Chapter 3

I nodded, hung up the phone, and got up to wash. Looking at myself in the mirror, my eyes swollen like walnuts, a bitter taste filled my mouth.

The lawyer had already drafted the divorce papers and sent them over, but I still hadn't figured out how to tell Alexander. After so many years of shared history, it wasn't easy to simply let go.

I used makeup to cover the traces of my tears, changed into a sharp business suit, and left the room.

Downstairs, Serena was having breakfast with her son. My appearance yesterday must have given Max quite a scare.

"Auntie's awake!" Max, with his little legs, scampered over to me, taking my hand and blowing on it. "Mommy said Auntie's heart hurt yesterday, so if I blow on it, it won't hurt anymore!"

Six-year-olds were truly innocent. I stroked his cheek. "Good boy, Max. Auntie doesn't hurt anymore. Go find Mommy."

Max nodded innocently, then happily ran into Serena's arms.

I remembered Alexander and that child's joyous laughter yesterday.

I thought, if our child had still been alive, they would probably be a bit older than Leo.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the bitterness in my heart, quickly said goodbye, and left.

But as I stepped out of the villa, I saw a figure standing beside a Maybach not far away.

Alexander looked exhausted, lightly biting on a cigarette, smoke swirling around him, making him appear indistinct.

I was startled. The information stated that both Cassandra and her son's birthdays were in July. Cassandra's birthday was over, but the son's was yet to come. Why would he suddenly be back?

As if my gaze was too intense, he belatedly turned a searching look towards me, but the moment he saw it was me, his previously dull eyes suddenly lit up.

He strode over to me, pulling me into his arms.

His embrace was still warm, but at that moment, it felt so hot it made me tremble.

"Is your cold better? I heard your voice wasn't right, so I rushed back last night."

"I came home and found you gone. I figured you must be here with Serena."

Alexander's voice was full of concern, and his expression didn't seem faked.

To this day, I still didn't understand why the man who loved me to the bone would so comfortably have an affair and a child with another woman.

My lips trembled slightly. I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the pain in my throat. I wanted to question him, but in the end, I just said numbly, "I'm fine. I was just about to go home."

Alexander sighed in relief. "Next time you're sick, remember to tell me, or I'll worry myself to death."

His voice was gentle and low, creating a momentary illusion of peaceful serenity.

But in my peripheral vision, I saw a slender figure not far away.

Cassandra stood under a tree, talking on her phone. The next second, Alexander's phone rang…

He glanced down at his phone, his face showing a troubled expression. "Something urgent came up at the office. I need to go deal with it."

My breath caught. I wasn't blind. I'd seen the name flash across the screen: Cassandra.

The bitterness in my heart was overflowing. I forced myself to speak, my voice tinged with a sour ache. "Alright, you go ahead. Company matters are important."

Alexander's eyes held a hint of guilt. He kissed my forehead before getting into the car and rushing off.

As soon as Alexander drove away, Cassandra hung up her phone. She swayed her hips as she approached. "Miss Hayes, hello. I'm Cassandra. I'm…"

She trailed off, seeing my tightly pursed lips, and a knowing look crossed her face.

"It seems Miss Hayes already knows about Leo and me. Then just wait for the show."

I hailed a taxi and followed Cassandra.

At the hospital, I stood outside the patient room, watching everything unfold inside, feeling a sharp pain tear through my heart.

I bit down hard on my lip, not daring to make a sound.

Inside, Alexander's son was on an IV drip, his small face pale and drawn, looking terribly pitiful.

Alexander was frantic, pacing back and forth in the room, letting out a furious rant. "What are you all doing?! You can't even cure a child's fever!"

The busy doctor beside him, I recognized as Alexander's good friend, Dr. Ben Carter.

"Your son has a cold and a fever because he caught a chill. If you can't take care of him yourself, don't you dare yell at my colleagues!"

"Alexander, I really don't know what you're thinking. Didn't you say you'd pay that woman off and get rid of her after she had the child? Now you dare to call me for a simple cold? What if Eleanor finds out?"

After a long silence, Alexander's voice came, tinged with fatigue and helplessness. "What can I do? A mother's heart is tied to her child. Every time I tried to send Cassandra away, Leo would cry endlessly. I can't just let the child keep crying, can I?"

"Hmph, is it the child you can't bear to part with, or her? You know the answer yourself!" Dr. Ben Carter scoffed.

Hearing this, Alexander grew even more irritated. He rubbed his throbbing forehead forcefully. "Don't talk nonsense. I will only love Eleanor my entire life. But the Harrington family can't be without an heir. You absolutely must keep this from Eleanor. I don't want to hurt her."

"As for Cassandra, she did bear me a child, and I can't treat her badly."

It was only then that Cassandra pushed the door open, her face tear-streaked like a weeping willow. "Alex, it's all my fault for not taking good care of Leo. He got a fever after you left last night and kept crying for you. I was afraid of disturbing you and your wife, so I didn't say anything sooner…"

Alexander stroked the child's feverish face, sighed, and his heart softened.

He pulled the woman into his arms to comfort her. "Don't cry, Cassandra. I'm not blaming you. Leo is our child; it's me who's an unfit father."

Cassandra tugged at Alexander's shirt, her fingers brushing across his chest. "Alex, I know I can't compare to Miss Hayes, but I just can't bear to see our child suffer…"

Alexander's brows furrowed. "Who dares to make my son suffer?! You, on the other hand, need to take care of yourself. Look at your face, all tear-streaked."

He raised a hand and gently wiped a tear from her eye, their intimate pose piercing my heart.

I squeezed my hands tightly, letting my fingernails dig into my palms, leaving crescent-shaped red marks. I felt no pain at all.

Or perhaps, any physical pain was nothing compared to the heartache.

The pouring rain started again, and I left the hospital like that.

I walked numbly in the rain, letting it drench me.