Divorce After Affair

I sat alone in the hospital's waiting room, watching the IV drip slowly. Finally, I found the courage to make a call I'd been avoiding for so long.

"Hello, who's this?" The voice on the other end sounded older than I remembered.

I couldn't hold back the tears as I spoke. "Dad..."

My father's voice suddenly became urgent and emotional. "Frances! Is that you? Don't cry, sweetheart. Where are you?"

Years of pent-up frustration and regret broke through. My remorse and guilt were overwhelming. I had been the youngest daughter of the wealthiest family in Manhattan, hiding my identity when I met Amiri Campbell at college.

Back then, Amiri was always quiet yet gentle, promising repeatedly, "Frances, I'll never let you down. No matter how stormy things get, I'll make sure you can rest easy."

To be with him, I severed ties with my family, keeping the truth from Amiri. I ran away to this city, adopting a new name.

Initially, he kept his promises. When Kaylee was diagnosed with spina bifida at the age of two, he took on extra delivery jobs beyond his regular work. His face became rough from the wind, and his ears developed persistent blisters and sores that never quite healed.

Even when his earnings barely covered Kaylee's treatment and our basic needs, he'd save money from his meals to buy me elegant Victorian-style dresses. He'd say I was the only flower in his barren life and deserved to always look beautiful.

But after attending Elodie Morgan's husband's funeral, everything changed. He became distant, seemingly lost in thought, and even started falling behind on Kaylee's medical bills.

And there I was, cleaning a store to earn money for her overdue medicine, when I saw him, grinning, delivering a brand-new designer jacket to Elodie's daughter. "Rowan, sweetie, you'll be Daddy's favorite girl."

Elodie, too, nestled against him, looking like the perfect family.

I fled, feeling utterly hollow and exposed.

At first, when he realized I knew about his affair with Elodie, he was anxious and uneasy. But gradually, supporting her family became his norm, even going so far as to use Kaylee's surgery funds to buy Elodie a house.

In my past, that last shred of hope I clung to cost my daughter her life.

This time, I told my father everything, leaving nothing out. The old man who once ruled the business world now sounded desperate and angry. "Don't be afraid, dear. I'll come right away to bring you and Kaylee home."