While I was breastfeeding the baby,my mother-in-law,Yohana,burst in furiously and slapped the expense statement onto my face.
"Sandra,are you crazy?How could you choose such an expensive postpartum care center?My son works so hard to earn money and you’ve squandered it all!"she yelled.
I called for the maternity nanny to take the baby away.When I picked up the bill and took a look,I was instantly stunned.
This postpartum care center was owned by my best friend,Wendy Chole.We had agreed on a flat rate of 14 thousand dollars per month for everything included.
But after just one postpartum treatment yesterday,how did an extra 7 thousand dollars in care fees show up on the bill?
"Mom,please don’t worry.I’ll ask the nurse if there was a mistake,"I said,trying to calm her down.
Yohana had already been strongly against me staying at a postpartum center.Wouldn’t it have been better to just give her 21 thousand dollars directly?
“Are you so delicate,spending 21 thousand just for postpartum recovery?When I gave birth to Zack,I was back on my feet working the very next day.You're not some pampered princess,so what are you acting so fragile for?”Yohana said sarcastically.
I finally managed to calm my mother-in-law down and left the room alone,heading to the administrative office to find Wendy.
Just as I was about to push the door open,I suddenly heard nurses inside gossiping.
“I just saw Wendy go up to the rooftop in broad daylight!How exciting.”
"Exactly.I heard Mr.Orgeta is Wendy’s best friend’s husband.The wife’s downstairs in postpartum recovery and the husband’s upstairs fooling around with the best friend.Even soap operas wouldn’t go this far."
"I heard from the cleaning lady that when she was tidying up this morning,the place was littered with used condoms and torn lingerie..."
My head buzzed,a loud ringing drowning out all sound.My body tensed and my fists clenched tightly.
Impossible.
Last night,Zack had clearly been with me the entire time.Before bed,he even warmed up a glass of milk for me.
In the morning,he massaged my lower back,washed my feet and we shared a sweet,intimate moment that nearly got out of hand.
After breakfast,Zack left immediately for a management meeting at the company.How could he still be at the postpartum center,let alone be messing around with my best friend?
All at once,I felt a wave of panic.My scalp tingled with dread.
“Mrs.Orgeta,are you going in?”a staff member's voice suddenly came from behind.
Startled,I instinctively pushed the door open.
When the nurses saw who had entered,they visibly panicked.“Mrs.Orgeta…”
My face turned ashen,my nails digging into my palms as I forced myself to stay calm.
“I’m looking for Wendy,”I said.
“Wendy just stepped out,”one of the nurses replied.
Distracted and unsettled,I mumbled,“Alright,I’ll call her later.”
I left the office,turned toward the stairwell and dialed Wendy’s number.
It rang again and again,but no one picked up.
I switched to Zack’s number,only for the call to be immediately rejected.
Not long after,I received a text message:[In a meeting.]
Whether it was really a meeting or a secret affair,I decided to find out for myself.
I headed to the top floor of the postpartum care center,to the so-called New Dad Learning Center.
To avoid drawing attention,I paid 300 dollars to borrow a cleaning lady’s uniform and slipped in unnoticed in disguise.
It was my first time on the top floor of the center and I immediately found the layout strange.The entire area was made up of small,highly private rooms.There were security guards stationed at the entrance and access required scanning a staff ID.
Walking down the hallway,I stopped in front of the room at the very end.
The door wasn’t fully closed and from inside came familiar sounds of heavy breathing,mingled with the unmistakable rhythm of shameful intimacy.
Peering through the narrow gap,I saw a man and woman entangled,both naked.
Zack was on top of Wendy,performing intimate acts that he had never once done with me.His strikingly handsome face was flushed,as if seared by fire,red enough to drip blood.
"Baby...do you prefer being with me,or with Sandra?"
"Of course with you.Sandra's body changed after giving birth and she still has stretch marks on her stomach.I get disgusted just looking at it."
"Since it's so disgusting,why did you still have a child with her?"
"Little devil,the eggs used in the IVF were yours.Don't pretend to be clueless.Once the demolition compensation comes through,I'll kick that ugly woman out with nothing!"
"Baby,aren't you cutting off your own future?"
