Chapter 2
In the dark, the impatience in his eyes burned hotter than the lightning flashing outside.
After coaxing our son to sleep, he stood and left the room first. “I have a meeting early tomorrow. You stay with him.”
Then came the usual cold farewell. “Don’t bother preparing breakfast. Just focus on taking care of your son.”
Your son.
I wasn’t always a full–time wife.
Back then, I was like Geoffrey Sharp–career–driven, ambitious. We fell in love in college, married after our internships, and had a child soon after. On the surface, our life looked seamless. But I was the one who gave in, one compromise at a time.
I gave up my job to care for our child, to support his career quietly from behind the scenes. My sacrifice bought him peace of mind, freedom, and a fast–track promotion.
Now, he’s the head of the branch.
And like clockwork, he left early that morning–no goodbye, not even a glance.
Still, I made dinner for him. Like always.
Around 8 PM, my phone buzzed.
Geoffrey: Business trip. Pack a bag. I’ll pick you up in 30 minutes.
The tone was curt, transactional–like issuing an order to a subordinate.
I didn’t flinch. I was used to it.
After years of being his shadow, I could pack in ten minutes flat. When I came down with my suitcase, I saw her–Caroline–reaching across the passenger seat to adjust the radio.
She smiled sweetly when she spotted me. “Jean.”
Then she added, with a feigned helplessness, “I was clueless when I started my internship. Mr. Sharp said this trip would help me learn and gain experience.”
I clenched the suitcase handle tighter, veins rising beneath my skin.
“An intern on a business trip with the president?”
Geoffrey didn’t even look at me. “Teach her how to write a proper report on the way,” he said tapping the steering wheel with relaxed rhythm.
So carefree. So distant.
I stared at the man beside me, remembering how once, after a night of heavy drinking with clients, he came home vomiting blood–but still got up at 3 AM to cook porridge for me.
I remembered how, after his first promotion, he booked the entire revolving restaurant, playing our wedding photos on the projector to cheer me up.
Back then, I was his entire world.
Now, I was a role. A title. A routine.
Soon, he started bringing women around under the guise of “work.” We had screaming fights,
slammed doors–but I stayed. For the child. For the image. For peace.
Over time, I learned to turn a blind eye.
But this time was different.
This time, he cared. The way he looked at Caroline–it was the way he once looked at me.
On the second day of the trip, Caroline suddenly added me on Instagram.
Caroline: Jean, Mr. Sharp wears XL underwear, right?
Attached was a photo of a messy hotel bathroom–men’s shirts scattered across the tub.
Caroline: He drank too much and vomited. Got all my clothes wet: I need to buy him some new
ones.
Innocent tone. Casual devastation.
The following days, she flooded her IG feed with photos of Geoffrey.
In a nine–photo grid titled “Watching the Sunrise with Mr. Sharp,” she wore his jacket, smiling like she’d won the world.
In a short video labeled “Celebration Banquet,” his hands paused to place peeled shrimp gently into her bowl.
Each post chipped away at me.
And yet I kept watching.
A few days later, he called to say he’d be arriving home and asked me to pick him up at the
airport.
It was raining hard. The flight was delayed. I waited, umbrella in hand, getting soaked beneath the arrival exit’s flickering lights.
Then I saw them.
Walking side by side.
Caroline, laughing under the shelter of his umbrella, his suit jacket draped over her shoulders.
Tai Jun is a dreamer and storyteller who believes the sky is never the limit. He spends most of his time with his friend Lian, chasing new horizons and crafting tales that soar beyond boundaries.