Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Today was my mother's funeral, and the weight of being truly alone pressed heavily on my shoulders. My father had passed away years ago, and my mother had joined him after her battle with illness. Despite the emptiness in my heart, I maintained a brave face, nodding and thanking all the friends and relatives who had come to pay their respects. The thought that no one would be left to call me home for the holidays made my heart ache. At least I still had my loving husband, Caleb Golding—or so I thought. I looked around for him, puzzled by his absence at such a crucial moment. We still had important funeral proceedings to attend together, so I went searching for him. As I turned a corner, I heard hushed voices and flirtatious giggles. I would have walked away, but the conversation that followed stopped me in my tracks. A woman's voice whispered, "Baby, you should go back. What if your wife finds us?""Don't worry. She's too busy to come this way.""Stop it! We shouldn't..." My mind instantly went black. I recognized the voice instantly—it was Caleb's. I silently prayed I was mistaken as I took hesitant steps toward the voices, only to have my worst fears confirmed. Caleb was embracing a woman in a fitted blazer and pencil skirt. They were kissing passionately, his hands roaming her body, and her blouse was halfway unbuttoned. They were utterly absorbed in each other, not even noticing my presence. "Caleb, what are you doing?" I demanded, my voice trembling with hurt and anger. The woman let out a startled scream and quickly pushed Caleb away, fumbling to fix her clothes. Caleb, looking panicked, avoided meeting my eyes. "Sweetheart, it's not what it looks like—" he stammered. I cut him off, my voice shaking. "Not what it looks like? Caleb, it's my mom's funeral, and you're sneaking around with another woman? Do you have no shame?" Caleb hurriedly adjusted his clothes. "You've got it all wrong. Sheena and I... It's not what you think," he said as he fumbled for words. Hearing the name—Sheena—made me pause. It clicked—she was the salesgirl, Sheena Miller, from the boutique Caleb often visited to buy me handbags. My stomach churned at the thought that it was someone so familiar. "Wrong? Caleb, I'm not blind!" I snapped, my voice rising. "If I hadn't come just now, were you planning to take it further? You're disgusting!" My emotions were a storm of grief, betrayal, and rage, threatening to overwhelm me. Caleb tried to approach me with his usual placating manner, reaching for my hands to pull me close, but I shoved him away. He looked surprised when his usual method of smoothing things did not work. "Honey, I swear it's not what you think. Sheena came to pay her respects. She got something in her eye, and I was helping her. She meant well. You're jumping to conclusions." I almost laughed at his pathetic excuse. However, considering the day and the guests present, I decided to handle it with as much dignity as possible. "Tell her to leave. I won't make a scene at my mother's funeral," I said coldly. Suddenly, Caleb became irritated and snapped, "I've explained everything. Why are you still making this an issue? Sheena came all this way. How would this look to her colleagues if you sent her away?" I gave a bitter laugh. I could not believe that Caleb was worried about her reputation while disregarding how that would affect mine. "Are you leaving or not?" I directed my final warning at Sheena. Sheena put on an act of vulnerability, clutching Caleb's wrist. Her voice was soft and pitiful as she murmured, "It's okay, Caleb. I'll leave if it makes her feel better. I don't want to cause any trouble between you two."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

A piercing ringing filled my ears as I watched the scene unfold. They made me feel like the villain for wanting Sheena to leave, even though I was Caleb's wife. I could not understand how Caleb had changed so dramatically from the man I had married. He had once been so kind, loving me more than anyone ever had. My story was not an easy one—my father passed away when I was young, leaving my mother to raise me alone. She worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, often looking guilty when she could not provide the same luxuries other children had. Nonetheless, she made sure I got into a good college. I met Caleb there. He was brilliant and kind, and he never judged my humble background. When other students whispered behind my back, calling me bad luck because of my father's death, Caleb always defended me. I truly believed I had found my soulmate. After graduation, we married and were blessed by everyone's well wishes, including my mother's. Yet, she had fallen ill before I could repay her for all her sacrifices. She told me she was content and had no regrets, especially when I had married Caleb. On her deathbed, she made Caleb promise, saying, "Harper has had such a hard life. Please take care of her." Caleb had responded earnestly, "Don't worry. I'll protect Harper and never let her suffer again." I was naive enough to believe his words. After my mother passed, Caleb gradually changed. He became impatient with me and showed little respect for the funeral arrangements. He started coming home late and rarely replied to my messages, always claiming he was working overtime. I finally knew the truth—his heart had belonged to someone else. Throughout the rest of the funeral, Caleb remained cold and distant, leaving me to handle all the guests alone. When people asked about his behavior, I made excuses about him feeling unwell. After the funeral, I returned home exhausted. However, Caleb was nowhere to be found. As I reflected on the day's events, my heart swelled with frustration, and I finally broke down crying. "Mom, Dad, I miss you so much," I whispered into the empty house. Caleb was all I had left, but his heart seemed elsewhere. The thought of losing him was almost unbearable. Finally, I heard the sound of keys turning in the door. Caleb was back, and I wanted to discuss the situation, hoping we could salvage our relationship. Yet, Caleb tossed his jacket on the couch and headed straight to the shower without acknowledging me. The sound of running water filled the apartment. Just then, his phone chimed from his jacket pocket. I never checked his phone before, but after today's events, my curiosity got the better of me. Sure enough, the messages were from Sheena. Moreover, her chat was pinned at the top. [Sheena: Daddy, are you home yet?] [Sheena: Daddy, why aren't you responding? I'm getting upset!] [Sheena: Still ignoring me? You'll have to make it up to me by buying me two new bags and delivering them to my place tomorrow!] The world seemed to stop as I stared at the screen. Those were just the recent messages, and as I scrolled up, my stomach turned. The earlier conversations were even worse. Caleb and Sheena had been seeing each other secretly for months, and the way she called him Daddy made me sick to my stomach.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I quietly took photos of their chat history before placing the phone back in his jacket pocket. At that point, confronting him or breaking down in tears seemed pointless. About five minutes later, Caleb emerged wrapped in a towel from the shower. He immediately reached for his jacket and asked suspiciously, "Did you look at my phone?" I shook my head, denying it. He pressed the issue several times, but I remained calm and admitted nothing. Eventually, he dropped the matter. I could not help but laugh at the absurdity. They had been caught making out, yet he was worried about me looking at his messages. Nevertheless, I would not let either of them off easy. The next day, I took a cab to the mall where Sheena worked. I spotted her at the luxury boutique, wearing a white blouse, black pencil skirt, and sheer black stockings. Her tall figure and pretty face made it easy to see why she had caught Caleb's attention. "Welcome, how may I help... Harper Smith?" She started with her rehearsed greeting, bowing slightly, but froze when she recognized me. "Surprised it's me and not Caleb?" I asked coldly. "Of course not, Harper. There's nothing between Caleb and me, really," Sheena replied with a forced smile. I calmly showed her the screenshots from yesterday. "Nothing? Then why are you calling him Daddy?" Sheena visibly panicked, struggling to form words. "What if I shared these online?" I asked. "I wonder what people will call you—mistress, homewrecker, or worse?" Sheena sneered. "It's your fault for not being good enough to keep your man. Besides, they're just pictures. Who would believe you?" I chuckled at her shamelessness. In today's social media age, it would only take minutes for her reputation to be destroyed, regardless of whether people believed the screenshots were real. As I opened my social media app, pretending to upload the images, Sheena finally cracked. She lunged for my phone and screamed, "No!" I stepped back, causing her to stumble and fall. Other sales associates rushed over to help her up. "Sheena, are you okay?" they asked, concerned. Sheena pointed at me accusingly. "I was just showing her some products when she went crazy and pushed me!" Her coworkers immediately took her side, demanding I apologize and threatening to call security. "Go ahead and call them," I announced loudly. "Then, everyone will know she's dating someone's husband!" A crowd began gathering around the store. She glared at me and protested, "She's lying! I never seduced her husband!" She had not expected me to make such a public scene, knowing it would embarrass me too. However, I was beyond caring. I challenged her, saying, "If you won't do it, I'll call the police myself!" As I raised my phone to take action, Sheena grabbed my wrist, trying to stop me from posting. Her coworker rushed to her side, but I held my ground, refusing to back down. In the middle of our struggle, someone shoved me from behind, and I stumbled forward. When I looked up, I saw it was Caleb. Instead of helping me up, he wrapped his arms around Sheena, his face full of concern. Sheena immediately switched to a delicate, innocent mode. "Caleb, Harper went crazy and pushed me. I think I twisted my ankle—it hurts!" Caleb gently wiped her tears and knelt to massage her ankle. My heart sank. They looked like the real couple to anyone watching, while I appeared to be the heartless third party. Sheena shot me a triumphant smirk as Caleb turned to me and demanded, "Harper, what do you think you're doing?"

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

It was hard to believe that was the same man who had once promised to love me forever. As I struggled to my feet, my right ankle throbbed with real pain. However, Caleb's deepening frown told me he thought I was faking it. I let out a bitter laugh. I said, "You know why I'm here. Should I read your chat history with her out loud for everyone to hear? "And Sheena, are you so desperate for a man that you must go after my husband? You're even calling him Daddy—how disgusting can you get?" "That's not true! There's nothing between Caleb and me!" Sheena sobbed while Caleb's face turned purple with rage at being exposed publicly. "Enough! How dare you slander Sheena? She never seduced me. We were having normal conversations," Caleb snapped. "Apologize to her. Now!" Apologize? His commanding tone crushed what little hope I had left for our marriage. My heart went completely cold as I watched him unconditionally defend Sheena without offering me any explanation. At that moment, I knew—our relationship was over. I lost all will to argue as the crowd's whispers amplified my humiliation. Slowly approaching them, I caught Caleb's triumphant expression—he thought I was giving in. "That's better. Apologize to Sheena properly; if she forgives you, we can all move past this," he stated condescendingly. Without a word, I removed my wedding ring and placed it in his hand. "Harper, what are you doing?" Caleb asked in confusion, but I was already walking away. Back home, I finally broke down. The tears I had been holding back came flooding out as I sobbed uncontrollably. Whenever I was hurting, my parents had always been my safe harbor. Sadly, they were gone. I knew that being alone meant I had to be stronger than ever. I would not let those who betrayed me see me broke. Once I had calmed down, I contacted a lawyer about divorce. With the chat history, I knew I had a strong case. Then, I packed my things and moved temporarily to my best friend's place. That evening, Caleb texted me. [Where are you? Why aren't you home yet?] He clearly did not understand the message when I returned the ring. Another text followed. [Why did you take all your stuff? Are you mad?] I was too tired to respond, but after my shower, I found several missed calls from him. Just as I was about to block his number, he called again. After a moment's hesitation, I decided to clarify things. I answered coldly, "You don't need to know where I am. A lawyer will send you divorce papers in a few days. Just sign them quickly." There was a long pause before he responded, "You want a divorce over this little thing? Come on, Harper, stop being dramatic. I'll apologize if that's what you want." It was laughable that he still thought I was only throwing a tantrum. I hung up and blocked him on everything, feeling instant relief in the silence. Exhausted from my mom's funeral and that mess with Caleb, I fell into a restless sleep. The next day, around noon, I was woken by a loud knocking at the door. When I opened the door, I found Caleb holding a bouquet of red roses with a bright smile that I could tell was completely fake.