After Our Marriage Went Cold

Chapter 2 The Quiet Counterstrike

I stared at those words on the screen without a flicker of anything. I didn't answer. I opened a delivery app, punched in Eclipse VIP Suite 888 as the drop-off, and ordered him a box of condoms.

I knew Ronan was poking at me on purpose, seeing how far he could push. But I was tired. I didn't have it in me to keep playing this game with him.

Early the next morning, I was brushing out Lily's sleepy golden curls when the bedroom door flew open. Ronan walked in reeking of a hangover and another woman's perfume.

"Daddy!" Lily's eyes lit up, and she rushed toward him.

Ronan bent down and scooped her expertly into his arms. He played with her until her giggles filled the room.

I stood at the vanity and watched in silence.

No matter how ugly things were between us, Ronan seemed like a devoted father whenever Lily was around.

After playing with her for a while, he finally looked up at me. His voice was casual, as though last night's crude message had never existed. "You're taking Lily for her vaccination today, right?"

"Yes. Her appointment is at 9:00 a.m."

"Fine. I'll drive you."

Lily fell asleep in her car seat on the way to the clinic.

With one hand on the wheel, Ronan chuckled. "A delivery guy showed up with those condoms last night. That isn't like you at all, Vivian."

I looked out the window, my voice steady. "Haven't you always wanted a sensible Mrs. Sinclair who doesn't cause trouble for you? I'm giving you exactly that."

The words briefly silenced him. Then he slipped back into his usual nonchalance. "Don't worry. No matter how much fun I have outside our marriage, you'll always be my only wife. Those women don't mean anything."

'They didn't mean anything?'

A needle of pain pierced my chest, but the feeling vanished almost at once.

When he married me, he swore I would be the only woman in his life. Now he spoke of betrayal as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

The car stopped outside a private clinic.

I took a thick packet from my purse and handed it to him. "Sign these. They're part of the parent screening for Lily's private preschool application next year."

The divorce agreement was hidden in the middle.

Ronan didn't even look. He pulled a pen from his pocket and carelessly signed every marked line. "You can handle routine things like this."

He handed the packet back to me, got out, and walked around to the rear door to lift the sleeping Lily from her seat.

Just then, an angry argument broke out at the clinic entrance.

A pale young woman was being shoved away by a staff member. "If you can't pay, then leave. Hospitals owned by the Sinclair family aren't charities!"

The woman stumbled and nearly fell.

Ronan and I looked at her at the same time. I recognized her as one of his ex-girlfriends—the one he had personally blacklisted in front of the media two years ago to prove his loyalty to me.

"Aren't you going to help?" I asked mildly. "She's an old friend, after all."

A mocking smile curved Ronan's lips. He tightened his arms around Lily without giving the woman another glance. "What does she have to do with me? Today is about my daughter."

Yet when Lily's vaccination was over and I carried her back into the hallway, Ronan was gone.

My phone vibrated with a message from him.

Ronan: Something urgent came up. Take Lily home without me. Her third birthday is in a few days. I promise I'll be there.

I switched off the screen, expressionless.

Almost simultaneously, a fresh candid photo appeared on social media under the headline "Sinclair Heir Rescues Ex-Girlfriend Outside Hospital."

I took Lily to a quiet restaurant. As she ate strawberry ice cream, I asked gently, "Lily, if... Mommy and Daddy didn't live together anymore, would you come with me to another city?"

Lily looked up and nodded hard. "Yes! Wherever Mommy goes, Lily goes. Daddy is always busy. As long as I have you, that's enough."

My heart ached at the innocence in her eyes. I kissed her forehead lightly. "Good girl. Let's not tell Daddy yet, okay?"

"Okay. It's our secret!"