I felt numb. Memories from our college days surfaced. One night, I had a high fever that wouldn’t break. Lester, desperate to help, stood by the roadside trying to hail a cab. When none came, he carried me on his back all the way to the hospital.
I could’ve called Danica to send someone, but at that moment, his sincerity shone too brightly to ignore. That long walk in the quiet night was just the two of us.
“Don’t be scared, Amelia,” he said, his voice steady. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side.”
His eyes sparkled with determination, his clothes soaked with sweat. I could hear his strong, steady heartbeat. His sturdy frame, the clean scent of detergent on his shirt—it all made me think. What a pure and wonderful man. How happy I’d be to spend my life with him.
But now I realized he could show that same care to someone else. I was no longer his “only one.”
Suddenly my phone buzzed and I received a message from Enzo.
[Boss, I can’t take it anymore! I’ve closed up my shop—I need to follow him and see what’s going on!]
I suspected he was just using this as an excuse to live out a soap opera, so I quickly replied.
[I’ll come too, but don’t do anything rash!]
Dragging Danica along, I arrived at the hospital. On the way, I picked up Lester’s latest health report from his checkup.
“Look at these triglyceride levels,” Danica quipped. “If we sautéed his liver, it’d come out crispy in seconds.”
I nodded. “Guess his unhealthy eating habits are finally paying off.”
Outside the pediatric clinic, we found him. Lester looked like a picture-perfect father, holding Samantha’s feverish little daughter in his arms, while his other hand gripped a slightly older boy’s. Samantha leaned on his shoulder, red-eyed and weary, her vulnerability on full display.
Enzo, who had been staking out the scene, rushed over and pulled me—disguised in sunglasses—into a corner.
“Boss, you missed it! That scumbag kissed the mistress on the forehead!” He thrust his phone at me. Sure enough, there it was on video.
“Ugh,” Danica rolled her eyes. “Men are trash. Money’s the only reliable thing.”
“Sis,” I said through gritted teeth, “they’re moving too slow. At this rate, when am I supposed to get my divorce? Let’s give them a little scare.”
With her approval, I strode over, head held high.
Feigning shock, I shouted, “Lester! What are you doing here?”
He visibly flinched. I raised my voice even louder. “And who’s this woman? Have you been sneaking around, fathering illegitimate children behind my back?”
His face turned beet red. Hastily, he shoved the little girl back into Samantha’s arms. “Amelia, it’s not what you think! It’s all a misunderstanding! This is a colleague’s child—she’s a single mom, and her kid has a fever. She doesn’t have a car, so I just helped them out.”
“No car? What about calling a taxi?” I shot back. “So this is what you meant by ‘urgent work matters’? You’ve even learned to lie to me now!”
My voice rose into a hysterical pitch. Seeing my fury, Lester panicked. “Amelia, let’s not make a scene. I’ll explain everything to you later, okay?”
“Fine! Then come with me now. I forbid you from staying with her!” I pointed accusingly at Samantha, whose face had turned pale.
Glaring at her, I snarled, “You homewrecking hag! Stop seducing my husband! As of tomorrow, you’re fired. Take your two ugly brats and get out of my sight!”
Samantha’s eyes filled with tears as she clutched her children, while Lester stepped between us, his expression icy. “Amelia, they’re just kids. Don’t make trouble for a single mother. Have some compassion!”
The two children burst into tears, their cries so piercing they grated on my ears. They looked at me with their puffy faces and yelled, “You’re a bad lady! Bad lady!”
Samantha, red-eyed, looked at me with a mix of bitterness and pleading. “We’re both women. Why can’t you give me a way to survive? Nothing happened between me and your husband!”
Even though I had expected this, seeing Lester side with her still stung deeply. My throat tightened, and for a moment, I felt utterly defeated.
