Chapter 2
So, when Liam Caldwell stared blankly at their freshly minted marriage certificate, she gently wrapped her arms around him.
“Liam,” she consoled, “Eleanor is gone. But life goes on for those of us still here.
Don’t be sad. I’m sure Eleanor, watching over us, wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
Even Leo chimed in, “Yeah, Dad, she’s dead. You should cherish the people who are here now. Brittany is the most important.”
Liam snapped out of his daze and hugged the two of them, big and small.
“You’re right,” he said, “you two are what matter most now.”
He’d said those words to me once, too.
After another one of our arguments, he’d stormed off in a huff, packed a bag, and left for a month-long business trip. Until I discovered I was pregnant.
Then his anger vanished. He rushed to condense his work into two weeks and hurried home.
When he saw me, he embraced me, then, fearing he’d hurt the baby, he held back, his face beaming like an idiot.
After that, he turned down countless work opportunities, focusing entirely on staying home with me. He even bought stacks of parenting books.
My morning sickness was severe, so he learned all kinds of nutritious recipes, just hoping I’d eat a little more. Every night before bed, he’d massage my legs, afraid I was uncomfortable.
I was only six months pregnant, but he’d lost fifteen pounds.
In my seventh month, Liam’s company ran into supplier issues, requiring his personal attention. He hesitated, worried I’d be alone. Knowing his company was his life’s blood, I urged him to go, assuring him I’d be fine.
He promised to return quickly, but he left me waiting for a full two weeks, claiming the supplier issues were more complicated than expected.
My belly grew larger, my movements became slow and cumbersome, and still, he didn’t return.
Instead, what arrived was an intimate photo sent to my phone—my husband, Liam Caldwell, and his subordinate, Brittany Hayes, entangled in an explicit embrace.
It turned out the truly “complicated” issue wasn’t the supplier at all. It was Brittany.
I went into early labor, nearly losing both myself and the baby. Leo was born tiny and very weak.
I hadn’t even finished my postpartum recovery when I stormed over to Liam’s company, found Brittany, and made a spectacular scene, embarrassing him utterly in front of everyone.
Liam stopped me in front of the entire company. “Eleanor Vance, can’t you stop being so unreasonable? There’s nothing between her and me.”
I couldn’t understand how he could be so self-righteous in front of so many people.
I wanted to show them that photo, but I’d forgotten to save it, and now it had expired. I was the one who looked like a hysterical, unreasonable woman.
But I didn’t care. Just like now, I collapsed at the company entrance, right during lunch hour when everyone was streaming out for their midday meal.
A wife dying while her husband held a wedding was juicy enough for tabloid headlines, not to mention Liam’s rivals would be eager to exploit his misstep.
In just one month, the company’s market value plummeted by a third.
Liam was spinning in circles, hiring countless bots to confuse the public and suppress the news. Only then did he have time to bring Leo back to our home.
The plan was to clear out my belongings and sell the house entirely.
But the next day, a package arrived.
“Sir, excuse me, is this Ms. Eleanor Vance’s home? This is her delivery.”