Again and again I clenched the shirt at his chest to vent, to tear and bite, to hurt, to forgive.
Seven years.
From the two times right after we got married when I caught him in bed with someone, to it being just a drunken, hazy-headed accidental slip-up.
Now, for five years in a row, there have only been baseless sex-scandal rumors.
I thought I'd finally waited for a playboy to turn back.
Turns out it was all my wishful thinking.
I didn't even wait until the next day.
That night, I took the last flight and barged into Alex's place just as the milkman was ringing the doorbell.
The biggest benefit between husband and wife is that I can legally find out his exact location.
And I can also find out what property he bought for other women.
Unlike the villa where he used to keep a mistress, this was an ordinary apartment building.
In front of the dining table, Alex was sitting there, peeling an egg.
A child who looked exactly like him sat across from him, eyes full of anticipation, waiting for him to feed him.
All the blood in my body seemed to run backward. My nose stung, and the last trace of hope in my heart shattered.
Crack.
The woman who came out of the kitchen froze her smile, and the plate of fried eggs in her hands shattered on the floor.
"Grace…"
I recognized her. Six years ago she was Alex's secretary, and she was also where the first Pink Diamond bracelet on my jewelry counter came from.
After I caught them in bed, she was fired that very night.
I thought that time, the two of them had completely cut it off.
Alexis Swanson backed away uneasily, inching step by step behind Alex before she dared to speak: "Grace, how did you find this place?"
"I'm here to take my husband home."
I stared at her pretty chestnut-colored long hair with a blank expression.
My gaze moved down and landed on the Red Diamond on her neck, the one that represented Alex returning to the family.
The moment I thought about what they did in this room yesterday, it felt like I'd swallowed countless shards of glass, hurting so much I trembled.
Alex finally reacted, rare unease on his face.
He stood up and yanked off the Red Diamond.
He strode up, grabbed my hand, and just like every time he apologized over the past seven years, he pulled me into his arms and walked me toward the door.
"Darling, don't misunderstand. This Red Diamond is for you. She said she'd never seen it and wanted to try it on, so I let her wear it for a little while."
"When we get back, I'll explain everything."
He pulled me, wanting to leave. Just as we were about to go out the door, the child behind us ran up and tightly grabbed the hem of his clothes, face flushed red as he stopped him from leaving: "Dad, are you not going to want me and Mom anymore?"
Alex stopped in place, a bit of struggle showing on his face.
When that child saw me being held in his arms, he immediately started crying and making a scene.
"You bad woman, you're going to steal my dad!"
Screaming, he rushed over and kicked my calf hard.
Such a small child, but he wasn't weak.
His nails dug into my thigh, and he even swung his fist hard into my stomach.
Two or three punches, and my stomach started cramping with waves of pain, with a faint sinking feeling.
I frowned in pain and instinctively wanted to push him away.
But before I even touched him, the child plopped down on the floor on his own and burst into loud crying.
"Dad, Junior hurts, she hit me, this bad woman hit me!"
Almost instinctively, the hand that had been around my waist went empty.
Alex turned to hold that child.
I was completely unprepared and fell heavily to the floor. It hurt so much my fingers curled, my scalp went numb.
I clutched my stomach and looked up to see that child lying on his shoulder, making a face at me.
In a cutesy, babyish voice, he whined: "Dad, why are you holding this bad woman."
"Don't you want Mom anymore? Don't you want Junior anymore?"
