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Chapter 2
“Yeah,” Ethan chimed in, “Mommy is always so mean and scary. She’s not pretty like Emma. I don’t want her to be my mommy anymore!”
He wrapped his arms around Emma’s legs. “Don’t worry, Emma. I’ll make sure you become
my mommy soon!”
David frowned and pulled him away. “Ethan! Don’t talk like that, especially not in front of
your mother!”
Ethan crossed his arms and glared at him. “But daddy, you love Emma! You’re not being honest! Last night, you were playing games with her in your room! And the teacher said the
one who isn’t loved is the side chick!”
David clamped his hand over Ethan’s mouth. “Stop saying such ridiculous things!”
Emma pulled Ethan into a hug, glaring at David. “Why are you scaring him? He’s not Wrong, is he?”
David’s eyes flashed with anger. “I’m warning you, stop putting these ideas in his head! If Evelyn finds out, we’re both screwed!”
Ethan continued to babble in Emma’s arms, completely oblivious to the tension.
I stood there, hidden from view, watching the scene unfold with a growing sense of horror. This was my son? The child I had poured all my love and energy into, sacrificing my own. needs to provide him with the best education and opportunities? How could he say such
cruel things?
Rain began to fall, cold and relentless. I stepped out from my hiding spot and let it wash over me, a physical manifestation of the chill that had seeped into my bones.
I couldn’t stay here, not anymore. I pulled out my phone and called David.
“David,” I said, my voice dévoid of emotion, “It’s raining. Come pick me up from the office.”
I watched as he turned, his face a mask of guilt and panic, and looked out the window.
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Chapter 2
He had no idea I was already here, watching the pathetic charade he called a life. The life
that had once been mine.
“Now?” David stammered, glancing nervously at Emma.
“Yes,” I replied, my voice clipped. “I’m just about to head downstairs.”
I hung up without waiting for a response and watched as the drama inside continued to
unfold.
“What does she want?” Emma demanded, clinging to David’s arm as if her life depended on it. “David, you promised you would spend the day with me!”
“It’s just a bit of rain,” he said dismissively. “I’ll be back soon. Be a good girl and get a cab
home, okay?”
He planted a quick kiss on her cheek, but Emma didn’t look convinced. She knew, as well as I did, that David rarely kept his promises. Especially not when it came to her.
“Don’t be mad, Emma,” Ethan piped up, grabbing her hand and kissing it. “I promise, I will make sure Daddy divorces that mean mommy! Then, we can be together forever!”
It suddenly dawned on me. Ethan’s affection for Emma, his kisses and hugs, were all a learned behavior. A twisted imitation of the love he saw between his father and his
mistress. Shame washed over me. David and I had been so caught up in our own lives, our careers and responsibilities, that we had forgotten to nurture the love between us. No wonder Ethan craved that kind of physical affection, that outward display of adoration.
I turned and walked away, the image of their “happy family” seared into my mind. The rain. had intensified, and I could feel the icy water soaking through my clothes, but I barely noticed. My insides were a storm of fury and heartbreak.
I had been played for a fool. Worse, I had played myself. I had been so blinded by my own ambitions, my desire to create the perfect life, that I had failed to see the cracks in my own
foundation.
I hailed a cab and gave the driver my address. As the car pulled away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was leaving behind more than just a cheating husband and a brainwashed. child. I was leaving behind a part of myself. A part that had believed in fairy tales.
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When I got home, I went straight to our bedroom and threw open my walk–in closet: 1 started frantically going through everything, my heart pounding in my chest.
Apart from the dress I had seen on Emma, everything else seemed to be in place. It appeared she hadn’t dared to steal anything else, at least not yet. But she had stolen. something far more precious. My husband. My son. My life.
