Chapter 2: The Six Months They Stole From MeA Life Without Looking Back

Before Vincent and I were supposed to get married, I once overheard my mother lamenting to Siobhan behind my back.

"You don't have to keep giving in to her. In fact, I think Vincent likes you more. Even the people at the bridal shop said the two of you look like a married couple."

At once, Siobhan furiously told her not to say something like that. "I don't like Vincent, and Vincent doesn't like me either! If Ginny hears you, she'd be hurt."

I felt a pang of sadness at the time, but I simply assumed my mother was imagining things.

I never once considered that Siobhan and Vincent might actually have something between them, that they could get together behind my back and even have a child.

I tapped on WhatsApp and saw a message from Vincent.

"Mindy, find a way to keep Ginny from coming to the hospital. Shivvy is physically weak right now, and having to deal with her on top of everything else is exhausting. She isn't getting enough rest."

Upon coming out of the bathroom, my mother immediately rushed toward me when she saw her phone in my hand. "Who gave you permission to touch my phone?"

Looking at the anger on her face, I gave a bitter laugh. "Mom, do you still think of me as your daughter? Are you sure we're related?"

My mother glared at me, using anger and accusation to cover up her guilt. "I dare you to say that again, Genevieve Mansfield! You're heartless! Your useless father ran off with another woman before you even started elementary school. Who did you think raised you all these years, having to act as both your parents? Answer me!"

Just then, her WhatsApp chimed twice.

She turned around, intending to go back into her room.

"I saw everything." I finally revealed. "Tell Vincent to come see me now. If he does, I'll agree to the divorce and let them be together."

She paused for a second before turning back, surprise and delight flashing across her face. "Really?"

At that, I felt as though I had been struck over the head all over again.

…

When Vincent walked through the door, he and my mother exchanged a long look, and she walked out.

He stood there, looking at me in silence for a long time before starting, "Ginny…"

"Congratulations on becoming a father."

I looked up, thinking I could keep my emotions under control.

But the moment I saw his face, the longing I had carried for two years came surging back, tangled together with a hatred far more complicated than I had ever imagined.

My eyes burned red, and my throat felt stuck. "When did it start? When did you two start having sex? Before we got married or after? Was the classified project a lie, too?"

"No!"

Finally, I had asked a question he could answer without hesitation, and he immediately spoke up.

"It was real. It just ended after six months. I didn't know how to face you, or how to face what was left of our relationship."

Six months…

Wasn't that exactly when I had been transferred?

At the time, I had been given an opportunity for a promotion, but it required me to spend two years stationed in a remote border region.

Siobhan had told me not to worry about anything back home. "Don't worry. I'll look after Aunt Mindy."

Vincent was supportive of me, too. We were only allowed five minutes of phone time each week, and he had spent every one of those five minutes pacifying me.

"Once the two years are over, we'll return together. We won't have to be apart anymore."

I thought they were both doing it for my sake. Now, I realized they had simply wanted to send me as far away as possible so they could have an affair without me getting in their way.

"Don't put it that way." His face shifted between pale and livid.

I laughed. Was I the one making it sound ugly, or were they the ones who had done something disgusting? Hell, they even had a child together now!

"Do you know that Siobhan would tell me all the details of what the two of you did? You two did it three times on her birthday that night. That was when you got her pregnant, right?"

"Enough!" Vincent snapped, humiliated and enraged. The veins at his temples stood out as he shouted, "Genevieve, you know perfectly well why you don't spend her birthday with her. You owe her. You have no right to criticize her."

I stared at him for a moment before letting out an incredulous laugh. "So because you cheated on me on her birthday, that gives you some kind of special exemption?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he changed the topic. "Shivvy is still weak, and she's suffering from postpartum depression. She can't handle any kind of stress right now. Until she has fully recovered, don't go visiting her. And whatever you do, don't let her know that you've already found out. Do you understand?"

The smell of hospital disinfectant mixed with the sour, milky scent of a baby clung to him.

Up close, it invaded my nose. I shoved him away and rushed into the bathroom, vomiting as though I could empty every organ inside me.

"Ginny, have some water…" Vincent patted my back. But the concern in his eyes and movements only made me feel sicker. "Don't touch me!"

His hand remained suspended in the air for several seconds before he stiffly lowered it.

Just then, my mother called his phone.

"Vincent, I'm at the hospital, but Shivvy is gone. She isn't answering her phone either. What should I do?"

The color drained from Vincent's face, and he abruptly turned toward me. "What did you say to her?"