Chapter 1

When Julian Carter returned home, he found me still awake and gave me a puzzled look. He asked, "Delilah? Why are you still awake?"

The sky was just beginning to brighten as I slowly raised my head, staring blankly before noticing the marks on his neck. I froze for a moment before letting out a bitter smile.

"Why are you coming home at this hour?" I questioned him back.

Even though I should have guessed what was happening, I just never expected it to be so blatantly displayed before me.

Julian hesitated when he heard my hoarse voice. Then, he noticed where I was looking and instinctively touched the marks on his neck.

He said awkwardly, "I was helping Nadine fix her refrigerator. It took until late, so I dozed off at her place. I didn't want to disturb you and Ezra by coming home, and these marks are just bug bites—don't overthink it."

A mosquito bite in the dead of winter and right after Valentine's Day, no less. Julian's excuse made my expression grow colder as I gently soothed the baby in my arms.

I patted my son, Ezra Carter, softly while muttering under my breath, "He's too young to grow up without a father..."

"What are you talking about? Don't let your imagination run wild," Julian continued playing dumb.

I sighed inwardly and lost all desire to continue talking with him. Afterward, I placed our sleeping baby in the crib and prepared to return to the bedroom.

"Delilah Larson!" Julian suddenly rushed forward and hugged me from behind.

I froze, my entire body tensing up.

However, Julian seemed oblivious as he rested his chin on my shoulder. "You need to know that I love you."

"Let go!" I frowned, my voice tinged with impatience.

Yet, Julian would not release me and continued explaining, "Are you still angry about yesterday? Don't be childish.

"You're my wife now. You should be more understanding about Nadine and me not seeing each other for so long, especially since you were the one who messed up her new house first."

I could no longer contain my anger and burst out, "Julian, would I have embarrassed myself if it wasn't for you? You knew I was still recovering from childbirth and wasn't well, yet you made me clean her house.

"Now this happened and you want me to be understanding? How could you be so heartless?"

Julian sighed as if he were the victim. Then, he offered a half-hearted apology. "You're right. That was on me. I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again."

My reply to him was no more than a cold, dismissive snort.

I had been married to Julian for three years, but ever since I got pregnant, our relationship had been nothing more than a facade. I was not blind to Julian's lack of feelings for me, but whenever I thought about leaving, I could not bring myself to do it.

When I looked at Ezra, all my resolve disappeared. He was so young, and I could not bear to be that cruel. But now, I felt that this kind of father was not worth staying for.

Our conversation had woken Ezra, who started crying. I broke free from Julian's embrace and picked up our precious son, holding him close and comforting him.

I whispered, "There, there, Ezra. Don't cry. I'm here. It's okay..."

Julian opened his mouth to say something else, but the sound of the door opening interrupted him. He muttered something about checking who it was. When he opened the door, he found Nadine Stephens standing there with a pitiful expression.

She hesitantly asked, trembling, "Julian, c-can I stay here tonight? I spent the night at my new place, but the fumes from the paint are giving me a horrible headache."

I stepped closer, holding Ezra tightly, and frowned. "If it's that bad, you should stay at a hotel ins—"

"Of course! Come on in!" Julian cut me off with a wide smile, his tone warm and inviting. "You must've had a rough night. Did you get any sleep at all?"

Nadine paused for a moment, then looked at me timidly. "Won't it be too much trouble for Delilah?"

"It's no trouble at all, just an extra plate at dinner. Delilah won't mind," Julian replied as he grabbed her suitcase and started bringing it inside.

He was not just making decisions for me but kept giving me meaningful looks to play along. I felt utterly exhausted, realizing I could not bear another day of this life.

"Who said I don't mind? Who gave you permission to stay here? Get out! This is my house!" I snapped, cutting off their conversation as I blocked the hallway.

My glare was sharp, and my tone left no room for debate as I stared Nadine down. I had no patience left for any of this.

Julian frowned again and tried to move past me into the house. When he saw I would not budge, he scolded me with frustration, "Delilah, why are you making things difficult for her? Can't you be more sympathetic?

"Nadine really has nowhere else to go, so she's asking us for help! This is just friends helping friends—why are you acting like this?"

Nadine's eyes welled up with tears. "Julian, please don't fight with Delilah. I'm clearly causing trouble. I'll leave right now. Please don't argue. It's fine, really!"

She apologized while backing toward the door, but Julian immediately grabbed her arm to stop her. "Nadine, what are you talking about? We've known each other for years. There's no way I'd let you stay somewhere else!"

After consoling her, Julian turned to me and lowered his voice. "Delilah, I know what you're worried about.

"I swear I would never betray you. Nadine and I are just childhood friends. If anything were going to happen between us, it would have happened long before I married you."

I laughed bitterly at his words, unable to contain my anger anymore. "Exactly! If there were something between you two, I wouldn't have married you in the first place!

"Julian, doesn't it bother your conscience at all to say something like that? You're just making excuses for your affair! You're fooling yourself. Do you think we're all idiots?"

"Is this all the trust you have in me?" Julian was shocked.

I stared at him coldly, my voice cracking as I asked, "What else should I think?"

"Fine. Think whatever you want," Julian replied, his frustration evident.

He grabbed Nadine's suitcase again, forcing his way past me.

I stepped back, locking eyes with him as his anger spilled over.

"Delilah, if you think I'm cheating, then go ahead and see for yourself! And don't think that you get to call all the shots in this house just because we have a child together.

"Nadine is staying here tonight, and that's final!"

Julian forcefully arranged for Nadine to stay in the guest bedroom. Meanwhile, I stood there, emotionally drained and without the energy to argue further.

I should have known this would be the outcome and wondered why I had even bothered fighting it—perhaps because I still held a glimmer of hope for our relationship.

"Sorry for the trouble, Delilah," Nadine said as she followed Julian inside, nodding at me with false guilt while her eyes sparkled with triumph.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, telling myself to endure just a few more days. Once my postpartum recovery period was over, this marriage would finally come to an end. This misery would be over.

After that, Julian and I hardly spoke. I had expected him to find an excuse to keep Nadine company, but surprisingly, he came straight to our bedroom after his shower.

I lay in bed, my gaze blank and my back tensing as I felt his warmth approach. I instinctively wanted to pull away, feeling almost nauseous. I was surprised to realize how much my body naturally rejected him.

"Honey," Julian whispered as he embraced me from behind, his hands beginning to wander.

"Don't touch me! I want to sleep tonight," I rejected his advances bluntly, showing no consideration for his feelings.

Julian paused, seemingly embarrassed by the rejection. Then, he sighed and finally pulled away in silence.

Nadine started her dramatics again. She quietly opened her door and walked out in her pajamas and slippers.

"Nadine!" Julian jumped out of bed at the sound and rushed after her. When he came back, he looked apologetic.

"Sorry, honey. Nadine is... sleepwalking. I need to keep an eye on her next door," he explained lamely.

I did not bother stopping him, saying instead, "Go ahead. Do whatever you want, Julian."

"Not just whatever you want, but whatever both of you want," I thought bitterly.

...

Nadine approached me the next morning, acting all apologetic. "Delilah, I'm so sorry about leaving you alone last night. I've had this sleepwalking issue for years.

"I usually lock my doors and windows, but I forgot last night. I even have a doctor's note if you don't believe me."

She reached for my hand as she spoke, but I pulled away in disgust. Her face showed guilt and remorse, but her eyes could not hide her triumph.

Julian stood nearby, ready to jump in and defend her if I "made things difficult".

"Got it. You don't need to explain," I replied flatly.

My indifference seemed to catch them both off guard. Their surprised expressions told me they had hoped for a bigger reaction, but now, they had no excuse to continue pestering me.

Julian seemed uncomfortable and tried to speak several times without success. Just then, Ezra let out a small cry, and I walked past them without a word to warm up his milk.

Contrary to what they claimed, Nadine had not just returned recently. From what I knew, she had been back from abroad since I started showing the baby bump—at least six months ago. They were both complete liars.

…

Later, Julian brought breakfast, and we sat through an awkward meal together. Right after, I got a text from the hospital about my postpartum follow-up appointment.

"Julian, the hospital just notified me about my checkup," I said as I showed him the message on my phone.

Julian looked uneasy, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I need to help clean Nadine's house today, so I can't go with you. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Sure," I replied, having expected this response. I started gathering Ezra's necessities, preparing to leave with him.

"Honey!" Julian called out, looking guiltily at our son. "Let me take care of Ezra. It's a long trip to the hospital, and I don't want you to forget anything while managing him, too."

I was caught off guard by his offer. After all, he had not voluntarily helped with the baby once during this past month since the birth.

Considering the distance, I reluctantly accepted his suggestion but could not help adding, "The milk is in the fridge. You know the right temperature he likes. Remember to feed him in small amounts frequently—don't overfeed him at once."

"No problem, honey! Don't worry!" Julian replied confidently, so I had no choice but to leave.

...

The checkup went smoothly, with the doctor explaining that my postpartum bleeding would gradually decrease. Nonetheless, he stressed the importance of managing my emotions to prevent other complications.

I had just thanked the doctor and was about to leave the examination room when Julian sent me a message.

"Delilah, Ezra won't stop throwing up! What's going on?"

"What?" I panicked instantly and told him to bring Ezra to the hospital immediately.

When Julian and Nadine arrived with Ezra, my baby looked pale and utterly drained.

The sight of his pale face made my knees weak, and the doctors immediately rushed him into the emergency room. At such a young age, any health issue could be life-threatening.

I turned to Julian, who looked just as panicked, and slapped him hard across the face in my fury.

I roared, "What happened? I was gone for less than two hours, and this is what you did to our baby? Julian, did you do this on purpose? That's our child!"

Julian stood there stunned, holding his cheek and staring at me in shock. He stammered, "Well... i-it's..."

I grabbed his collar and dragged him toward the emergency room window, demanding answers repeatedly until he finally confessed.

"I... I let Nadine feed him. She's always been curious about Ezra and really likes him, but she... apparently didn't heat the milk properly. After one bottle, he started vomiting and having diarrhea nonstop."

I snapped, "You let her feed our baby? What were you thinking? Julian, are you out of your mind?"

I released his collar and slapped him again, screaming, "Julian, I swear if anything happens to Ezra, I'll make you both pay! I won't let either of you get away with this! If something happens to him, I'll make your lives miserable!"

I noticed Nadine silently crying behind him, which only fueled my rage. Six months of suppressed anger finally exploded, and I slapped her, too.

Through her screams, I grabbed her hair and slammed her against the wall. "And you, you homewrecker! Julian might not see it, but I do! You wanted to harm my baby! Nadine, if anything happens to Ezra, you're next."

Nadine cried out in pain, struggling to free herself. She yelled, "Delilah, I didn't mean to... I've never taken care of a baby before. I swear it wasn't intentional!

"Delilah! Let go! You're going to kill me! Ah!"

Julian could not stand watching me attack Nadine and grabbed my wrist. "Delilah! Nadine didn't do it on purpose! Ezra's still in danger, and you're making things worse!

"What's done is done. Can't you just calm down?"

I turned and slapped him again, glaring at him with disbelief. "Julian, are you seriously more worried about Nadine than Ezra right now? Do you think I shouldn't hit her? Who is she to even touch my baby?"

As a crowd gathered, Julian, having been slapped several times, finally lost his temper and shouted so loudly that everyone fell silent, "Enough, Delilah! Get a grip!"

A nurse pulled me away, urging me to calm down, while security guards controlled the situation and dispersed the onlookers.

I watched Julian pull Nadine close to protect her, and I suddenly felt drained. Eventually, I gave up fighting and sat helplessly in the hallway chair, waiting for news from the doctor.

After what felt like forever, the doctor emerged from the emergency room. I rushed forward and grabbed his arm. "Doctor, how's my baby?"

Julian and Nadine hurried over, too, waiting for the doctor's answer.

The doctor removed his mask and spoke softly under my anxious gaze, "Your baby is no longer in danger. Are you the parents? You were incredibly careless! Unsterilized milk can be fatal for infants."

I nodded repeatedly at the doctor's scolding, my eyes red with tears. Relief washed over me, and my body finally relaxed.

After the doctor left, Julian sat beside me and put his arm around my shoulders to comfort me. "Ezra is out of danger now, honey. Don't worry too much. This was my fault, and it won't happen again. We've learned our lesson."

I shrugged off his arm, stood up, and gave a bitter smile. "Julian, there won't be a next time."

Julian froze for a moment before frowning and asking, "What do you mean?"