Different Kind of Forever

At the party, my son, Hughie Peters, deliberately raised his voice and said to my wife, Penelope Peters, "Mommy, you're pregnant with Darren's baby. Are we gonna live with him from now on?"

Penelope set the sliced steak down in front of me and said softly, "I made a promise with your daddy. Whoever betrayed the other first would disappear from the other person's world forever. I can't afford for that to happen, so this must stay a secret. After the baby is born, it'll still be your daddy's child."

After saying that, Penelope signed to me that she would love me forever.

But she didn't notice my reddened eyes.

She didn't know I had gotten my hearing back a week ago, nor did she know I had already discovered their affair.

And she definitely didn't know I had quietly bought a plane ticket to Lumora for a teaching volunteer program.

I was just waiting for the paperwork to be approved in seven days.

Then, I would disappear for good.

I pushed the steak away. I didn't want to keep acting along with them.

When I stood up, my wife, Penelope Peters, hurried to her feet too and signed to ask what was wrong.

I shook my head and said quietly, "It's late. I'm going back to rest."

Penelope tried to leave with me, but several of her close friends stopped her together.

"Milton's health isn't great. He needs more rest. Why are you in such a rush to leave?"

"Exactly. Darren will be here any minute. You haven't seen him all day. Don't you miss him at all?"

My son, Hughie Peters, tugged on Penelope's sleeve. "Mommy, I miss Darren. Can we not go home with Daddy?"

Panic flashed across Penelope's face.

Seeing that I showed no reaction, she frowned and said, "Don't mention Darren's name in front of your dad."

"Why are you so worried? Daddy's deaf. He can't hear," Hughie said.

After hearing that, I pressed Penelope back into her chair.

"I can go back by myself. You all stay."

As soon as I finished speaking, I turned and left. I didn't even give her a chance to stop me.

I hadn't gone far outside when I saw Darren Valdez striding into the hall. He slammed into my shoulder, making me stumble.

I wasn't sure if he had done it on purpose.

Darren walked into the private room and smoothly scooped Hughie up into his arms.

"Hughie, it's been a day. Did you miss me?"

"Of course, I did."

Darren chuckled softly. "Then you deserve a reward."

Hughie immediately wrapped his arms around Darren's face and kissed his cheek.

Watching how natural they were, you would think they were the real father and son.

Darren set Hughie down, then pulled Penelope into his arms, his eyes full of affection.

A shyness I had never seen before flickered in Penelope's eyes. Before she could say anything, Darren lowered his head and kissed her, intense and deep.

"Alright, alright. It's been months already. You two are still this clingy," someone teased.

Penelope's friends didn't care at all. Hughie looked on with interest, completely used to it.

I watched them, my heart going ice cold.

So everyone knew they had been together for a long time. I was the only one kept in the dark.

As Darren listened to the teasing around him, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

As if things weren't messy enough, everyone started egging them on, asking when Penelope and Darren had last slept together.

Penelope lowered her head shyly, while Darren looked openly proud.

"The day before yesterday. The room next to the master bedroom at home."

I murmured the same words at the same time Darren said them. The room instantly erupted, faces lighting up with excitement.

"Hahaha! Penelope, you finally get it now."

"People like us don't have to pretend to be pure and loyal."

"As long as you hide it well, you can live happily forever. Milton's deaf. He won't notice."

When they mentioned my name, the smile on Penelope's face froze. Her expression turned icy in an instant.