A Lifetime Sealed by a False Oath

I stared at the reflection in the bathroom mirror, my eyes red and swollen from crying. Memories of the past seven years with Chandler flashed through my mind.

When we first got together, he used to wait half an hour in the freezing winter nights just to drive me home from work, often surprising me with macarons I'd once casually mentioned liking.

We started our business from scratch. When funds were tight, he turned our tiny rented apartment into an office. For six months after that, he slept curled up on the couch while insisting I take the only single bed.

After the company went public, life finally got easier. The day he proposed, he rented out an entire theater and prepared a surprise I'd remember for the rest of my life.

When I was pregnant, he never let me lift a finger. All day, he cared for every detail of my life with a private doctor and nutritionist arranged just for me.

I'd never doubted his love or wondered if it was all an act. Now, I understood that his love was genuine, but it was split in two.

The thought of him holding Heather's hand, kissing her, even sharing her bed somewhere out of my sight, filled me with utter disgust. No matter what, I had to leave.

That was when I thought of our son, Alfie. I wasn't sure how I should explain this to him. He'd just started elementary school and was far too young to bear the pain of his parents' divorce because of adult mistakes.

As I turned to leave the bathroom, my foot slipped, and I stumbled backward. The fall I'd braced for never came. Instead, a pair of strong hands caught me around the waist and pulled me firmly against his chest.

It was Chandler. Without a word, he scooped me up, carried me into the bedroom, and gently laid me on the bed.

Noticing my red, puffy eyes, he frowned. "What happened, my love? Why have you been crying?"

I looked away and scrambled for an excuse. "I saw a story on the news about stray cats. It's just so sad that all those animals have no home."

He chuckled dotingly and ruffled my hair. "You're always so kind-hearted, my love."

I pressed my lips together, then tugged gently on his sleeve. "Honey, our marriage certificate got soaked and ruined. Should we get a new one?"

His smile stiffened almost instantly. "I've been really busy lately. I'll have the lawyer handle it."

"But—" I started, only to be cut off by the abrupt ringing of his phone. He quickly answered it, and I noticed a strange flicker in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, my love. There's an emergency at the office, and I have to go. Don't wait up for me tonight." With that, he grabbed his coat and rushed out.

My instincts told me he was lying. I checked my phone, and sure enough, a new post appeared on Instagram. Heather had just announced her return to Osnea, and she'd be landing tonight.

The caption read, "I wonder if anyone would be kind enough to pick me up…"

So that was why Chandler had left in such a rush.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. By all rights, I should have stepped aside the moment I found out that they were the true married couple. Yet I never saw this coming—I'd never expected Chandler to bring Heather home.