A child?
I thought of the two red lines from yesterday and felt a bitter smile tug at my lips.
The child Conrad had been longing for over five years had finally arrived, just in time for his betrayal.
I stepped out of the bathroom, masking my emotions behind a calm facade. With feigned concern, I asked, "When are you leaving?"
"In three days. There’s a major operation," he said, hesitating briefly before adding with a hint of guilt, "I’m sorry, wife. That day is our anniversary, but I won’t be able to be with you."
My fingers brushed over my still-flat stomach as I forced a faint smile. "It’s alright. Just try to come home early that day. I have a gift for you."
Conrad’s face lit up with an unguarded smile. "Alright, I’ll make sure to rush back. I can’t wait to see the surprise my wife has for me!"
I mirrored his joy, my eyes narrowing with a quiet resolve.
I hoped that by then, the surprise would leave him truly speechless.
The next morning, Conrad gently roused me from sleep.
"Wife, the team is having a meal at the headquarters restaurant today. Come with me."
I played my role as an ordinary guest, collecting the check at headquarters as if I belonged among them.
The moment I stepped inside, snippets of conversation reached my ears.
"The intelligence analyst isn’t coming again? She’s such a mystery."
"Yeah, like a legend. We’ve worked together for three or four years, but I’ve never even seen her. All I know is she’s a woman."
"In my opinion, that analyst has a thing for our captain. She always sends the results straight to his team first."
I lowered my head, the weight of their words settling heavily on me.
They weren’t wrong. I had joined the team solely because of Conrad.
The condition was simple: when I gathered information, I had to deliver it to his team first.
It was through this arrangement that I discovered his affair almost immediately.
A strange expression flickered across my face and Conrad must have mistaken it for anger.
"What nonsense are you all spouting?"
The team members scrambled to their feet, looking genuinely flustered.
"Sis-in-law! You’re here! We were just joking around, don’t take it seriously!"
"Yeah, everyone knows Brother Conrad only has eyes for you. Every mission, he carries your photo like a good-luck charm."
"Exactly! He calls you every chance he gets. You’re the one and only in his heart!"
Their earnest expressions might have been convincing if I hadn’t already uncovered the truth about Conrad and Artemis.
From the corner, Artemis rose, forcing a strained smile.
"Yes, Dahlia Levine, Conrad only has you in his heart."
Our eyes locked and beneath her facade, the hostility was glaring. If Conrad weren’t here, she wouldn’t have even bothered pretending.
After a few rounds of drinks, the world began to tilt around me, a dizzying warmth spreading through my body.
Artemis stumbled out, her steps unsteady.
Not long after, Conrad’s phone buzzed. His breath quickened, his eyes sharpening as he stood abruptly.
Seeing the surprise on my face, he quickly masked it with an apologetic smile.
"Wife, I was injured on the last mission. The doctor advised me not to drink. I… I’ll go rest in the room. You can stay and enjoy yourself."
With that, he left in a hurry, his footsteps echoing in the distance.
My phone buzzed with a message from Artemis.
"Room 302. Do you dare come see it? Do you want to know how perfect we are in bed?"
A challenge?
I lowered my eyes, pushing aside any emotion and stood up, my movements calm.
As soon as I stepped out of the restaurant, I overheard a conversation.
"Brother Conrad is something else. He’s carrying on with his mistress right in front of his wife. What guts!"
I scoffed.
Conrad, you’re crueler than I thought.
