hapter 11
8:45 AM D
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The faint scent on the pillow made him feel like Cynthia was still by his side, never having left.
Tears soaked the pillow as he forced himself not to think about the painful memories, but Cynthia’s tear–streaked face kept haunting his
mind.
She must have known about everything he had done long ago. How had she been able to face him, knowing that?
Cynthia’s parents had divorced when she was very young, each of them starting their new families.
When they divorced, neither of them wanted her, thinking she was just a burden on their broken marriage. That became Cynthia’s childhood
trauma.
So, when she started dating him, she told him once, “When I love someone, I give them my whole heart. If you’re ever unfaithful to me, I’ll
never come back.”
At the time, Keith had thought the same. He would love Cynthia with his whole heart, never doing anything to hurt her.
But when did it all start to spiral out of control?
Probably from the day–to–day monotony of their marriage, a life that was passionless and boring. That was when he started seeking excitement outside their relationship. Encouraged by friends, he took that first step into forbidden territory, and after that, things only got worse.
He gradually forgot his original intentions, walking further and further down the wrong path.
He thought that as long as he hid his actions well enough, Cynthia would never find out.
But he forgot that every wrong step left a trace, and Cynthia, so sensitive, could never fail to notice.
At that thought, his heart felt as though it had been ripped open, blood pouring out.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a delayed text message from Cynthia’s number.
He eagerly opened the message, but the contents made him even more unbearable.
He almost dropped his phone in anger.
The message was filled with the provocative conversations Mildred had sent to Cynthia, along with photos she had secretly taken.
Keith immediately called Mildred.
“So, it was you who told Cynthia everything!”
He shouted, his rage almost suffocating.
There was a pause, and then Mildred’s voice broke into soft sobs.
“Keith, listen to me. I didn’t mean to tell Mrs. Beltran everything. I just wanted to give our baby a family. I didn’t want him to be born with the label of an illegitimate child. You understand, don’t you? I’m doing this for our baby’s sake.”
“Enough!” Keith interrupted, not wanting to hear any more excuses. “I told you not to show up in front of Cynthia. But you ignored me and even dared to provoke her. Who do you think you are?! Since you didn’t listen, there’s no need for you to stay around anymore.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, Keith hung up.
Just imagining Cynthia’s perspective made his heart ache unbearably. He wondered how much pain must she have been in at that moment.
