I lowered my head, my gaze landing on the stitched wound. The pain was a cruel reminder I had lost the chance to be a father forever.
"Where’s Levi?" My voice came out hollow, stripped of warmth.
Tiffany’s expression flickered with guilt.
"He’s already been sent to the funeral home for cremation. The funeral is tomorrow. Joseph, I’m sorry… As his mother, I failed to protect our child."
A sharp ache tore through my chest, but I didn’t expose her lie.
My eyes drifted to the bedside table. Inside a delicate box lay a longevity lock.
"Tiffany, today is Levi’s birthday. We haven’t gotten him a gift yet. Let this longevity lock stay with him. I hope… he can live a long life in his next one, okay?"
Her fingers twitched and for a split second, her brow creased, but she quickly smoothed it over with a gentle voice.
"Joseph, this was bought on behalf of a friend for their child. We can’t take something that belongs to someone else."
"This is meant for the living. Levi would be sad if we gave it to him. Besides, the material isn’t worth much. It’s not good enough for him. I’ve already arranged for burial goods. We’ll burn everything for him so he won’t suffer in the afterlife."
I said nothing, only swallowed the grief clawing at my throat.
After years as a stay-at-home husband, Tiffany had forgotten, once, I had been a jewelry expert with a sharp eye for detail.
That longevity lock wasn’t just any trinket. The diamond was the finest, worth a fortune. Every curve of its exquisite design carried intent, the words Peace and Safety Every Year engraved with the boundless love only devoted parents could give.
For two months, I had watched Tiffany bury herself in the study, meticulously designing it. I had thought, no, I had believed it was meant for Levi’s birthday.
But in her heart, the ones truly unworthy weren’t just me. It was my son as well.
At my insistence, Tiffany arranged for my discharge and brought me home.
She refused the housekeepers’ help, choosing instead to care for me herself. With tender hands, she bathed me, careful to avoid my wounds. Even my hair, she dried it herself, her touch as gentle as ever, like the devoted wife she had always pretended to be.
Once, I would have been moved by her tenderness. But as I stared at the scars marring my skin, as Levi’s death loomed over me like a specter, all I felt was a cold, hollow numbness.
That night, while Tiffany slept soundly beside me, I slipped into the study. I turned on the computer, my fingers steady as I logged into her cloud drive.
The password? Peter’s birthday.
Inside, tens of thousands of photos and videos filled the screen, each one a silent confession. They documented everything, from her pregnancy to the birth and every fleeting moment of their child's growth.
But that wasn’t all. Among the files sat a prepared equity transfer agreement.
Fifteen years of marriage, fifteen years of lies. Tiffany had spent most of them traveling, always claiming she was expanding the market, always assuring me it was for our future.
In truth, she had been with Peter and their son.
And the most laughable part? I had never even suspected a thing.
In the lower right corner of the screen, her WhatsApp remained logged in. My gaze fell on the pinned chat at the top.
Loving Family of Three.
The name alone was a blade stabbing straight through my heart.
For eighteen years, Tiffany had showered Peter and their son with extravagant gifts, sparing no expense.
[Tiffany, Gabriel is still a newborn. How can he drive a Maserati? You spoil him too much. By the way, I love the sapphire watch you sent me!]
[Tiffany, Gabriel turns three today. The island you gifted him is breathtaking. You’ll be here this afternoon, right? Gabriel can’t wait to see his mom!]
All that love. All those lavish gifts.
Levi and I had never received anything.
At twenty-two, I had abandoned a promising career to marry Tiffany, choosing to stand behind her, to weather every storm by her side.
Years of overwork had drained my health. And for years, there had been no children. She had never seemed to mind.
I had thought it was her way of being considerate.
I had even been grateful for her understanding.
