Chapter 1

I, Sheila Rossi, accidentally stumbled upon numerous explicit videos on my husband Gordon Schmidt's computer while tidying up his desk.

The videos showed him in bed with Karen Jackson, my unmarried best friend.

The relationship between my husband and me had been platonic ever since I gave birth 40 years ago. His reason was that he was no longer capable of physical intimacy.

Now, it felt like my entire life had been a sham, despite all my efforts for my family.

I stared at the screen in disbelief, my hand trembling as it hovered over the mouse.

The videos were labeled with detailed dates. In one of them, I watched as he pushed himself on top of her, kissing her neck affectionately while caressing her.

I continued scrolling until I reached the earliest video.

Although it was blurry, there was no mistaking them—they were much younger at the time. A wedding photo sat next to the bed, yet there he was, tearing another woman's clothes apart and holding her tightly.

Overcome with anguish, I collapsed onto the floor, my breaths shallow and rapid. I tried to gasp for air, but it felt like no oxygen was reaching my lungs.

Tears streamed down my face as memories flooded back—how I couldn't bring myself to leave him when he told me he was physically incapable of being intimate.

For 40 years, I subjected myself to solitude, and yet it all had been a cruel lie.

While I endured countless lonely nights, tending to both my in-laws and our children, he had been enjoying himself with my best friend.

Every time he refused to hold me at night, it was because he was saving himself for someone else.

I hated him! How could he lie to me so cruelly for 40 years?

What hurt even more was the question burning inside me: Why didn't he leave me if he no longer loved me? Why betray me like this and destroy my life?

My head was spinning, a migraine building as I ransacked every drawer, desperately searching for answers. Yet, none could be found.

I then remembered a time when my in-laws had been against Gordon marrying the woman he had been dating, though I hadn't asked why.

Without hesitation, I called Anna, my sister-in-law.

She must have sensed something was wrong because, as soon as she answered, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Anna, thanks," I replied, my voice betraying my calm. "Something just came to mind. Why were Mom and Dad so against Gordon's ex?"

"Why would we want him to marry someone who's infertile?" she answered with a question.

Her words hit me like a truck, and my phone slipped from my grasp.

No wonder Karen had forbidden me from telling my in-laws we were friends. No wonder she had never shown up around them when I was there.

Karen couldn't have children. And Gordon... Gordon had only married me to give him a child. It had all been a lie. Becoming Karen's best friend had been part of their plan all along!

Anna's voice cut through the fog in my head. "Did you cry?"

A gaping wound opened in my chest, bleeding with a pain that spread through my whole body. The sunlight streaming in felt distant and cold, the chill of betrayal seeping into my bones.

I stared at the sky, dazed, wondering what I had done to deserve this.

Just then, my phone rang again. It was Henry, my son.

"Can you make rainbow ricotta gnocchi for Carl? He's been asking for it," Henry requested.

Carl, my grandson, had been staying with his mother, Lily Paige, at their house. His request meant they would be coming over soon.

But I hung up without saying a word.