Instinctively, my hands moved to cover my belly, as if to shield my baby from the man in front of me. I didn’t want my child to hear the kind of person their father truly was.
“So let me get this straight,” I said, my voice calm but cold. “Your affair during our marriage, and your mistress’s pregnancy—somehow, that’s my fault?”
“Ethan,” I continued, staring him down. “You’ve known Madeline for what? A month? And you’re willing to break the vows you made to me for her?”
He rubbed his temples, groaning as if he were the one being wronged. “Claire, stop throwing those vows in my face like some kind of threat!”
“And how is this infidelity?” he added, his voice rising. “I was just looking for a little physical relief. My heart still belongs to you!”
My chest tightened as tears welled up in my eyes.
“All men are like this,” Ethan said as if it were a universal truth. “Other women can tolerate it—why can’t you?”
The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over, and he reached out to wipe them away.
“Claire,” he said softly, his tone almost tender now. “My heart is still pure. I would never truly betray you.”