Chapter 1Before bed, I accidentally saw the chat history between my husband and his secretary.
That's when I found out they'd been meeting for breakfast at the Starbucks by his office building every morning.
Hundreds of pages of chat logs—sharing daily moments, going over work tasks.
Even at corporate cocktail parties, Gavin took Skylar with him.
I lost it. I smashed his phone.
Screaming like a madwoman: "Gavin, how could you do this to me?"
Gavin frowned deeply.
"Skylar is my best partner at work. There's nothing dirty between us like you're imagining."
I told him he had to fire Skylar, or I'd divorce him.
He let out a sarcastic laugh.
"Look at yourself. I don't expect you to help me with anything, but at least don't drag me down, alright?"
"You haven't earned a single dollar in all these years, Joy. I'm the one supporting you."
I froze on the spot. He was the one who begged me to stay home with the kids back then.
I glanced at Gavin, sound asleep next to me. A sharp, twisting pain struck my chest.
Then everything went black, and I lost consciousness…
…
---
When I woke up, I was floating in mid-air. That's when I realized I was already dead.
Panic washed over me. I looked at Gavin, still asleep beside me.
His brow was furrowed. He wasn't resting peacefully.
My hearing had become incredibly sharp after death.
I heard voices coming from our son's room next door.
I drifted toward the sound.
Brayden was lying in bed, holding his smart kids' watch.
"Chloe, is your mom coming to the parent-teacher conference again?"
"Your mom is so pretty. Tall and slim, and she dresses really well too."
"Not like my mom. She's so fat and ugly. I really hate it when she picks me up from school."
"Last time, James said my mom looks like a pig. It's so embarrassing just thinking about it."
"Even the stuffed animal she gave me is a fat, ugly pig. I don't like it at all."
With that, he threw the little pig plush toy onto the floor.
"Have you seen my dad? He's amazing…"
Hearing my son's complaints one after another, my soul trembled violently.
Brayden was a preemie. His health had always been much more fragile than other kids.
Back then, to take care of him, Gavin begged me to quit my job and become a stay-at-home mom.
The first words Brayden ever said were "Mommy."
When he started kindergarten, he would whisper in my ear every day, "Mommy, I love you. I love you so much."
I couldn't remember when it started, but he began resisting my picking him up from school.
He always said, "Mommy, I'm a big kid now. I can go to school by myself."
"Mommy, just drop me off at the corner."
I always thought he was just being mature, not wanting me to go through the trouble.
But the truth was… he had stopped liking me as his mom a long time ago.
I stood in front of the mirror in Brayden's room, studying the person reflected in the moonlight.
Out of shape. Dressed frumpily.
My skin was no longer smooth and delicate like before.
At some point, fine lines had appeared around my eyes.
I was only thirty. This wasn't how I was supposed to look.
I stayed in Brayden's room all night, sitting by his bed and watching his sleeping face.
I wanted to touch his forehead, but my hand passed straight through his hair.
I'd almost forgotten. I was dead. I could never hold my child again.
I drifted through every corner of the house, trying to burn every scene into my memory.
I didn't know how much longer I could stay in this home.
I just greedily soaked in its warmth.
Sunlight streamed in from the balcony. Brayden ran out of his room in a panic.
"Mom! It's almost eight! Why didn't you wake me up?"
He ran into my room and saw me still lying in bed.
"Mom! I'm going to be late! You promised to make me apple pie this morning, and now I don't get any!"
His face was all puffed up with anger. He reached out and shook my body.
Gavin woke up to the noise, checked his phone by the pillow, and sat up abruptly.
"Joy, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"Just because I said a few things to you last night, you're neglecting our son now?"
He pushed me a couple of times. When I didn't respond, he sighed.
"I can't with you. Every time we argue, you give me the silent treatment."
"Fine. Let's see how long you can keep this up."
He got up and started changing.
"Brayden, Dad's taking you to school today."
"Yay! Yay! Yes!" Brayden cheered happily.
I stood nearby, tears of frustration welling up.
"Gavin, pull the covers back! Look at me!"
"I'm dead, Gavin!" I screamed hysterically. But he and Brayden couldn't hear a thing.
Right as he was about to leave, he turned back.
My heart leaped. He was finally going to find out.
But then Brayden called from the doorway, "Dad, hurry up! I'm going to be late!"
Gavin stopped and glanced back. "Coming, buddy!"
He looked toward the bed.
"Joy, if you want to give me the silent treatment, fine. But neglecting our son? I'm really disappointed in you."
Chapter 2
My soul drifted along, helplessly following Gavin and Brayden out the door.
In the back seat, Brayden happily sang nursery rhymes—a side of him I'd never seen before.
"Dad, can you hang around outside my school for a bit?"
"I want my classmates to see my dad. They always make fun of Mom, saying she looks like a bear."
Gavin snorted with laughter.
"Your mom really could stand to lose some weight. Her thighs are almost as thick as my waist."
"But Brayden, you can't say stuff like that in front of her. She'll get mad, and then we'll both be in trouble."
Brayden nodded. "I know, Dad. I won't tell Mom."
"Oh, and Dad, Chloe Martinez's mom in my class is super pretty. I'll point her out to you later."
The two of them chatted happily the whole way.
At the school gate, Brayden held Gavin's hand and introduced him to his classmates, his little eyes full of pride.
I thought back to when I used to drop him off.
He'd jump out of the car the second we arrived and run off with his head down.
I never realized he was embarrassed because of me.
After dropping off Brayden, I followed Gavin to his office.
It was only the second time I'd ever been there.
The first was when the company first started.
Back then, at a cocktail party, he held my hand and introduced me to everyone.
"This is my wife, Joy. I wouldn't be where I am today without her."
But later, I poured all my energy into raising our son, and he never brought me to any events again.
"Good morning, Mr. Braxton. I bought your coffee early and put it on your desk. Your usual."
A sweet female voice rang out. I looked at the young woman next to Gavin.
Bright eyes, white teeth. Youthful and pretty.
"I woke up late today. Thought I'd be starving. Good thing I have you, Skylar." Gavin smiled.
The young woman, Skylar Reed, blushed. "Then you can buy me lunch to make up for it."
Skylar was bold. She asked him out to lunch outright.
I looked at Gavin nervously. He just smiled. "Sure."
Gavin watched Skylar walk away—white dress, high ponytail, flawless makeup.
For a moment, she reminded him of how Joy used to be.
Thinking of Joy, he suddenly felt unsettled.
That woman always gave him the silent treatment after fights, but ignoring their son entirely was a first.
After a moment, he decided to call me.
The ringtone went all the way to voicemail.
"Damn it. That woman…" Gavin muttered.
He typed a message in a bro group chat: [Wife's giving me the silent treatment again. Won't answer calls, won't take care of the kid. What do I do?]
The group exploded.
[Look at the great Gavin Braxton, having problems like the rest of us. Haha.]
[Honestly, you could have any woman you want now. Just dump that frumpy housewife.]
[That cute secretary you brought last time seemed nice.]
I watched the messages pop up on Gavin's phone screen, my eyes turning red.
So everyone thought I wasn't good enough for Gavin anymore.
"Cut it out. Don't say that stuff. I'm almost ten years older than Skylar."
He set down his work, called Skylar, and headed to the adjacent Mall of America.
Chapter 3
When he walked into the DR Diamond Ring Counter, I froze.
I'd always wanted a DR diamond ring—because of their slogan: one person, one lifetime.
He always laughed and called me childish, said I didn't understand marketing.
Skylar's eyes scanned the display case.
"Mr. Braxton, this one's gorgeous. The classic."
Gavin signaled the sales associate. "Let her try it on."
Tears streamed down my face without me realizing it.
So it wasn't about marketing. I just wasn't worth it.
How strange. I was already dead, and I could still feel heartbreak.
I didn't dare get any closer.
I couldn't bear to believe that the man I'd loved for ten years was actually cheating on me.
Gavin and Skylar left the store and happily went to lunch—at the same restaurant we used to go to all the time.
I drifted back home alone.
The laundry hamper in the bathroom was overflowing with clothes.
The kids' toys needed to be sorted through.
Gavin's dress shirts in the walk-in closet hadn't been ironed.
A couple of days ago, Brayden said he wanted Coke-braised chicken wings, but I'd said no because it wasn't healthy.
I should have just made them for him. Now he'd never get to eat his mom's cooking again.
My gaze landed on the wedding photo by the bed. The people in it were young, beautiful, slender.
Gavin chased me for four years in college. We got married right after graduation.
I graduated from an Ivy League school, just like him. I had a decent, well-paying job.
But after Brayden was born, and with his grandmother's health failing, I had no choice but to quit and become a housewife, focused on raising our son and supporting my husband.
The phone on the nightstand buzzed again. It was Gavin.
I tried to answer, but I couldn't even touch the phone.
The ringing stopped. My struggle had been useless.
A message appeared on the screen: [Working late for a meeting tonight. Don't forget to pick up Brayden.]
I checked the time instinctively. School ended in thirty minutes.
I rushed out the door. When I got to the school, Brayden was already in the parents' waiting area.
He was looking around left and right, his little mouth twisting.
I hurried over to him. "Brayden, I'm so sorry I'm late."
My hand passed right through his body. I froze.
How could I forget? I was dead.
Brayden tried calling my phone several times on his smart kids' watch.
No one answered, every time.
I sat down next to Brayden, studying his face carefully, tears falling silently.
Soon after, Skylar rushed out of a taxi.
"Brayden! Skye's here to pick you up!"
Brayden jumped up. "Skye!"
He threw himself into Skylar's arms happily.
"Why are you picking me up, Skye?"
Brayden proudly introduced Skylar to the other kids around him.
"This is Skye. She works at my dad's company, and she's the prettiest girl there."
"Even prettier than Chloe Martinez's mom."
That night, Gavin brought Brayden home.
He kicked the bedroom door open. Seeing me still in bed, he was furious.
"Joy! Are you done yet? A whole day of this isn't enough?"
"I tried to give you an out. Don't be so ungrateful."
My heart was in my throat.
If Gavin pulled the covers back right now, he'd see I was dead.
When I didn't respond, he let out a cold snort.
"Fine, Joy. You've got guts. Let's see how long you can lie there."
He turned and took Brayden to the kids' bedroom.
"Brayden, Dad's sleeping with you tonight."
