Seven Years Broken

I sat down heavily in my chair, staring at the table full of dirty dishes and half-finished glasses, a wave of exhaustion washing over me.

Deanna and I had met and fallen in love in college. I came from a well-off family, but I had never once looked down on her for being a financially struggling student living off loans. Whether it was her studies or her daily life, I supported her without hesitation. I even paid out of pocket to send her overseas for two years of graduate school at a top university.

Deanna was smart. She understood her own shortcomings, and she had always been good at taking care of my emotions. After we got married, she truly did look after me in every aspect of life, never letting me feel even the slightest bit wronged.

However, no matter how meticulous someone is, when emotions run high, cracks will show.

I took out my phone and realized that at some point, Deanna had turned off the location sharing that had once been linked between us.

Without telling anyone, I changed my clothes and headed straight to Darren’s bar, Blackline Club.

Because I was dressed so low-key, no one paid me any attention from the moment I walked in. I moved down the hallway without obstruction, all the way to the door of Room 999, the private suite Darren reserved specifically for entertaining friends.

Before I even pushed the door open, I heard Deanna’s voice from inside, complaining, "So you all just laugh while I’m getting bullied by that jealous Corey at home? Do you have any sympathy at all?"

The room was packed. At a glance, most of the people inside were the same friends who had just attended the dinner at my house tonight. They sat and stood casually, completely at ease with no one speaking up for me.

Amid their laughter, a chill spread through my entire body.

At the center of the room, Darren lounged in his seat, idly spinning a glass in his hand. He tilted his head, smiling as he looked at Deanna beside him.

"Who told you to be careless? You actually called me 'babe' at Corey ’s place! I didn’t even think. I just reacted and tied your apron.

"I thought he wouldn’t be that sensitive. Didn’t expect him to notice anyway."

He set the glass down and casually lit a cigarette, using the limited-edition antique lighter I had given him for his birthday last year.

He had just placed it between his lips when Deanna reached over and smoothly took it away. "You’re about to be a father. How can you still not take things seriously? I told you I can’t stand the smell of smoke during pregnancy."

Darren had always had a fiery temper. Growing up, he never listened to anyone. When his father tried to stop him from smoking, he had once grabbed a kitchen knife and stood off against him.

And yet now, in front of Deanna, he showed a gentle obedience I had never seen before.

"Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you. I won’t smoke. After all, you’re the mother of my child. Of course, I’ll do whatever you say."

He placed a hand over Deanna’s still-flat stomach and pulled her into his arms with a smile.

In that instant, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

Darren and Deanna weren’t just having an affair. They were having a child together.