Chapter 3
After that day, Matthew never came home.
He flew to Switzerland with Tiffany for prenatal checkups. Then toured Europe.
In the photos he posted, he bent down, following where Tiffany pointed, and picked up a whole bucket of heart–shaped seashells.
I looked at the light in his eyes and smiled.
Over the years, it’s not like I never tried to win him back.
After all, we once loved each other deeply.
I tried everything–recreating our old dates, theme parks, concerts…
But with Matthew, it was always just going through the motions. No spark. No heartbeat.
That light I thought had vanished with age now shone again in his eyes, but for another woman.
Something inside me quietly broke.
His past lovers began flooding my feed with insults.
“If he doesn’t love you, there’s no point forcing it.”
“The one unloved is always the side chick.”
“You probably trapped him by poking holes in the condom. No wonder the Hartoff family disowns that bastard kid.”
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Rumors spread like wildfire. Matthew just stood by, watching.
The old butler sighed. “Mr. Hartoff’s just mad at you. Just give in a little. No love, no anger, right?”
I knew what Matthew was doing.
He wanted to prove he was just fine without me.
But without the title of Mrs. Hartoff, I couldn’t even protect Laura.
He was waiting for me to cry, to apologize, to go back to being the good wife and mother he wanted.
But I couldn’t do that anymore.
Suddenly, Laura gripped my hand tightly.
“Mommy, did Grandma suffer a lot for you? I don’t want you to suffer for me, too.”
She pointed at her wounds.
“Here, here! None of them hurt like your tears.”
I smiled through the sting in my eyes.
We were done being birds in a cage.
Then one night, Matthew called me. His voice was slurred and aggressive.
“Shannon, you really dared to ignore me?
“Stupid woman. The doctor said your body’s too weak–you shouldn’t get pregnant again. Tiff’s son will be raised under your name… she’ll just
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Chapter 3
become another mistress in the past.
“I miss you and Laura…”
I hung up without a word.
On my phone, the other man’s texts kept coming. Each was more urgent than the last, asking when we’d leave.
But the next morning, Laura was gone.
ran out barefoot, but a staff member stopped me.
“Ms. Logan said the top–floor elevator is for residents only.”
My heart tightened.
The private stairwell used to lead straight to the 99th floor–a space Matthew had built just for me.
But now, the top was the 100th floor.
And Laura and I were stuck in the past.
I didn’t care anymore. I pressed the staff, demanding to know where Laura
was.
Then I ran full speed, following their directions to the top.
But what hit me wasn’t silence. It was laughter.
Matthew had gathered the elite of New York City to throw Tiffany a birthday party.
She wore a custom dress bearing the Hartoff family crest, looking every bit the hostess.
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Chapter 3
Covered in sweat and tear stains, barefoot in pajamas, I drew smirks and whispers.
But I didn’t feel embarrassed.
I just looked at the scene in front of me and thought how undeserved it was for Laura to be left behind.
She was five. And not once had Matthew thrown her a birthday party.
Her first steps, her first word-“Daddy“, her first broken bone at dance class…
He was never there.
But today, he pulled every Hartoff family string for a mistress.
So what was Laura to him?
Matthew’s gaze landed on me.
He wasn’t angry. In fact, his eyes lit up, like he thought I was jealous, finally breaking down.
Like I was about to throw myself into his arms and sob, “I give up. I can’t live without you.
He even opened his arms slightly, waiting for that old me to fall into them.
But he was doomed to be disappointed.
I walked right past him, straight to Tiffany.
“Where’s Laura?”