But it was these two who had hurt me the most. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the pain. They must’ve thought I wasn’t feeling well because they called doctor to give me pain killer. And they stayed right by my side, one on the left and one on the right. Soon enough, the pills kicked in and I drifted back to sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, it was late into the night. The bed was empty on both sides. Sharon and Willow, who had sworn to stay with me, were nowhere to be found.
I slowly sat up and opened the door. Across the hall, in the room opposite mine, I saw Elroy curled up in Sharon’s arms like a rag doll.
“Sharon, stay with me tonight, okay?” he said softly, his voice full of joy. “Everyone finally recognizes me as the general manager. I’m in a cloud nine…”
Sharon playfully pinched his nose and replied sweetly, “I told you, Elroy, as long as you’re happy, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“But congratulating you at the party isn’t enough,” she added, a teasing smile on her lips. “Willow and I will stay with you the whole night.”
With that, Sharon pushed him down and the two of them locked lips in a passionate kiss that didn’t end for a long moment.
When they finally pulled apart, Elroy covered his face, blushing like a schoolboy. “Sharon, you naughty… Willow’s still here.”
“So what? It’s not like she hasn’t seen it before,” Sharon said nonchalantly.
Willow giggled and nodded. “Yeah! Daddy and Mommy being affectionate is totally normal!”
Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, she picked up her phone, turned on the camera and the three of them smiled brightly at the lens—just another perfect family photo.
And I stood there in the shadows, tears pouring down my face.
Even though I already knew… it still tore me apart to hear the child I raised with everything I had call another man “Daddy.”
I stumbled back into my room in a panic and collapsed, doing my best to ignore the moans coming from that room. But no matter how hard I tried, the sounds wouldn’t stop haunting me. They clung to me like a soul-crushing curse.
The next morning, Sharon and Willow walked into my room like nothing had happened. Right on schedule. They kissed me on each cheek with the same loving warmth as always.
“Morning, honey.”
“Good morning, Daddy!”
Their acting was flawless—honestly, I was impressed. But I was too exhausted to call them out on it.