Chapter 4

Ray seemingly took Christine's phone, his voice softening and adopting an apologetic tone. "Susan, please don't misinterpret. It was a bridal advertisement photoshoot. They were short-handed, and the director asked me to step in."

I clutched the phone tightly, feeling the hard plastic against my hand. His excuses no longer affected me. After a moment, I forced a strained cheerfulness into my voice. "And what about Christine's earlier comments? Were those part of the script too?"

I heard him inhale sharply, but I continued. My words flowed like poison. "Was this an ad, or some bizarre play about a mistress taking the wife's place? You seem to understand the distinction better than I do. And kudos to Christine for her performance. Tell me—was it based on real experiences, or just good acting?"

My voice sliced through the connection. For once, Ray had no clever comeback. A heavy silence hung between us. When he finally spoke, his voice quavered. "Susan... you're reading too much into this."

"Am I?" I retorted, my tone icy.

Because I had loved so deeply, the betrayal felt like drowning. Memories flooded back, each a reminder of what I had given up for him.

Years back, when my parents relocated overseas for work, they pleaded with me to join them. My mother had even sent photos of the room she'd prepared for me—elegant furniture in soft colors, a four-poster bed with flowing drapes. It was a fantasy waiting to become reality.

But then disaster struck the Palmer family. Ray's parents perished in a terrible car crash, leaving him—barely fifteen—to shoulder the burden of their business and estate. He clung to me desperately.

I could still hear his shaky voice from that night. "Susan, don't abandon me. You're all I have left. I promise, I'll cherish you forever and never let you down."

So I stayed. I relinquished my family, my aspirations, and my comfort, all for him. For fifteen years, I stood by him, believing in a promise of love that now seemed like a cruel joke.

That evening, I retired early, the lingering pain in my belly reminding me of my recent loss. Sleep came in fits and starts, my mind wrestling with the weight of my choices and the looming shadow of a crumbling marriage.

At 3 a.m., Ray stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. His disheveled appearance repulsed me, but what disturbed me more was the smug grin plastered on his face.

"Susan," he slurred, propping himself against the doorframe. "I know I've been neglecting you lately. That wedding today... it was just for show. Christine wanted to wear a bridal gown, so I saw it as a perk for her."

His words ignited fresh anger within me, but he didn't notice. Instead, he continued in a tone that suggested he was doing me a favor. "I know it upset you, but don't worry. I won't hold it against you."

He lurched to the bathroom, leaving me seething silently. When he emerged, his hair wet and his body naked, my stomach churned. He approached me, oblivious to the disgust in my eyes.

"Susan," he murmured, sliding into bed and reaching for my nightgown buttons. His touch felt abrasive against my skin. "Let's have a baby. Once you're expecting, you won't feel so bored and you'll stop overthinking all this nonsense."

His words pierced my heart. He would never know that we had already had a child—one I had carried, loved, and lost because of his infidelity.

When he leaned in to kiss me, I pushed him away forcefully. "Get off!" I yelled, my voice hoarse with rage and anguish. "Don't touch me!"

Caught off guard, Ray tumbled to the floor, his expression shifting from shock to anger. "Susan, haven't you had enough of this drama?" he snapped, his voice rising.

I sat up, my chest heaving with emotion. The man before me was unrecognizable from the boy I had once loved. "Isn't tonight your special evening with Christine?" I spat. "You've been intimate with her—don't come here and touch me."

For a moment, Ray froze, his face a whirlwind of emotions—shock, guilt, and anger. His complexion paled, his usual confidence crumbling. After a long pause, he finally muttered, "So you know everything?"

My heart shattered further at his admission. I stared at him, my voice quivering with a mix of sorrow and revulsion. "Why, Ray? Why did you cheat on me?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he smirked, a bitter, twisted expression. "Which man doesn't stray?" he said, his tone dripping with condescension. "Susan, I was trying to preserve your dignity, but you insisted on throwing it away."

Ray leaned against the doorframe, his face a blend of arrogance and frustration. "Christine is younger and more attractive than you," he said bluntly, his tone devoid of remorse. "She's always around, enticing me. You know I can't resist. Why can't you just ignore it? Why make such a scene? You're only humiliating yourself."

I stared at him, my body shaking with anger and disbelief. The room seemed to shrink around me, every corner filled with the bitterness of his betrayal. My laugh burst out unbidden, sharp and humorless, echoing with the pain I couldn't contain.

"You're incredible," I said, my voice low but trembling with fury. Rising from the bed, I walked to the door and flung it open, gesturing toward the hallway. "Ray, leave. I never want to see you again."

Before I finished speaking, his phone buzzed from his bag. The sound cut through the tense silence and when he answered, a woman's excited voice came through, loud and clear.

"Darling, I have the most wonderful news—we're expecting a baby! It's true!"