The Camera I Installed for Our Baby Became His Love Letter to Her

But right now, all I wanted was to ask him.

"Really? Is that really what you think?"

But now wasn't the time.

I forced a smile onto my face.

"Whatever you say."

The instant the words left my mouth, Donald visibly relaxed.

He stood up.

"All right, Rowena. I've still got some work to deal with. I'm heading back to the study."

"You should turn in early too. It's getting late."

I nodded and didn't say anything more.

Only after the study door closed and his figure had vanished completely from my sight did the tension drain out of my back.

My tears came in big, heavy drops.

Donald.

Our daughter is only a year old. How can you bring yourself to walk away from this family?

Early the next morning, Donald left for work as usual.

I didn't start washing up and getting myself ready until after I'd given our daughter her morning feeding.

The woman in the mirror was clearly still the same as before, yet the light in her eyes had long been worn away by daily life.

And that wasn't all.

As a mom who breastfed exclusively, I'd barely set foot outside the house in the year since our daughter was born.

All I ever wore, day in and day out, was one set of pajamas or another, my face bare as I stayed home with her around the clock.

In a flash, I remembered a line I'd seen in Donald's messages the day before.

"The sight of her makes me sick."

At that thought, I walked into the closet and sat down at the vanity.

After more than a year without makeup, my hands were a little rusty, but the muscle memory was still there.

Before long, the bare face in the mirror had turned bright and striking.

I wasn't doing it to prove anything to anyone.

But when a woman sacrifices her own life for marriage and motherhood, that sacrifice shouldn't become a man's talking point.

And it certainly shouldn't become a husband's reason to tear his own wife down.

Once my makeup was done and I'd changed clothes, I got our daughter ready too, then dialed the driver.

"Barret Finch, come pick me up."

"I want to drop by Donald's office."

On the way to the office, I bought plenty of fruit, coffee, and pastries.

This design firm was one Donald and I founded together after college, and a lot of the longtime employees knew me.

It was only later, once the company was on solid footing and I'd gotten married, pregnant, and had a baby, that I gradually stepped back from running it and handed the whole thing over to Donald.

The moment I walked in, the receptionist recognized me right away.

"Rowena! What brings you in today?"

"Oh my gosh, is this your and Mr. Butler's daughter? She's just too cute!"

Smiling, I had the driver carry in the afternoon treats I'd bought.

"Bring these in and pass them around. Everyone works so hard. Take a little break."

The instant I walked into the office area, everyone crowded around.

"Rowena, we've missed you like crazy."

"Rowena's the only one who knows how to spoil us. I was just craving something sweet."

Donald, inside his office, heard the commotion outside too.

The moment he stepped out, his eyes landed straight on me, standing in the middle of the crowd with our daughter in my arms.

I didn't miss the flicker of admiration that flashed through his eyes.

He strode over to me and slipped an arm around my waist, intimate as ever.

"How'd you find the time to come by today?"

A good many of the longtime employees broke into knowing smiles, filling in the newer hires who didn't know me.

"Didn't know, did you? This is the boss's wife. She used to be our vice president."

"Look at them. Don't Rowena and Mr. Butler make a perfect match? And their daughter's so adorable too. Mr. Butler's really got it all, hasn't he?"