Kevin finally broke into a grin, leaning in to kiss her. Annette’s eyes darkened, and she pulled him closer by the back of his head, taking control of the kiss.
They tangled for a long moment before she finally pushed him away, her voice dripping with mock coyness.
“Even while I’m pregnant, you can’t keep your hands off me? There’s a baby in here now. Go wait in the car.”
She turned, straightening her clothes, and headed back toward the house. I hurried downstairs and slipped into my seat at the dining table, as though I had never left.
Strangely, relief washed over me. Thank God there were no children between us. That meant I could walk away from all this without leaving any blood ties behind.
The moment Annette opened the door, her familiar apologetic smile appeared.
“Darling, there’s an urgent issue with the company. I have to head out of town on short notice, and it might take a few days to sort out. You don’t mind being alone for a while, do you? I’ll bring you back a little something.”
I nodded silently.
Seeing no sign of suspicion in my expression, she relaxed, kissed me on the cheek, and left.
I watched her departing figure, then glanced at the calendar on the wall. Two more days, I thought. Two more days and I’d be gone. Perhaps this had been our last moment together.
That afternoon, a message arrived on my phone.
An ultrasound image.
[Annette is carrying my child. Our first child. You useless old man, do her a favor and divorce her already. Make room for me.]
The number was unfamiliar, but I knew instantly it was Kevin.
Now that Annette was pregnant, he clearly felt bold enough to stake his claim.
But I had already decided to leave. My heart toward Annette was already ashes. Staring at that scan stirred not the faintest ripple inside me.
As she had said, Annette didn't come home for the next two days.
I used that time to quietly erase myself from the house. Every trace of me. What could be donated, I donated; what could be burned, I burned. Only the barest essentials were packed neatly for my new life in the lab.
On the morning of my departure, I rose early, zipped my suitcase, and waited for the lab’s car to arrive.
Just as I reached for my phone to ask how long they’d be, another message popped up. From Kevin again.
A photo. Annette in a wedding gown, halfway through makeup.
[Annette and I are getting married today. She promised to give me and the baby our rightful place. This wedding is just the beginning.
[No wonder she’s been on the phone in secret these past days—she was planning this surprise for me. She said everything has to be the best, even on such short notice, because she wants me to be the happiest groom and soon-to-be father in the world.]
[Don’t be surprised if she comes home with divorce papers in her hand. If you want to hold on to any shred of dignity, you’d better leave that mansion now. Because from this day on, I—the true man of the house—will claim what’s mine.]
This time, I replied.
[Congratulations. You will soon get everything you wished for.]
The car arrived just as I hit send. I picked up my luggage and climbed in.
At a red light, a commotion outside caught my attention.
“Oh my God, who’s getting married?”
“Wow, Look at the cars!”
“What a wedding, so extravagant!”
The passersby exclaimed.
Instinctively, I turned my head.
There she was. Annette, in her white gown, sitting in the back of a Maybach. Her eyes were full of tenderness as she adjusted Kevin’s tie.
And then—her gaze lifted. Our eyes met through the glass. Hers widened with sheer panic.
The next second, my phone rang.
