lecturing me and my friend? Noah, how dare you be so brazen about your affair?” Noah’s face turned shades of purple and white, the fury in his eyes intensifying. “We’ll talk about this later. But I’m telling you, Rebecca, if anything happens to that baby, you’re a murderer!” He said it so loudly, so fluently, as if he had already condemned me a thousand times in his mind. My palm stung, but my heart felt like it had been squeezed, crushed, and then ground into the floor. Even breathing was an agony. Trying to clear up the misunderstanding, I forced myself to calm down and looked him in the eye. “I didn’t push her. She fell on her own.” He stared at me for a second, then laughed, his eyes filled with scorn. “Are you saying Skylar used her own unborn child as a pawn just to frame you? That she threw herself down the stairs?” “Yes.” “You’re still lying!” His tone shifted instantly. He grabbed my chin, his voice laced with fury. “Why would she pay such a high price just to frame you? Do you think everyone is a fool?” He was using considerable force, my jaw felt like it was about to break, but the pain in my heart was far worse. I closed my eyes in despair, tears of pain streaming down my face. They fell onto his hand, and he let go as if he’d been burned. Ava quickly pulled me into her arms. “You monster, Noah!” “Honey,” he said, his voice calmer now. “I already made an arrangement with Skylar. After the baby is born, we’ll raise it. I’ll give her ten million and send her abroad. We’ll cut all ties.” He slumped to the floor, his voice full of blame. “You’ll be the baby’s mother. You get to have a child without going through the pain of pregnancy. What more could you want? Why can’t you just be a little more patient, a little more tolerant?” It was a joke of epic proportions. My husband wanted me to be a mother to his and his mistress’s child, and he expected me to be grateful. What a magnificent gift. I leaned on Ava for support and looked down at him, my voice surprisingly calm. “Let’s get a divorce.” He looked up, shocked. After a moment, a small laugh escaped him. “A divorce? Have you forgotten you’re barren? Who do you think would want a woman who can’t have children?” I exhaled, my heart dead. “If you don’t agree, I’ll sue.” He was about to say more, but Skylar called for him from the room. He turned quickly. “Fine, if you want a divorce, you’ll get it. But don’t you regret it.” 5 Because she was brought to the hospital in time, Skylar’s baby was saved. The day I went to deliver the divorce papers, Noah was handling her discharge. “My ten percent stake in the company, sold to you at market value. We split the savings. I get the house, you get the cars.” Skylar, her face pale, muttered beside him, “She doesn’t even work, just sits at home all day. Can’t even have a kid. Why should she get half…” I looked at her like she was an idiot. “Why don’t you consult a lawyer about the legal consequences of adultery during a marriage?” Skylar shut her mouth, looking at Noah with a wounded expression. Noah looked down at the divorce papers on the table, his expression shifting through a range of emotions before he finally spoke. “Are you sure about this? You sell me your shares, and you lose your annual dividends.” “Rebecca, are you being naive? Even with half the savings, you’ll just burn through it. Without me, you’re nothing.” I stood there stubbornly, as if I hadn’t heard him, and held out the pen. “Sign it.” He stared at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and a strange, inexplicable pain. Skylar bit her lip and nudged him. “Noah…” He snapped back to reality and quickly signed his name. … Walking out of the hospital with the papers, I felt a sense of disorientation. Noah and I had been through so much, from college to our careers. Everyone had said we weren't a good match, that I was marrying down and would regret it. Every time I wanted to give up, he would beg me, his eyes red, to just hold on a little longer, to wait for him. So I used all my resources, threw caution to the wind, and helped him build his business. When he finally made it, he treated me just as well as he always had. Everyone then said my gamble had paid off. It took us seven years to go from dating to marriage. It took him seven seconds to sign the divorce papers. My persistence had become a joke. My heart felt heavy, suffocated by the shards of my memories. I walked out of the hospital like a zombie. The sun was bright, but my fingertips were ice cold. “Rebecca!” I looked up numbly. Ava was standing in the sunlight, waiting for me. Behind her stood a handsome, charismatic young man. When he saw me, he spoke first. “Sister.” I was taken aback. The young man walked toward me. “Sister, I’m Sergio. Do you remember me?” I nodded numbly. Of course I remembered that captivating face.
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