My husband, who never helps our daughter with homework, suddenly volunteered to do her craft project today. Sitting on the couch, I suddenly noticed that my secretary Lily had updated her Ins post: 【Thank you Mr. S for this year of tutoring. My second-grader son got first place in his class on the exam.】 I scrolled to another one of her Ins posts: 【Mr. S is always traveling for work, such a headache. My son only listens to his father.】 When I saw that the stationery in Lily’s photo was identical to my daughter’s, my heart went cold. That set of stationery wasn’t available in stores—my husband had it custom-made for our daughter. It turns out my husband has been playing dad to someone else’s kid all along! My husband had two sets of that stationery custom-made. I took one set out and gave it to my daughter. The other set was in the cabinet, still unopened. When I opened the cabinet door and saw the empty shelf, my suspicions were confirmed. “Honey, did you see that set of stationery I had in my cabinet?” “I wanted to give it to Emma’s son.” Emma was my best friend, who had a first-grader. Sebastian’s expression froze for a moment. “Haven’t seen it. Maybe you put it somewhere else and forgot.” My heart sank as I slowly closed the cabinet door. I turned around and liked Lily’s Ins post. 【Lily, I see your son’s stationery is pretty nice. Can you send me a link? I want to buy a set for my daughter too】 In the kitchen, Sebastian and our daughter were sneaking bites of cake. Seeing me approach, he asked our daughter, “Maya, your mom can’t find a set of stationery. Did you see it?” I smiled. “The one just like yours.” Our daughter blinked her big round eyes. “My classmate liked it, so I gave it to her.” Sebastian visibly relaxed, rubbing our daughter’s head. “Maya, you’re so good at sharing. For your birthday this year, I’ll get you something special.” Just then, my phone rang. Lily replied to me. 【Lynn, I’m really sorry, but that’s not for sale. The child’s father brought it home】 My eyes fixed on the words “child’s father” and I couldn’t snap out of it for a long time. For the past six months, Sebastian had been constantly traveling for work. Lily had also been taking frequent leave. Considering she had a child and was a single mother, I never asked for specifics. Now, items from my home were brazenly appearing in her photos. And the affectionate ‘S’ she referred to was the initial of Sebastian’s name. My best friend’s words suddenly echoed in my mind. “Sebastian is handsome and loaded. You better keep an eye on him—there are plenty of women out there who want to sleep with him.” “Last time he came to our company for a meeting, those young girls were practically drooling, asking for his contact info.” I smiled and sipped my coffee at the time. Asking without concern, “Did he give it to them?” Emma was a bit annoyed. “He didn’t, but men all chase novelty and excitement.” I knew him best. “He won’t.” We met in high school. We both had excellent grades. To me, we were friends and rivals. After the SAT, we entered the same university and fell in love. After graduation, I supported him through starting his business, building our own stationery brand. Everyone envied our love story. But now, I was alarmed to realize he might have cheated. After dinner, when I scrolled through Ins again, I found that Lily’s post had been deleted. But she had posted a new one: 【It’s snowing. The kid insists his dad take him out to play in the snow. But the water pipe at home burst, so I guess skiing will have to be postponed.】 I liked it and replied: 【Do you want my husband to come fix your pipes?】
Lily replied: 【Huh? Lynn, what are you talking about】 【Sebastian and I don’t have that kind of relationship. You must be misunderstanding.】 【My ex-husband’s name is similar to your husband’s. We just got remarried not long ago】 Looking at her flurry of explanations, I smiled. Just then, our daughter pestered Sebastian to go downstairs and play in the snow, but Sebastian said: “Maya, Daddy just got back from a business trip. I’m really tired.” I took our daughter in my arms: “Come on, let’s go play in the snow.” Sebastian paused while putting on his shoes. “But you hate the cold. Let me go instead. You stay home and watch your shows. Maya and I will be back soon.” Our daughter chimed in, “Yeah, Mommy, we’ll be back soon.” “Okay.” I forced a smile and took out a jacket to help Sebastian put it on. My gaze lingered a few extra seconds on the pocket of his inner layer. After they left, I sat on the couch, staring at the constantly moving location marker on my phone screen. I called a car and followed. Luxe Haven Apartments. Very expensive per square foot, marketed as smart-connected living. I had mentioned it to Sebastian, who said he didn’t have enough liquid capital and to wait a bit longer. Based on what I knew about Lily, she absolutely couldn’t afford a place here. Through the fence, I watched Lily and Sebastian meet. Our daughter ran toward Lily. The earpiece glowed blue in the dim taxi. Their conversation came through. “Mommy, you look so beautiful today.” Our daughter’s sweet, soft voice was like a blade stabbing into my heart. She called Lily “Mommy.” So she knew. Through the car window, I stared in disbelief at our daughter’s back. This was the daughter I had carefully raised for nine years. She said again, “When Dad said we’d play in the snow, I knew it would be with Mommy.” Lily put a bracelet on our daughter. “Maya, Happy New Year.” Sebastian quickly intervened. “You don’t make much money. I’ve prepared Maya’s gift.” Lily took the opportunity to link her arm with his. “Maya is my daughter. This is what I should do.” “When will you spend a complete New Year’s Eve with me?” Sebastian’s face showed pain. “Next year I’ll spend it with you and our son…” “Let me fix your water pipe first.” Lily naturally leaned her head on his shoulder. “I just want to be with you like this for a while.” My heart turned ice cold. Every word from Sebastian was like a blade twisting in my heart. I called Sebastian. He answered. “When are you coming back?” Sebastian checked the time. “On my way back now.” He hung up. Our daughter’s voice rang out at just the right moment. “I wish she really was my mom.” Sebastian’s eyes darkened. He sent the child away and kissed Lily, unable to tear themselves apart. My stomach churned and I nearly threw up. With trembling hands, I sent the video I’d recorded to my lawyer. “I don’t want custody either.” A knot of pressure in my chest, I heard Sebastian say, “I’ll take our daughter back first, then come keep you company tonight.” Perhaps out of guilt, Sebastian was particularly enthusiastic that night. He held me, but I pushed him away. After a while, he took a phone call and whispered in my ear, “Honey, there are some specially stored packages at the company that weren’t entered into inventory. I need to go check on them.” “With this heavy snow, I’m worried the roads will be blocked tomorrow.” I kept my eyes tightly shut. Forcing down the tremor in my throat, “Go ahead.” A sleepless night. Through the earpiece, I constantly heard the sounds of their intense entanglement.
I sat dazed on the window seat, watching the snow outside fade and then weave itself into a thin blanket. Sebastian sent me a message. 【Honey, the roads are blocked. I’ll probably need to stay at the office for the next couple days】 Lily’s Ins had updated again. 【Heavy snow is heaven’s gift of love to us】 The photo showed her bare shoulder. Though covered with foundation, the red marks were clearly visible. Around her neck was a shiny ruby necklace. I remembered that necklace. This morning my best friend had messaged me. She said she’d unexpectedly attended a unique item auction with Sebastian. At the auction, Sebastian had won a ruby necklace. It should have been a New Year’s gift for me. She also said she really liked that necklace and had planned to bid on it herself. But when she saw Sebastian bidding too, she figured it was for me. I expressionlessly forwarded Lily’s Ins photo to her. A phone call came immediately. I had no choice but to answer. “Holy shit, Sebastian’s that bold!” “It’s not for me.” I calmly gazed at the white landscape. “He’s having an affair.” Emma hung up. Then she sent me a lawyer’s contact card. 【This was my divorce lawyer】 The lawyer I found turned out to be the same one Emma used for her divorce. At the time, he handed me his business card, but I didn’t take it. He said he didn’t just handle divorces, but also workplace disputes. 【If it wasn’t for him, that scumbag would have gotten custody of my son】 Staring at Emma’s message, my heart, which had been calm all night, began racing violently again. I replied, 【I don’t want custody】 I sent her a recording. She angrily asked, 【That bitch is there? I’m going to tear her apart!】 【Luxe Haven Apartments】 【Wait for me!】 I got Lily’s address from Emma. This was a place Sebastian and I had looked at six months ago. I really liked it. But when I inquired again later, the unit had already been sold. I never imagined that Sebastian had lied about not having enough money when he’d actually bought it for his mistress. Emma and I knocked on the door. The moment it opened, we both froze. “Attorney Morgan, this is your place?” Attorney Morgan nodded, his gaze landing on me. We staked out the stairwell waiting for Sebastian and Lily’s mother and son to leave. I called the property management. “What’s going on upstairs? The water killed the flowers on my balcony.” Property management came to check the situation and took us to the door. He knocked, asking tentatively, “Are you home?” He called out so naturally that Attorney Morgan asked, “You know this family?” The property manager smiled sheepishly. “I do. They bought the place six months ago. It’s a family of three.” “Mr. Sebastian is the best husband I’ve ever seen—when he travels for work, he often asks me to look after his wife and son.” Emma’s tone was contemptuous. “Really?” The property manager didn’t catch her meaning and continued on his own. “Don’t worry, I’ll call Mr. Sebastian. They probably just went out.” In the gap while he made the call, someone from the next unit came out. “Looking for Mr. Sebastian?” The friendly lady, seeing us gathered at the door, helpfully explained. “He took his wife and kid out.” “Mr. Sebastian travels a lot for work. It’s rare for them to go out together, so they probably won’t be back until evening.” Just then, Sebastian’s call connected. The property manager briefly explained the situation. He needed to enter the unit to investigate the water leak. Seeking Sebastian’s permission. On the other end, a child’s voice sounded disappointed. “Daddy, you promised we’d go to the amusement park today…” Then came Lily’s soothing voice. Sebastian indulgently coaxed the child, then said into the phone, “I can’t make it back. I’ll have to trouble you then.”
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