Chapter 3

My mother-in-law, Rachel Harper, heard I had taken the baby back to my parents' house and called to check on me.

"Claire, did Quinn bully you? Did he hurt you? Tell me, and I'll back you up"

The unconditional support I didn't get from my own mother, my mother-in-law gave me.

But similarly, my conflict with Quinn wasn't appropriate to tell her.

I couldn't find a suitable answer, so I stayed silent.

Rachel seemed to have endless patience with me. "It's okay. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I'll have Quinn come apologize to you."

She asked about the baby's condition before hanging up.

Perhaps Rachel pressed him hard, because Quinn came to the Hayes house that very evening.

My parents received him warmly. Though I didn't like it, I understood.

The Hayes family's alliance with the Harper family was truly the Hayes marrying up.

At the dinner table, Quinn acted like a dutiful husband, taking care of me. My parents nodded approvingly.

But I noticed with sharp sensitivity that he kept rotating the lazy Susan.

After observing for a while, I finally understood his purpose.

Aria loved shrimp. Every time Quinn rotated the lazy Susan, it was to position the shrimp in front of her.

I looked down at the various foods in my bowl, my lips curling into a bitter smile.

Quinn seemed to be caring for me, but he didn't even know what I liked or disliked eating.

Yet he precisely understood Aria's preferences and was willing to care for her so discreetly.

This meal once again became impossible for me to swallow.

I got up and left the table. As I went upstairs, my parents were apologizing to Quinn for my rudeness.

Quinn agreed to stay the night. My sister moved back to her own room.

I deliberately avoided thinking about why he was willing to stay.

Closing the door, we each did our own things without communication.

When sleeping, we automatically maintained a clear boundary between us.

In the middle of the night, I heard my son crying and got up, covering my aching head.

The space beside me was already empty. When I reached over, not even a trace of warmth remained.

After feeding and soothing the baby back to sleep, I put on a jacket and left the room.

I finally found Quinn on the third-floor balcony—but he wasn't alone.

Standing beside him was Aria.

The deep night was quiet enough that their low voices reached my ears clearly.

"Aria has been wronged. Even though she won't say it, I know she's unhappy."

"I heard the Hayes family is arranging a match for you. What do you think?"

The two of them talked past each other in conversation that was absurd yet natural.

"You know she has postpartum depression. Why don't you care more about her?"

"As long as you say you're unwilling, I guarantee no one can force you into an arranged marriage."

A moment of silence. The two faced each other, more like a confrontation.

I stood in the shadows, watching this scene, feeling only absurdity.

When Quinn couldn't hold back any longer and closed the distance, pulling Aria into his embrace, I fled in humiliation.

The next day, I took my son and returned to the Harper house with Quinn.

When leaving, Aria expressed concern and reluctance as always.

But this time, I avoided the hand she tried to hold.

Back at the Harper house, I discovered the study had a new password lock.

Quinn came home later and later. He no longer shared my room or communicated with me.

Every day when he came home, he would glance at the baby, then lock himself in the study.

His presence in this house was almost nonexistent. My marriage felt like just a dream.

But life remained tedious, and the baby still cried.

Then at a certain moment, without any trigger, I exploded.

I grabbed a hammer and smashed the study's password lock like a madwoman.

In that moment, I couldn't hear my son's cries—only a devil whispering in my ear.

"Smash it. Smash this damned life to pieces"