Chapter 2

After an exhausting night, Juni was discharged from the hospital the next day.

Once we got home, I prepared a bottle of formula for her and rocked her to sleep.

The fatigue of a sleepless night finally caught up with me, and I dozed off fully clothed on the couch.

When I woke up, it was already noon. Just as I was about to make lunch, the doctor's words from yesterday suddenly came to mind.

He had told me to check the surveillance footage at home.

What did he mean by that? Could it be that Juni's accidental ingestion of sleeping pills was not an accident? Was it deliberate?

The thought sent shivers down my spine. There were only two people in the house—Christian and I.

Could Christian have been the one who gave Juni the sleeping pills?

That seemed impossible. Even though he was unfaithful, I did not think he would harm his own daughter.

With a lingering sense of doubt, I opened the surveillance feed. I did not have to watch for long before anger surged through me.

The footage was crystal clear. It showed Christian crushing sleeping pills and mixing them into Juni's formula.

He then got on the phone and said, "Peyton, don't worry, I'll pick you up at your door on time. The little brat wouldn't stop crying, so I'm just going to make her quiet down for a bit."

He must not have realized the cameras were still recording, or he would not have dared to be so brazen.

I could not believe it. To think he was this heartless toward his own daughter, his flesh and blood!

Tears blurred my vision again, but this time, they were not from sadness—they were from fury. No mother would tolerate anyone hurting her child, even if that person was the child's father.

I wiped my tears away and forced myself to stay calm as I continued reviewing the footage.

To my shock, I discovered that while I was at work, Christian—who was supposed to be working from home—had repeatedly brought Peyton to our house.

They brazenly carried out their intimate activities right on the couch, utterly ignoring Juni, who cried until she was hoarse.

It turned out that Christian's infidelity had begun long before I even suspected it.

Fine. Very well.

I saved the video clips and called my lawyer, Adam Lewis, with a steady hand. "Mr. Lewis, hello. Please help me draft a divorce agreement."

I was determined to leave Christian. I had to take Juni and walk away from this despicable man.

I had just hung up the phone when I heard the front door open. Christian entered, lugging several bags of luggage as his face lit up with an enthusiastic smile. It had been a long time since I had seen him smile like that.

However, the moment he saw me, his grin vanished. "Why aren't you at work?"

I responded with a cold smirk, "I'm not as carefree as you, Christian. Our child was burning with fever, and you acted like nothing happened."

Christian frowned. "Why do you always pick fights the moment we see each other? I told you, I was working overtime yesterday! If it weren't for you and Juni, would I be working myself to the bone every day?"

Just then, I noticed a slim figure standing outside the door.

It was Peyton.

She extended her hand to me with a polite smile. "Shiloh, hello. Sorry for the intrusion."

I did not respond, nor did I move aside to let her in.

Christian, however, could not hide his impatience. He pulled me to the side and gently helped Peyton to the couch.

"Peyton's injured, so she'll be staying with us for a few days."

I looked at the two of them. "She's injured, so she's staying at someone else's house? Christian, you're really something."

Christian waved his hand dismissively. "You know how hard it is for Peyton, being out there all alone. She's a young woman working in my company, so, of course, I need to look after her. We're just colleagues. Don't overthink it."

Peyton glanced at me, her eyes welling up. "Shiloh, I'm really sorry for troubling you and Mr. Clark."

I nodded. "You're right—it is troubling. As you can see, we have a small child here, and it's really not convenient."

"Shiloh Jackson! Shut your mouth!" Christian snapped, cutting me off.

"Can't you show some compassion? Peyton is five years younger than you. How can you treat her like this? We have a guest room. What's the harm in letting Peyton stay for a few days? Besides, I bought this house, so I decide who stays in it. Stop making trouble."

Christian's righteous tone was laughable. He seemed to have forgotten that when I was Peyton's age, I stood by him as we built our lives from scratch.

Back then, I was in the prime of my youth, and he used to care about me, promising to give me a good life.

Now, his concern was reserved for another woman.

I smiled faintly and blocked Christian's path as he headed to the guest room.

"Why would I disagree? I think Peyton should stay in the master bedroom since she's injured. Juni and I can move into the guest room."

Christian hesitated, clearly sensing that something was unusual. After all, I had always argued and fought with him about his decisions. I had never agreed so readily. I was even offering to give up the master bedroom.

"Shiloh, are you feeling okay?"

I quickly started packing my things. "Of course, I'm fine. I'm just thinking of you both."

Then, Christian surprisingly agreed with my suggestion and even offered to help me pack. Such a hypocritical man.

As he was helping me move, Peyton suddenly stood up. "Thank you, Shiloh. I'll definitely repay your kindness—ow!"

Before she could finish, she pretended to lose her balance and fell back down dramatically.

Christian immediately rushed past me, scooping Peyton into his arms and carrying her to the master bedroom.

Peyton flashed me a smug smile over his shoulder, as if she were mocking my inability to keep my husband in line.

However, what she did not realize was that Christian was no better than garbage in my eyes now.

Once Peyton moved into the master bedroom, Christian gallantly volunteered to sleep on the couch in the living room, claiming it was to avoid any misunderstandings.

Yet later that night, I found the couch empty when I got up to check on Juni. Instead, I heard soft, intimate sounds coming from the master bedroom.

Even right under his wife's nose, they were chasing their thrill to the very end.