Chapter 1
1181 Words
Hadley's POV:
The sixth time my husband Tucker Caldwell's intern accidentally deleted the remarriage application I had submitted, a flicker of irritation finally appeared on Tucker's face.
Meanwhile, I calmly pulled open the door and said, "She's just throwing a little tantrum. Go make it up to her tonight."
Instead of letting me leave, he suddenly braced my hand against the doorframe and stared at me intensely.
"Weren't you always the one who cared most about having the title of Mrs. Caldwell?"
Tucker pressed, his gaze intense as he leaned closer, searching my face for a reaction. "Why aren't you angry?"
For a moment, I was speechless.
The last time we divorced, he had signed the papers with an amused smile and said, "Whether a man cheats or not depends entirely on whether his wife finds out."
So this time, when we reconciled, I chose not to see the strip of lace hidden inside his coat.
Even when that young woman showed up at our doorstep demanding answers because he had failed to meet her monthly quota of sleeping together twelve times, I calmly explained things on his behalf.
"Don't misunderstand. We've been sleeping in separate bedrooms for a long time."
Tucker laughed and remarked that I had finally learned how to behave.
What he didn't know was that everything had changed the night before we reconciled, when his mother, Amelia Caldwell, came to see me carrying an old metal box.
Years ago, Tucker had rushed to dangerous disaster zones seven separate times.
Each time, he had left behind a farewell letter in case he never made it back alive.
Every word in every letter was about our daughter and me.
With tears filling her eyes, Amelia begged me to remarry him and give him seven more chances.
So, over the past few weeks, I became the perfect wife.
But now that I have finally burned the last letter, why is he suddenly the one unwilling to let go?
"There's nothing to be angry about."
As soon as I spoke, the hand Tucker had resting on the doorframe stiffened slightly.
The air seemed frozen for two full seconds.
"She and I are just coworkers now. Don't overthink it."
I walked toward the kitchen, and I could hear his footsteps following behind me.
"She's just a little careless..."
Lowering my head, I continued washing vegetables and gave a perfunctory hum in response.
I had believed that excuse far too many times.
Until our daughter Caroline's fifth birthday.
That day, Margaret Kingsley arrived at our home wearing a bright smile.
Without hesitation, she took a pregnancy test displaying two vivid red lines and plunged it directly into Caroline's birthday cake.
The eyes of every guest in the room turned toward me.
Their stares pierced through the dignity I was desperately trying to maintain.
I rushed forward and grabbed Margaret by the hair.
But Tucker seized my wrist and shoved me away.
"She was trying to grab a candle. She just picked up the wrong thing by mistake."
A burst champagne bottle shattered nearby.
Flying glass cut into my skin, and I was rushed to the hospital.
Her pregnancy had been a joke.
But my second child was truly gone.
The kitchen knife nicked my fingertip, and a drop of blood fell onto the counter.
Tucker immediately grabbed my hand, frowning.
"How can you be so careless?"
I pulled my hand away. "It's nothing."
His throat tightened as though he wanted to say something.
Before he could, his phone suddenly rang.
The caller's profile displayed a matching couple photo.
Margaret's tearful voice came through the speaker. "Dr. Caldwell, I'm sorry. I was careless again and accidentally messed up your wife's remarriage application... I'll go and apologize to her right away..."
Noticing the slight crease in my brow, Tucker's tone softened.
"There's no need."
After a pause, he added,
"I'll personally arrange the remarriage paperwork."
His hand reached past my shoulder and gently took the knife from my grasp.
"Let's go pick up Caroline. I've reserved a restaurant. We'll celebrate her birthday together."
I nodded without speaking.
But halfway there, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded from his phone.
"App Alert. Abnormal vital signs detected for a family member!"
Panic immediately surged through me.
I looked down at the smartwatch on my wrist. After confirming that Caroline's vital signs were completely normal, I finally relaxed.
Then I saw the anxiety flash across Tucker's eyes and instantly understood.
I kindly spoke for him before he could explain.
"You should go. Otherwise, all of Margaret's effort will be wasted..."
"Hadley! Margaret is nothing like you!"
He suddenly raised his head.
"You lied to your own mother. What right do you have to accuse someone else of being dishonest?"
My fingertips turned cold.
He was right.
I had lied to my mother three times.
When Tucker and I were building our lives from nothing, I gave him my entire savings from three years of work.
I told my mother it was the engagement gift he had given me.
At our wedding, I bought fake diamonds and convinced my mother that they were real.
After Caroline was diagnosed with severe allergies, I spent countless sleepless nights writing code and eventually developed the What's Up? App, linking it directly to Caroline's health data.
But when Caroline went into anaphylactic shock, I carried her to the hospital by myself.
There, I saw Margaret holding Tucker's arm as they attended a prestigious medical gala together.
When my mother asked what had happened, I answered calmly.
"The app malfunctioned. He never received the alert."
But no one knew better than I did.
I had personally built the app's core system.
There was no possibility of an error.
He had simply removed Caroline from his linked family account long ago.
Sensing my silence, Tucker took a deep breath and softened his voice.
"Margaret stopped breathing... I'm a doctor. I have to go."
He closed the car door and spoke through the window.
"Pick up Caroline first. I'll definitely be there tonight."
I lowered my eyes and nodded.
At that exact moment, a text message from my daughter appeared.
Caroline: Mom, when will my school transfer paperwork be finished?
I tore apart the second-to-last farewell letter in my hand and sent a photo of it to Tucker's mother, Amelia Caldwell.
Then I read the rest of Caroline's message.
Caroline: The other kids said it again today... that I'm a child without a father.
My eyes softened as I typed my reply.
Hadley: Honey, it'll be ready very soon.
- Writer
