I laughed at myself. I couldn't believe I'd still held out hope for him.
Four in the morning. My phone buzzed.
Even I didn't notice how desperately I grabbed for it.
But the screen didn't show an explanation for his absence. It showed a photo—intimate, unmistakable.
Dominic had his arm around a slender waist, fingers working at the clasp of her bra.
Suddenly I remembered our first time together.
He'd kissed my lips so tenderly, placed my palm over his heart, and whispered his promise.
"Mildred, my heart beats only for you. I will never betray you. You're the one I love most in this life."
Those words, once so full of devotion, now felt like a slap across my face.
They finally woke me up.
I dug out a phone number I'd sworn never to use again and typed a message.
"Uncle Raymond, I've changed my mind. I'm ready to come home and stay by Grandmother's side."
The reply came quickly. Just one word.
"Good."
Five years ago, my entire family opposed my marriage to Dominic Thorne.
My parents refused to let me marry a penniless nobody with no family background.
Grandmother tried gentle persuasion, warning me that in this world, only money never changes. Promises, no matter how sincere, fade with time—dissolving into nothing but empty bubbles.
I ignored them all and eloped with Dominic anyway.
Grandmother's blood pressure spiked so severely she nearly died.
Yet I was too afraid to visit her—terrified they'd lock me away and keep me from seeing Dominic.
I laughed bitterly and slapped myself hard across the face.
I sat motionless by the bed for an entire day and night before Dominic finally came home at five in the afternoon.
He carried a pot of steaming chicken soup, nuzzling his face against my neck.
"Had to pull an all-nighter at the construction site. It was so sudden I didn't get a chance to explain. My darling wife won't hold it against me, will she?"
I shook my head calmly, pulling away from his touch.
The cloying sweetness of perfume clinging to him made my stomach turn.
Satisfied that I wasn't angry, Dominic let out a long breath of relief.
He poured a bowl of the fragrant soup, blowing on it to cool it down before lifting it to my lips.
"Now that we have a baby on the way, we need to be extra careful about everything. You need proper nutrition."
My eyes fixed on the faint red marks peeking out from beneath his collar. I let out a silent, scornful laugh and took the soup.