"Irene, are you okay? Is Arnold taking good care of you?" Erica asked in a panic when Irene contacted her. Irene's voice sounded hoarse and rough, making Erica worried."When are you coming back to Jaketon? I want you to be here when I give birth.""Wait, where's Arnold? Is he still not paying attention to you?" Erica's concern grew. She rarely received calls from Arnold, except when there was a work-related issue that needed to be discussed."Arnold... he says he's very busy with work."Erica let out a heavy sigh. From Irene's voice, she suspected Erica was in trouble. But it seemed that the heavily pregnant woman was still keeping things to herself."Alright, Irene. I'll finish my work here. I'll try to come back before you give birth. You and your baby need to stay healthy, okay?""Thank you. Thank you!"After hanging up with Irene, Erica sent a message to Arnold, urging him to be more attentive to Irene. However, Erica did not answer Arnold's calls when he tried to reach her
Arnold and Erica's faces became tense as they saw the doctor standing in the doorway."How is she, doctor?" Erica couldn't wait to hear about Irene and her baby."Congratulations, sir. You have a healthy baby girl," the female doctor said, and for a moment, Arnold and Erica breathed a sigh of relief.But their faces remained anxious, as they still hadn't heard about Irene's condition."How is the mother, doctor?" Arnold asked, his voice trembling."Are you her husband?" The doctor looked at Arnold intently."Y-yes, doctor," Arnold stammered, feeling guilty for never accompanying Irene to her hospital visits."Sir, Irene's condition is... critical. We are still trying to stop the bleeding. Please pray for her."Arnold was stunned by the doctor's words. He couldn't say anything as the doctor turned and left him and Erica in the waiting room."Oh God, what kind of husband am I? Erica... Erica... Irene is critical. What should I do?" Arnold shook Erica's body in frustration."All
"Mommy, why is Daddy's profile picture a woman? Who is she?"'What?'I was startled by Gillian's question. She was my seven-year-old daughter.I immediately looked up Derrick's contact on WhatsApp and clicked on his profile picture. True enough, it was a photo of a young woman dressed provocatively with shoulder-length hair. I quickly saved the photo to my gallery."Oh, that might be one of your dad's office friends. His friends often play pranks," I replied, trying to find a suitable excuse so she wouldn't think badly of her father.About three minutes later, the profile picture changed to a calligraphy image. 'Perhaps Derrick accidentally clicked on it. But why was that woman's photo saved? Who is she really?' I knew I had to investigate.So I forwarded the photo to Bradley with a message: [Please check who this is as soon as possible.]Bradley was Derrick's coworker and a trusted confidant of Benny Humphrey, the CEO. Uncle Benny was a close friend of my late father and care
"Shall we head home?" Derrick approached me at the empty reception area.With weary steps, I followed Derrick to our car, suppressing my emotions, knowing they would crumble when the time came.On the way home, Derrick seemed happy, smiling to himself as if infatuated. However, to me, he seemed more like a madman.As Derrick drove and savored his moment, I discreetly texted Carrie, my assistant, whom Derrick did not know about.Carrie managed all my business affairs, including the property business I had been quietly running. Advanced technology and communication tools were invaluable in overseeing this venture from home, particularly when Derrick was at the office, and I was taking care of household chores.The car pulled into the driveway, stopping in front of my mother-in-law's house. Yes, ever since we got married, we had been living with my mother-in-law, Ruth. Derrick always claimed his savings weren't sufficient whenever I broached the topic of buying a house."Sarah, wher
Today, I intentionally cooked early in the morning. After dropping Gillian off at school, I planned to meet Uncle Benny and some company shareholders.Uncle Benny had scheduled the meeting at one of our branch offices, so thankfully, I wouldn't have to see Derrick or Kendall, who were at the head office."Hello!" a voice rang from outside. Who’s visiting this early? The voice sounded familiar.Then I heard the noise of kids in the living room.I walked to the front to see who had arrived.My eyes widened seeing Lorraine and her husband, Jack, with their three kids already sitting at the dining table. They were shamelessly having breakfast with Derrick, Ruth, and Gillian.The hell?! They were getting more and more brazen.Luckily, I had already eaten breakfast in the kitchen. I stood there, stunned, watching these uninvited guests eat without a care. All the food I had cooked this morning was gone.I knew Lorraine wouldn’t clean up after her kids."Gillian, let’s go. We’ll be l
"Sarah!""Yeah, Mom?""Where have you been? I'm hungry. My head is spinning looking at this mess. Lorraine's kids are so naughty." Ruth, who had just woken up, came out of her room and approached me."I've already cleaned the house, Mom. Please be patient. The food will be ready soon.""Lorraine is so irresponsible, leaving her kids here," Ruth muttered.Ruth was rather strange. She wouldn't dare say things like that in front of her own daughter.But no matter what, I had a moral duty to continue respecting her.After finishing the cooking, I invited Ruth to eat together at the dining table. She must be really hungry by now."Mom!" Lorraine's loud voice came from outside."When entering someone's house, it’s better to greet and say hello. Don't just yell," I muttered as I enjoyed the still-warm lunch."Hey, this is my mom's house. I can do whatever I want. You're just a guest here. Don't tell me what to do," Lorraine snapped, glaring at me."Relax, Lorraine. Your face is alr
Without waiting a second longer, I tried to unlock Derrick's phone. And... it really unlocked.My eyes widened when I saw a message from Kendall at the top. I opened it immediately, and it was just one unread message.[Okay, see you tomorrow, Derrick.]This seemed like a reply. It meant they had been texting before. But it looked like Derrick had deleted the earlier messages. My husband was being cautious.I let out a frustrated sigh. My suspicions weren’t confirmed yet, but I wasn't going to stop here. I would uncover all Derrick's lies."Honey, turn off the lights. It's late."I jumped at Derrick's voice. Slowly, I put his phone back in its place and turned off the light. I lay down beside Derrick, who was already back in dreamland.-This morning, my usual routine awaited me: cooking, cleaning the house, and taking care of Gillian and Derrick.Maybe starting next month, I'd hire a housekeeper to have someone focus on looking after Gillian. I didn't want her to be neglected
"Hi, I'm Kendall." The woman extended her hand to me. Her long nails were painted bright red."I'm Sarah." I finally shook her hand."You're really beautiful, Kendall, just like your mom when she was young," Ruth praised, making Kendall smile proudly.Actually, Kendall did have a pretty face and fair skin. She was tall and slim. Unfortunately, she had used her good looks to flirt with married men.Did Derrick know the guest was Kendall?I heard a car pulling into the driveway. It seemed Derrick had just come home. I was very curious to see Derrick's reaction when he saw Kendall."Hello everyone." Derrick's voice called from outside."Hello." We all answered together."Huh, what are you doing here, Derrick?""Kendall...?"Derrick and Kendall seemed surprised and pointed at each other.They clearly didn’t expect to meet here.The woman, with her heavy makeup, looked delighted when she saw my husband."I'm glad you two know each other," said Ruth, beaming."Kendall is Sonia'