Release. Return. Chapter 1

My husband cheated on me with his secretary during my pregnancy.

In a fit of rage, I gathered his family and stormed the hotel room where they were staying. But during the chaotic confrontation, the secretary pushed me down the stairs, causing me to miscarry.

The devastating loss plunged me into a deep, dark depression, plagued by constant thoughts of ending my own life. My husband stepped down from his executive position, dedicating every single day to taking care of me. He blacklisted the secretary from the entire industry and swore he would spend the rest of his life making it up to me.

Three years passed, and I slowly began to piece my life back together.

On the day of my final recovery checkup, I took his car. When I turned on the automatic GPS to navigate home, the route took me to an upscale apartment complex directly across from our estate.

On the screen, the saved address was simply labeled: Home.

I realized then that his home was never with me, and I was never the one he loved.

* * *

Not far ahead, Nicholas was gently guiding a visibly pregnant Evelyn toward the entrance of the apartment building.

The tenderness on his face was identical to the expression he wore every time he coaxed me to take my medicine over the past three years.

But at this moment, the illusion shattered.

Every sweet word, every warm embrace, had been nothing but a carefully orchestrated lie.

Numbly, I picked up my phone and dialed the number pinned at the top of my contact list.

A few yards away, Nicholas paused. He freed one hand to answer the call, his voice dripping with his usual affectionate warmth.

"Fiona, honey, is your checkup finished?"

"I'm so sorry, sweetie. An emergency came up at the office today, so I couldn't make it to the hospital with you."

My gaze remained locked on the rearview mirror, watching the two of them leaning in close to one another. My voice felt incredibly dry, raspy as I spoke. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the office working overtime, of course. Do you want to do a video call?"

He knew I wouldn't. For three years, he had meticulously logged his daily schedule for me, even reporting what he ate for breakfast. But I had always kept a respectful distance. I didn't want to smother him, and I didn't want him to lose face in front of his employees.

Whenever he said he was working late, I never called to disturb him.

I had no idea he was using my trust to build a second life.

Through the glass, I saw him lean down, pressing his nose against Evelyn's cheek as if reassuring her not to be jealous.

My voice turned ice cold. "Really? Because I think I just saw you at the gates of our neighborhood."

The color drained from Nicholas's face instantly. He spun around, searching the surrounding street. When he couldn't spot me, his confidence returned.

"Fiona, you must have seen someone else. I'm literally in the middle of a conference room right now. My colleagues can back me up."

I cut him off. "Nicholas, do you really take me for an idiot?"

I pushed the car door open and stepped out.

The moment Nicholas saw me, his instinctive reaction was to pull Evelyn behind his back, shielding her from me. That single, defensive movement tore through whatever remained of my heart.

Evelyn clung to his arm, her eyes wide with carefully rehearsed terror. "Mrs. Montgomery, you can scream at me all you want. But my baby is innocent. Please, don't hurt my child. I'll kneel and beg for your forgiveness if that's what it takes."

She made a show of bending her knees, but before she could even lower herself, Nicholas pulled her back into his arms.

His voice was thick with panic. "Evelyn, you're pregnant!"

"You have to think about the baby, even if you don't care about your own body! I won't let anyone touch our child!"

Evelyn looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Even if that person is Fiona?"

Nicholas's response was instant and absolute. "Not even her."

Watching the theatrical display, the rage in my chest slowly subsided into a calm, hollow silence.

"So this is your choice, Nicholas," I said quietly. "Between me and this woman, you chose her."

Nicholas bit his lip, a flash of conflict crossing his eyes, but his voice remained firm. "I lost a child three years ago. I won't lose this one. Evelyn's baby will be protected."

"Fiona, please stop causing a scene. Once the baby is born safely, I will do whatever it takes to make this up to you."

A dry, bitter laugh escaped my lips.

He still remembered the child we lost three years ago. Yet his way of honoring that loss was to cherish the woman who caused it, giving her the very family he denied me.

How incredibly poetic.

When I looked at him again, my eyes were as still as a stagnant pond. "Nicholas, you don't deserve to mention that child."