"Look, we're women. Why wouldn't we use the resources we have? Men marry wives, not housekeepers. Rich or poor, they all want someone young and beautiful." Her gaze swept over me. "Athena, I can already see the wrinkles forming. I bet your husband can't stand looking at that face anymore."
The mirror behind her caught my reflection—puffy, haggard, drained.
The contrast between us was brutal.
"My husband—"
He's not like that. The words lodged in my throat, refusing to come out.
Fiona giggled. "Men always trade up for something newer. Never believe their promises of forever."
"Take my benefactor, for example. He swore he'd give his wife the world. But once he actually had money? Every time they were in bed together, all he could think about was how she used to haul cargo like a man, drenched in sweat, haggling over vegetables like some market fishwife." She wrinkled her nose. "Killed the mood completely."
"So every night he claimed he was 'working late'? He was with me, getting what she couldn't give him. Really, I'm doing her a favor. Spending a little of her money seems only fair."
Her shamelessness—the way she wore it like a badge of honor—hit a nerve.
I smiled, but there was nothing behind it.
"If you know he's heartless, why are you trying to become his official wife?"
She touched her stomach, her smile turning soft.
"I don't have a choice anymore. I'm pregnant. This is his first child."
"His wife has bad genes—she's got a brother who's mentally disabled. He was terrified of having a defective baby, so he arranged for their first pregnancy to end in a miscarriage."
Thunder roared in my ears.
In my second year of marriage to Wilfred, I'd been pregnant too.
I'd been so happy—buying tiny clothes, little toys. Then during a routine warehouse inspection, a stack of cargo collapsed and struck my lower back.
The baby was gone.
I'd been consumed with guilt, sobbing until I couldn't breathe. "Wilfred, I'm so sorry. I was careless. It's my fault—"
He'd held me close. "Don't blame yourself, Athena. We're still young. Once the company stabilizes, once you've recovered, we'll have another."
That was five years ago.
Just a few months back, I'd brought it up again—told him I wanted a baby.
He'd said the company was at a critical growth phase. He didn't have the energy. Maybe in a few more years.
So those were all just excuses.