A Love Divided

Until I fell asleep and my tears dried up, Matt still hadn’t come. It had been almost four hours since he left.

In a semi-conscious state, I replayed what I had heard earlier. I cursed Matt and Hannah for what they had done.

Not long after, he finally came. I suppressed my disappointment, staring at him with a blank expression.

"Sorry for making you wait so long. I had a sudden meeting earlier." Matt hugged me tightly, even though I didn’t return the gesture.

Immediately, I caught the scent of a woman's perfume clinging to his shirt. I quickly pulled away from his embrace and glanced down at his crumpled white shirt.

"I smell a woman's perfume on you." A flash of Matt and Hannah’s lovemaking played in my mind, as if I had seen it firsthand.

Matt stiffened slightly. He instinctively brought his shirt to his nose, checking for himself.

"That’s not my perfume. It’s too feminine. You know I don’t like that kind of scent, right?" I pressed him, making it clear that he couldn’t claim it was mine.

Matt immediately tapped his forehead. "Ah, right. I bought some perfume for you after the meeting. I think I left it in the car. I tried it on earlier, Kate, so the scent must have stuck to my shirt."

Matt was an exceptional liar. His gentle words and convincing expression might have been believable—if only I hadn’t heard him sighing with Hannah on the phone.

I looked away, making Matt tug on my chin to force me to face him. "You're not satisfied with my answer, Babe?"

I met Matt's sincere eyes and finally voiced the question that had been weighing on me lately. "You still remember our relationship agreement, right?"

Before we got married, Matt and I agreed: if either of us fell in love with someone else, we had to be honest and separate. If anyone cheated, one of us would leave forever.

Matt didn't even pause to think; he just nodded. "You think I tricked you?"

I swallowed hard as his face hardened, his voice trailing off as if he were trying to contain his anger.

"My colleague just launched a new perfume. I bought it instead of accepting it for free. I respect him as a fellow businessman. Please don’t complicate our relationship," Matt said, this time unable to hide his irritation.

Unfortunately, I couldn't be sure if it was Hannah's perfume—I'd never smelled it. But what else could I trust about Matt?

I said nothing. Balancing love and hate was exhausting. I wanted to be angry, but the weariness in my heart felt like shackles.

"What's wrong with you? Who are you jealous of?" Matt pulled me closer, lifting my chin again to make me look at him.

"Hannah," I said without hesitation. I wondered how Matt would respond. I wondered how far he could lie.

"Hannah? Come on, Babe! I've never even had a conversation with her. She's just a brand ambassador. We only talk business once in a while," Matt said, frustration evident in his voice.

I nodded. After all, there was no point in pressing him, because Matt would just keep lying.

Matt rubbed his face with both hands, then took a deep breath as if trying to calm his emotions. "Why are you so suspicious? Even if you miscarry, I won’t leave you."

In the end, that sentence really hit me. I couldn’t stop thinking—why would he stay with me if he was having an affair with Hannah? Was it because all his assets were transferred to my name? Ah, of course.

I smiled wryly as Matt hugged me. He apologized in a voice that was almost a whisper. "I love you so much, Kate. No matter what happens in this marriage, we’ll get through it together. Don’t make things worse for yourself with negative thoughts. I’m not going anywhere."

I returned Matt’s hug reluctantly, mirroring the same lie he had told me.

He then released me from the hug. His face looked troubled.

"Why?" I asked.

"Kate, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow, so I can’t be with you during this recovery period. But don’t worry, I’ve already told the doctors and nurses to keep a close eye on you."

I nodded. "All right. Take care."

He rubbed my head before adding, "You can call me whenever you want. It’s hard because I can’t always be with you, but I promise I’ll be back soon."

If I didn’t know how cruel Matt was behind my back, I might have been touched by his words.

Finally, he kissed my lips and left the room. But somehow, as the sound of his footsteps faded away, something in my chest felt off. Something I couldn’t explain. Something... wrong.