Chapter 2 - The Glass Teardrop
~1,100 words
I looked into his eyes and smiled as though nothing had changed.
“Busy,” I said softly. “But babe... Toby said the funniest thing at the grocery store today.”
Gregory paused, his hands resting on my hips. The scent of coconut and vanilla clung to his shirt collar, thick and suffocating. “Oh yeah? What did the little guy say?”
“He pointed to a random woman at the bakery,” I said, keeping my voice light and breezy. “And he told me she was the lady who comes over to play in our bedroom while I’m at the hospital.”
Gregory’s hands froze.
It was only a fraction of a second, a micro-expression that ninety-nine percent of people would have missed. But I had spent a decade studying this man’s face. I saw the blood drain from his cheeks. I saw the sudden, rigid stiffness in his shoulders.
Then, he forced a laugh. It sounded hollow, like coins rattling in a tin can.
“Kids have the wildest imaginations,” Gregory said, stepping back to loosen his tie. “He’s probably merging a dream he had with some cartoon. Did you get the organic milk I asked for?”
The pivot was flawless. He didn't ask what the woman looked like. He didn't ask if I corrected Toby. He just deflected to groceries.
“I did,” I replied, turning away before my mask could slip. “I’m going to go take a quick shower. Twelve hours on the pediatric ward leaves you feeling like a walking petri dish.”
“Take your time, honey,” he called out, already walking toward the kitchen.
I climbed the stairs, my legs feeling like lead. My mind was racing, trying to process the sheer audacity of his betrayal. He was bringing her here. Into our home. Into the very bed where we had conceived our son.
I walked into our master bedroom and locked the door. I bypassed the shower entirely and went straight to my antique mahogany vanity.
My jewelry box sat exactly where I always kept it. A heavy, velvet-lined mahogany case with a brass lock. Gregory had the only other key.
My hands shook violently as I inserted my tiny brass key and turned it.
The lid popped open.
I stared into the velvet compartment.
Resting perfectly on the black cushion was the rose-gold pendant. The teardrop sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds.
I stopped breathing.
It was here. The necklace was right here.
Had I lost my mind at the grocery store? Had the exhaustion of my twelve-hour shifts finally caused me to hallucinate? I reached out and picked up the delicate chain.
As soon as the metal touched my skin, my heart dropped into my stomach.
It felt incredibly light.
I am not a jeweler, but five years ago, when Gregory placed this around my neck, the pendant had carried a distinct, cool weight. The stones had caught the ambient light, throwing brilliant blue sparks across the room.
This stone looked dull. The metal felt cheap.
I walked over to the bathroom, flipped on the harsh vanity lights, and held the necklace up to the mirror.
There was a tiny, almost microscopic seam on the back of the teardrop setting. The diamonds surrounding the center stone were perfectly uniform, entirely lacking the natural flaws of the genuine stones Gregory had bragged about buying.
It was glass. A cheap, cubic zirconia replica.
Gregory hadn't just given my anniversary gift to his mistress. He had gone through the painstaking effort of having a worthless replica made to leave in my locked jewelry box, gaslighting me into believing my precious heirloom was safe.
Tears of pure, white-hot fury burned my eyes. He was playing me for a fool.
A soft knock at the bedroom door made me jump.
“Mommy?”
It was Toby.
I quickly shoved the fake necklace into my scrub pocket, wiped my eyes, and unlocked the door.
Toby stood in the hallway, clutching his favorite stuffed dinosaur under one arm. His dark hair was messy, and he looked up at me with those big, innocent brown eyes that always melted my heart.
“Hey, bug,” I whispered, crouching down to his level. “What’s up?”
“I found this in my toy box,” Toby said softly.
He held out his little hand.
Resting on his small palm was a delicate silver charm bracelet. It was heavily tarnished, carrying three distinct charms: a crescent moon, a tiny silver high heel, and a large, block letter 'C'.
It was definitely not mine.
“Where did you get this, sweetie?” I asked, keeping my voice incredibly gentle so I wouldn't scare him.
“It was under the couch in the living room,” Toby mumbled. “The lady dropped it when she was wrestling with Daddy.”
The floor seemed to tilt beneath me. Wrestling.
“When was the lady here, Toby?” I asked, forcing a calm smile.
“Yesterday,” Toby said simply. “When you were at work. She told me to stay in my room and watch cartoons, but I snuck out to get juice. They were wrestling on the rug. Then they went upstairs.”
My stomach churned violently.
I took the silver bracelet from his hand. The letter 'C'.
May you like
“Did the lady tell you her name, bug?”
Toby nodded. “Her name is Chloe. She said she’s going to be my new mommy soon.”
