Chapter 3

When James came out of the shower, I tried to confront him with his phone, but he flew into a rage.

"Who allowed you to touch my phone? You're infringing on my privacy! Can't you give me some private space?"

When we were dating, James was the one who promised he would be more than happy to let me keep tabs on him as much as I wanted to prove that I was the only one he loved.

And now, after just ten years, he was lashing out at me and calling me unreasonable.

Our fight woke up Harrison, who was sleeping next door. His bleary eyes stared at me in fear. Sobbing, he kept calling for James and even Monica, but not me—his mother, who'd raised him.

I was overwhelmed by an inexplicable sense of pain and sorrow, making it impossible for me to speak.

After a while, I looked at Harrison, who was hiding behind James, and asked, "Harrison, do you want me or your daddy?"

Harrison said he didn't want a fierce mommy like me. He wanted Monica to be his mommy.

Feeling utterly disappointed, I packed my bags and moved out of the house.

Just like that, three months passed.

When I found out I was pregnant, I considered getting an abortion. However, James had mentioned wanting a daughter many times. Even the boisterous Harrison had kept asking why he didn't have a sister yet.

In the end, I gave in and decided to talk to the two of them.

Never would I have thought that, upon returning home, both my child and I would end up dying in the fire they'd set just to please another woman.

Perhaps the lingering sense of indignation kept my soul tied to them. My soul drifted out of the house and floated beside James.

James, Monica, and Harrison were chatting away warmly and happily.

Harrison, who always liked rebelling against me, was staring at Monica, the woman he'd met less than three months ago, in awe. He was blushing as he clapped to celebrate her practice session.

James, my husband, was stroking Monica's head with an affectionate expression.

"You're not a little klutz anymore. I guess I have to change your nickname on my phone to 'The Little Genius'."

Feeling shy, Monica sweetly replied, "It's all thanks to your expert guidance, and you even set the fire so that I could get some hands-on practice! I'll do even better next time."

She was going to do even better next time, huh?

Looking at the still-burning house, I smirked mockingly.

My body was probably still burning in the lingering flames.