Chapter 3

Reading that message, my fingers clutched the phone tightly, and my C-section incision started throbbing again.

My fingers trembling, I called Mike, Adam's driver, to ask where Adam had gone.

In the past, I never questioned Adam's whereabouts because he'd always tell me himself. But now, a bitter smile played on my lips.

Especially when Mike hesitantly told me that Adam had left the company at 10 AM.

A sharp pain shot through my heart. 10 AM was the exact time Seraphina left the company.

My fingers trembled as I started checking Adam's credit card statements. Seeing that Adam had booked two presidential suites at a five-star hotel near the company at 11 AM, I completely collapsed to the floor.

Just then, Rachel, the nanny, brought me some warm milk. With red eyes, I asked her, "Rachel, should I go look for Adam?"

Rachel looked at me hesitantly.

"Mrs. Hayes, maybe you should back off a bit, give Mr. Hayes some space? Men have their pride, after all."

A bitter smile appeared on my lips.

"Back off? But what if 'backing off a bit' means Adam actually cheats, and then there's no turning back for us? Celeste is only three months old; she hasn't even learned to say 'Daddy' yet. Am I really going to get a divorce?"

"And if Seraphina were just an ordinary woman, I might be able to find a way to get rid of her. But it's clear Adam can't bear to let her go, and Seraphina definitely has her sights set on him."

And then, I finally broke.

For days, I'd armored myself in cold, aggressive logic to face the Seraphina problem.

But inside, my heart was a pincushion.Even if I could force myself to be gentle now, would it bring Adam back?

No. The unattainable always shines brightest.

In the crushing silence of that realization, Celeste spiked a fever in the dead of night.

The family doctor came at once. After a brief examination, he told me to take Celeste to the hospital right away. She likely had pneumonia.

Guilt, hot and sharp, ripped through me, and the tears I'd held back for days finally fell.

For two days, I'd been so consumed by Adam that I'd let Celeste fade into the background.

The night before, she'd cried without end. I hadn't noticed.

Pain and regret tore through me like a sharp blade. I called Adam, again and again. No answer.

Finally, a text arrived.

"Don't contact me. I need space."

Then his phone went dead!

At that exact moment, Celeste's crying stopped. Shallow, desperate gasps took its place, like a fish flopping on the sand.

"No, no, no, NO!"