Isabella's coy voice stabbed at my nerves. Matthew was four years old, and Daniel had never cooked a meal for him.
Whenever I asked him to spend time with Matthew, he always said he was busy.
But whenever Isabella called, he'd drop everything and rush to her side.
I turned to go upstairs, and Daniel, catching sight of me from the corner of his eye, let out a cold snort.
"Charlotte Miller, you're really something, making up any lie just to ruin Isabella's birthday party."
In Daniel's eyes, I was nothing but a liar.
He believed I had manipulated James into forcing him to marry me, I had used dirty tricks to get pregnant, and even Matthew's death from a heart attack was just another one of my lies.
My heart was dead. Ignoring him, I continued heading upstairs.
Behind me, Isabella, stroking her large Chow Chow, attempted to provoke me.
"Sorry, Ms. Miller. When you called Daniel last night, I actually wanted him to come home, but he insisted on spending the night with me for my birthday. I wanted to eat his cooking today, so he brought me here. I hope we didn't disturb you?"
I paused. Now that I was determined to divorce Daniel, so Isabella meant nothing in my eyes.
"Do you need me to tweet my congratulations on your successful ruin my marriage?"
"Enough, Charlotte! Watch your mouth!"
Daniel instantly rushed to Isabella's defense, his tone full of concern.
I said nothing, hugging the urn as I headed upstairs, only wanting to pack Matthew's clothes and leave as soon as possible.
In the spacious bedroom, I wiped away my tears while folding Matthew's clothes into a suitcase.
At some point, Daniel had come upstairs. He stood at the doorway, frowning as he tried to make amends.
"My phone didn't die on purpose last night, it just ran out of battery."
I didn't look up, not even wanting to acknowledge him.
In the past, I would've been overjoyed if he had apologized first. I would have hugged him, convincing myself that it was unintentional, and pretended that nothing had happened.
But now, just looking at him made me feel sick.
I knew perfectly well that if it had been Isabella who called him last night, even if his phone had died or if he were stranded in the wilderness, he would have found a way to get back to her.
I understood that he didn't love me.
But Matthew was innocent...
Seeing that I wasn't responding, Daniel stepped in front of me, trying to stop me from packing the clothes.