Chapter 2

A loud thud at the front door jerked me out of my downward spiral.

I cast my eyes down, slipped out of my nightgown, and pulled on the black lace negligee.

Years of illness had withered my body into a frail silhouette. The outfit hung loose on me, leaving large, hollow spaces around my frame.

When Carter stepped into the bedroom and saw me lying on the bed wearing that provocative dress, he froze in his tracks.

Pale and hollow, I tilted my lips upward and looked straight at him.

"Well? Do you like it?"

Realization seemed to dawn on him. Carter’s expression shifted, turning bizarrely tense.

"What the hell are you doing?"

I lowered my eyes. The throbbing pain running through my body made me pinch the back of my hand until it flushed a violent red against my ghastly, bruised skin.

"I was just thinking... if my husband likes this sort of thing, why shouldn't I change for him just this once?"

Carter's body stiffened. When he turned his head back, a flicker of hungry anticipation shone in his eyes.

"Elena... you're finally willing?"

Before I could say another word, he shed his suit jacket and leaned over, attempting to kiss my mouth.

Yet, I clearly caught the fleeting flash of disgust in his eyes when his hands brushed against my gaunt, curve-less frame.

I smiled, swung my hand, and slapped him across the face with every ounce of strength I had left.

My voice turned razor-sharp.

"Carter, you are truly shameless."

Stunned by the slap, Carter quickly realized I had made a fool out of him. Blinding rage took over. He grabbed me by the shoulder and violently threw me off the bed.

"Get lost! Are you out of your damn mind, Elena? Wearing Chloe's clothes just to humiliate yourself? Take a look in the mirror! You look like a walking corpse. You think you're worthy of touching me?"

I hit the cold hardwood floor, every bone in my body screaming in agony from both physical decay and deep psychological pain.

It hurt so much. But no matter how bad it got, I refused to show even a single tear of weakness in front of Carter.

"Carter, I want to know: why the hell did you let your mistress leave her lingerie inside our daughter's bedroom?"

Hearing that, a flicker of panic flashed across his face before he snapped defensively:

"Chloe probably just dropped it by mistake! If you saw it, couldn't you have just tossed it in the trash? Why do you have to turn everything into a massive scene?"

I dropped my head, tears dripping one by one onto my bruised hand, burning my cold skin. My chest swelled with overwhelming sorrow for the eight years of marriage I had wasted.

How could the man who once treated me like his most precious treasure, the man who had wept with joy when our baby was born, turn into this monster?

We hadn't even had massive blowouts. It was as if we had drifted apart in silent, unspoken coldness.

I had spent years agonizing over the cause, only to reach one simple conclusion:

He just didn't love me anymore.

Even if his love had died, I never imagined he could become so utterly indifferent to our daughter.

If the day came when I was truly gone, how could I ever leave Lily in the hands of a man like him?

I raised my head, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

"Carter, I tolerated every single woman you brought around before. But this Chloe Vance—never!"

Hearing this, he suddenly burst into mocking laughter.

"Elena, you're thirty-four, and you're actually throwing a tantrum over a girl in her twenties?

It's just a damn piece of clothing! Why the hell are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"You don't want me to be with Chloe? Let me make one thing crystal clear: she happens to be my favorite."

With that, he grabbed his suit jacket in utter disgust and stormed out of the house.