I had been married to Charlie for three years, but he had an affair when I was five months pregnant.

He even complained to his mistress, "I'm happy that Nancy is pregnant, but when I see the ugly stretch marks on her belly, I feel sick."

I touched my round belly, and went to the hospital.

However, when Charlie saw my flat belly, he smashed everything like crazy. His eyes were bloodshot as he said fiercely, "Who allowed you to have an induced abortion?"

——

When Charlie came back, I was applying essential oil to my belly.

In fact, I didn't need to do this kind of thing. Charlie had been doing it for me since I got stretch marks.

But he came back too late this day. I was so sleepy that I planned to do it myself.

Seeing my clumsy movements, Charlie took the essential oil from me and helped me sit down.

"I've always been the one to do this kind of thing. It's not convenient for you to do it."

He skillfully poured the essential oil into his palm, rubbed it a few times, and then covered my belly with his warm palm.

His movements were gentle, for fear of disturbing the baby in my belly.

I lowered my head and smiled. I had been with him for seven years and had been married for three years. He had always been particularly patient with me.

In the eyes of outsiders, he was the best husband.

I pretended to be angry and muttered, "Who let you come back so late? I've been waiting for you till the flowers wilted."

"Oh, you've been waiting for me for so long. Sorry, honey. Tonight, I'm punished to show my abdominal muscles to my honey without wearing clothes."

With sparkling eyes, he smiled so widely that his eyes narrowed.

I also smiled. After applying the oil, he took off his clothes in front of me.

His skin was fair and he would leave fingerprints with a gentle pinch.

I extended my hand and poked the inconspicuous red mark, which was not left by me.

Seeing that I didn't move for a long time, he asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Aren't you interested in my abdominal muscles today?"

Perhaps the red mark was left by him accidentally. Human skin was so fragile that it was inevitable to be scratched.

I thought too much. People said that women would become sensitive during pregnancy. It seemed to be true.

I relaxed my furrowed eyebrows and caressed his abdominal muscles with my hand.

Charlie cooperated with me, but not long after, I lost interest.

I retracted my hand and leaned toward the bedside.

He quickly tidied up the bed so that I could lie down more comfortably.

"What's wrong? Do you want to sleep?"

I nodded and yawned.

"I'm sleepy. Go take a shower."

He bent down and kissed me on the forehead.

"Have a good rest."

After a while, the sound of running water came from the bathroom. I was sleepy. When I was about to enter a deep sleep, I was woken up by a succession of Facebook Messenger message alerts.

I frowned and tried to turn over to avoid the alerts, but they wouldn't let me go.

I was so angry that I sat up. Pregnant women were moody.

I found the source of the evil. It was Charlie's phone.

I knew the password to unlock his phone, but after I entered it this time, I was told that the password was wrong.

I thought I had made a mistake, but after trying a few times, I was still wrong.

I was so suspicious that I was not sleepy in an instant.

The sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. I tried to use my fingerprint to unlock the phone and it worked.

The chat box avatar at the top of Facebook Messenger was a girl's back. As I scrolled up the chat history, I felt increasingly uneasy.

"Charlie, have you got home?

"I didn't leave any traces tonight. Am I good?

"Charlie, why don't you reply? Are you taking care of Nancy?

"Didn't you say that when you saw the stretch marks on her belly, you would feel sick?

"Charlie?"

…

There were only messages of today in the chat box, and all of them were sent by that woman.

I was so excited that my hands were shaking and my temples were throbbing.

Is she one of his suitors or his mistress?

I couldn't come to a conclusion, but the words "when you saw the stretch marks on her belly, you would feel sick" were clearly talking about me.

Did I make Charlie feel sick?

The one who applied essential oil for me everyday, tried his best to make me happy when I was sad, was so gentle to me, and said that he was looking forward to the birth of the child felt sick because of my stretch marks?

A few minutes ago, he was gently applying oil for me, for fear of hurting me.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I bit my lower lip before I could cry.

Suddenly, the sound of running water stopped.

I quickly closed the chat and set the message as unread. Then, I put his phone back in his suit jacket and lay down again.

I closed my eyes and felt a warm body approaching me. There was water dripping on my forehead, and then a slightly cold hand quickly wiped away the water.

My eyelashes trembled slightly and I slowly opened my eyes. What I saw was the face of Charlie, which I had once admired very much. The tip of his hair was still dripping with water.

When he saw that I was awake, the indifference in his eyes dissipated. Instead, he smiled gently and said, "Did I wake you up? Baby, I'm sorry. Go to sleep quickly. I won't disturb you anymore."

He patted me on the back, just like an adult coaxing a child to sleep.

I shook my head, my mind in a mess.

Those messages were like a thorn in my heart, but I didn't know how to ask him.

Charlie is so good. How can he cheat me?

But those messages were indeed sent to him.

Just as he was about to leave with his phone, I subconsciously grabbed him.

"Where are you going?"

My voice became a little hoarse, but he didn't recognize it.

He grabbed my wrist and said with a smile, "Go dry my hair and then come to sleep with my baby."

"Dry your hair. Why do you take your phone?"

Charlie's expression froze, and he subconsciously clenched his phone.

My heart thumped. In front of me was a Pandora magic box. I didn't know what was inside the box.

He put my hand under the quilt and patted me gently.

"Are you unhappy because I came back late today? Honey, don't think too much. I'm busy making money to support you and the baby in your belly. If I don't make money, what will you spend in the future?"

He was avoiding it. He did not intend to explain the messages.

My heart sank. Once the seed of suspicion was planted, it would grow crazily.

Not long after, the sound of the hairdryer came from the bathroom. The door blocked my sight.

I didn't know if he replied to her while drying his hair.

I didn't know if his expression was as gentle as it was to me when he replied to the message, or if he was upset about that person's messages.

I turned over and placed my hand on my stomach.

When I was diagnosed to be pregnant, he was so happy that he hugged me and spun around several times.

He said that this was the crystallization of our love, and he would work hard to make money to give us the best life.

But now, my mind was filled with the words "sick".

I didn't know when he came back and went to bed.

He didn't hug me from behind as usual. He turned his back to me and I could even see the light on his side.

When I put my hand under my face, I found that the pillow was completely wet, and my nose was blocked and I couldn't breathe. I could only open my mouth slightly and hold back my tears. I didn't sleep well that night.

When I woke up the next day, breakfast was ready.

Charlie was wearing an apron and looked like a househusband.

When he saw the bruise under my eyes, he frowned. He was worried and anxious. He quickly helped me sit down and touched my belly.

"You didn't sleep well last night. Did the baby make a fuss? When he comes out, I'll beat him up."

I wanted to laugh, but my smile was too forced.

He was still the same, but I felt different.

After the breakfast, he was going to work. I wanted to go with him.

He flicked me on the forehead. "You're pregnant. Stay at home and wait for me to come back and accompany you."

I refused him.

"The doctor said that pregnant women should walk more often, which is good for giving birth. Or is there something shameful in your company, so you don't want me to go?"

His expression froze slightly, and a trace of panic flashed across his eyes, but I still caught it.

Sure enough, he was hiding something from me.

As I wished, I went to the company with him. His life was very simple: company, social engagements, and home.

He was a neat freak. It was impossible for him to sleep with someone he had just met.

The person who could make him have such thoughts must be someone who knew him well and had accompanied him for a long time.

Other than his assistants and secretaries, I couldn't think of anyone else.

He had five secretaries, three men and two women, and three assistants, two men and one woman.

Therefore, it was not difficult to find that person.

Everyone in the secretary's office greeted me when they saw me.

Everyone focused on their own work. I frowned. Did I think wrong?

I walked into the office absent-mindedly and saw that Charlie was talking to someone about work.

I sat on the sofa and looked at him. He was serious and not as gentle as he used to be at home. Did I suspect something wrong?

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even know when he sat next to me.

He waved his hand in front of my eyes. "Are you distracted? Are you bored? Do you want me to send you back?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll just be alone at home if I go back. I don't want to go back."

"Madam, if you're bored, why don't you let me accompany you?"

The woman who was talking about work with Charlie just now walked toward me with a smile. She had a high ponytail, looking young and sunny.

I looked at Charlie questioningly and saw the evasive look in his eyes.

The smell of adultery permeated the air. I looked at the woman in front of me carefully. She seemed to be 22 or 23. She was a college student.

"Who are you?"

There was no such person among his secretaries and assistants.

The woman smiled and said, "I'm Mr. Ford's intern assistant. My name is Winnie Davis."

"Why didn't I know that you had an intern assistant?"

I looked at Charlie. His eyes were a little evasive, and his index finger and thumb rubbed against each other unconsciously. I knew him too well, and I even knew his every habit. He was feeling guilty.

"She's a senior, and she's only been here for two months. It's hard to say whether she can stay or not. Besides, you haven't been to the company for a long time. It's normal for you not to know these things."

I touched my belly and chuckled.

"Yes, it's normal that I don't know."

"Then I'll have to trouble you to accompany me for a walk, Miss Davis."

A woman's intuition was terrifyingly accurate. If she was an ordinary employee, why would Charlie feel guilty?

Unless this employee was not ordinary.

There was nothing to look around the company, so Winnie suggested going for a walk.

"Then let's go to the cafe downstairs. I used to like going there to slack off during work."

"It turns out that you like to go to the cafe to slack off. I thought you would stay in Mr. Ford's office to relax."

Winnie smiled mischievously.

When we were in college, Charlie started a business. It was a hard time, but we lived a fulfilling life.

Sometimes, when I was too tired, I would hide and relax in his office.

He always pinched my nose dotingly and called me "lazy cat". He also said that if he made money in the future, I wouldn't have to work so hard.

Later, his company gradually expanded, and I was indeed much more relaxed.

After getting pregnant, I couldn't go to work anymore and stayed at home to nourish the fetus.

However, as our life had improved, someone had lost his heart along the way.

I couldn't drink coffee, so I ordered a cup of warm water.

Winnie ordered a glass of Iced Caffe Americano.

"You also like Iced Caffe Americano."

Charlie liked it too, but I didn't like it. It was too bitter, and I couldn't get used to it.

She looked at the coffee with a happy smile on her face.

"I didn't like it at first, but my sweetheart does."

Her shy expression was no different from that of a young girl who had just fallen in love.

I looked at the warm water in my hand and asked with a faint smile, "Is he your sweetheart or boyfriend?"

If she said sweetheart, then it was her unrequited love.

But if she said boyfriend, it would be different.

Winnie blushed, but she straightened her back unconsciously.

I heard her say a word in a low voice, "Boyfriend."

Bang! The cup in my hand fell to the ground and warm water splashed on my leg.

"Ah!" Winnie quickly pulled out a few pieces of paper for me.

The waiter also rushed over to ask about the situation.

For a moment, my surroundings were in a mess.

"I'm fine."

After I dealt with it, I felt regretful that I was too impetuous just now.

Why didn't I hold the glass firmly?

She looked at me apologetically.

"Nancy, I'm sorry. I forgot that you're pregnant. Are you all right?"

Now she doesn't even call me Madam anymore. She directly calls me Nancy.

She was a college student after all. She couldn't hide her thoughts.

"What could happen to me? I just didn't hold it firmly.

"By the way, is your boyfriend from your university?"

Winnie shook her head. Her eyes lit up when she mentioned her boyfriend.

"No, he's from Mr. Ford's company. Nancy, you've also seen him before."

"Oh? Who is he?"

I pretended to be curious, but she refused to reveal who he was. All she said was how good and fond of her that person was.

Since she didn't tell me the name, I was no longer in the mood to talk.

Although I had confirmed that the person last night was Winnie, I still needed a final piece of evidence.

I proposed to add her as friend on Facebook, and she agreed in surprise.

She was even more impatient than I was.

"I previously asked Mr. Ford if I could add you as a friend on Facebook, but he didn't agree. I didn't expect to be able to add you myself today."

I looked at the familiar avatar and my heart sank completely.

Now I was sure that she was Charlie's mistress, the one who sent messages to Charlie last night.

I curled my lips and browsed through her Facebook page.

I found a photo of two crossed hands. I was very familiar with the man's hand. Just last night, he was still applying oil for me.

I looked at the photo for a long time, and I said to Winnie, "Why did you ask Charlie about that? Do you have a good relationship with him?"

She didn't panic at all. Instead, she looked at me generously. When it came to Charlie, her face was always full of happiness.

"Mr. Ford is like my teacher. I'm a little regretful to know that he's married. But I think that he's so outstanding, and his wife must be good, so I asked him whether I can add you as my friend on Facebook. I want to learn from you.

"But I didn't expect you to be pregnant. I'm too embarrassed to disturb you."

As an assistant, why would she feel regretful because her boss was married?

Winnie had no intention of hiding it at all.