When Our Roads Part

Seven years after we were married, the Shaws recognized Zack Shaw, an illegitimate son, as heir, but there was one condition. And that woman had to be his widowed sister-in-law, Wendy Wood, so she could bear an heir for the Shaw family. Zack kept telling me he would not forget the humiliation Wendy had inflicted upon him, and once he tormented her enough, he would kick her out of the Shaws. Eventually, he started coming home later and later, giving less and less attention to me and our children. Six months later, he told the public about his marriage and kept it a secret from me. My daughter saw the photo and asked me curiously, "Why is Daddy hugging Ms. Wood?" My heart broke for her, and I held my sweet, naive girl. "Because he's found a new family. It's time for us to leave, Dora." Chapter 1 Make a Choice Dora did not understand what I was saying. She looked at me, confused. "Will Daddy come with us?" I shook my head, smiling bitterly. "He has someone he likes here, and he's not coming back." She licked her lips. Still bemused, she asked, "Can you give him another chance? He promised he'll take me to kindy tomorrow." "Fine, I'll give him another chance, then." After putting Dora to sleep, I opened up that news article again. The couple was looking into each other's eyes lovingly. It was then I realized the man who promised me forever had a change of heart. I opened up the ticket page and checked when the earliest train back to Riverton was. The earliest would come seven days later, the day he and Wendy got married. I bought two tickets and went into the bathroom to wash myself up. When I came out, I ran into Zack, who just got home. The heavy scent of roses immediately filled my nose. I frowned. More than six months had passed, yet I still could not get used to smelling her perfume on him every time he came back from Wendy's place. Zack froze before he could hug me, then he pinched my cheek. "Are you angry again?" I took a step back and looked into his eyes. They were still filled with love. "Can you stop going to her place? I don't like sharing you with another woman, and I don't want her to have your baby." I had told him how much I hated that countless times over the last six months, but he did not listen. Zack did not get angry, but he heaved a sigh of resignation. "Stop this, Cynthia. You know the only way I can take over the Shaw family is if Wendy gives them the eldest grandson." I held my tears back and spoke my mind. "Then, we're getting a divorce." He was stunned. Confused, he asked, "But you agreed to this in the first place. Where did this come from?" Zack was right. I did give him my blessing to be the husband for two wives, but six months ago, we agreed that Wendy would only be using IVF with his sperm to get pregnant. At first, he stayed true to our agreement and gave nothing but cold shoulders to the woman who once humiliated him. As time went by, he started visiting her frequently. It was once a month at first, then twice a week, and now it was nearly every day. I had lost count of how many nights I waited for him alone, staying up in bed. Zack took my silence as a sign I could not come up with an answer, and he sighed again. "You know the Shaws hated that I married you. Now they're finally giving me a chance to get back into the fold. How am I supposed to choose?" Chapter 2 The Past "Besides, Deedee really needs a baby so the Shaws won't exile her. We're both victims of our circumstances. You're a kind woman. Even if you don't like it, you have to endure it." Zack gave my cheek a perfunctory pat and went into the bathroom. I did not move from my spot, and I was taken back to my first meeting with Zack. It was night, and the rain was heavy. He was beaten black and blue, and the Shaws' bodyguards chased him out. Wendy was holding an umbrella, watching the beaten man like he was trash. "A stray trying to get back into the fold? Absurd." She stepped on his hand until blood had spilled before she moved her foot. The scene shocked me, and my groceries fell from my hands. She sneered at me. "Ah, the Shaws' nanny. The bastard child and a broke woman, a perfect match." Not long afterward, Wendy had Zack sent to a hotel. And then she had me drugged and thrown onto his bed. I did not touch Zack that night, and I stayed in a tub of cold water the whole night. Right after I slightly sobered up, I had to take care of the unconscious Zack. Wendy was not expecting me to resist the drug. Frustrated, she made me kneel. I begged for her mercy. After all, I was just a helper who wanted nothing to do with their power struggle. She dragged the tip of a knife across my face and laughed as she said I deserved it. She called me an orphan who was destined to have a worthless life. Wendy locked me and Zack up in the Shaw Residence's underground chamber, humiliating us like we were mere beasts. Even when the winter weather was freezing, she only gave us a thin blanket to warm ourselves with. I could not take the cold, and with shivering arms, I hugged Zack. "Do you hate her?" I asked. Zack looked at the snow outside and said calmly, "I will make her pay eventually." This humiliation lasted until Wendy married into the Shaws, and they made it a celebration. The whole city was praising this powerful alliance, while Zack and I were kicked out of their estate. Zack did not leave. He stood outside the fence, staring at the beautifully dressed Wendy, and the look on his face was dark. I thought he was hating her for the humiliation she had inflicted. After he was recognized by the Shaws, I realized that was not his true thought. He did not hate her for the humiliation. He was eyeing his brother's wife. The thing he hated was his status as a bastard son, and that stopped him from marrying Wendy. I collected my thoughts and smiled bitterly. Now that I had seen his true colors, it was time to leave him. The sound of running water stopped coming. Zack came out of the bathroom, holding his phone and looking worried. "It's alright. I'm coming." There was still shampoo in his hair. He had not even bothered to rinse it out. Zack grabbed his car keys and hurried away. Right before he was gone, he realized I had not moved from my spot. "Sorry, but Wendy's dog acted up and bit her. I need to see her myself. She's living alone and has no one else to call for help." A pause later, he added, "And stop talking about the divorce. You'll tire me out." Zack turned toward the door. Before he could leave, I spoke again. "Dora's starting school tomorrow, and the teacher wants her parents to be there." Chapter 3 Broken Promise "You'll be there, right?" Zack smiled. "I made a promise. I will be there." The door clicked shut, and silence settled over the house. He had broken a lot of promises he made to me. I pulled out a tissue, crouched down, and wiped away the trail of water he had left across the floor. I was a clean freak, and I did not want to stay with a filthy man. Dora, however, was still far too young. She still had admiration for her father. I was reminded of the promise we made before she went to sleep. That robbed me of my sleepiness, so I scrolled through my socials. The first post was Wendy's. She said there was someone who would accept her for who she was, and the picture showed a transaction history for a million dollars. Something hit me. Zack gave her millions on a whim, while he barely gave me any presents even though we were married for seven years. After all, he was busy working on his business, while I was busy taking care of him and Dora. I did not have the time to care about presents. But now I had time to think. And I finally understood something. Life did not feel the same with every person. Zack never remembered my birthdays, and he never joined Dora's parent-teacher meetings. Even when it was our anniversary, all he did was verbally promising me he would show me the world when he was rich. After he was inducted into the Shaws, he celebrated Wendy's birthday. He bought out the amusement park for a day and stayed with her until midnight to gaze at the stars, all because she wanted it. He gave all his love to Wendy, and all he had for me was impatience. And whenever I complained, all he ever said to me was, "Stop throwing a tantrum." My chest was feeling stuffy. This villa was starting to feel alien to me. It was cold and unwelcoming. The small 600-square-feet rental made me feel safer than this. Though life was a struggle back then, at least I had a home. After I gave birth to Dora, we were out of money. We could not even afford the heater and electricity. Even Dora's milk was made with cold water. I remembered how Zack got tearful as he handed me a hot sweet potato. "This is all my fault. I should've been more careful. Dora shouldn't suffer. When I get rich, I'll get a vasectomy." He humbly made all those promises because he was worried I might leave him. He was worried I might resent him for being poor. Whenever I cried and said it was freezing, he would hold my hands against his chest. He was by my side when we were at our lowest years ago. I wondered how he could change so much in the blink of an eye. Right after I packed up my and Dora's stuff, Zack's phone rang. It was Wendy. I did not want the sound to wake Dora, so I carried it towards the staircase before answering. Wendy's arrogant voice immediately came through. "You want to marry me? What about Cynthia? I'm not going to be a mistress, you know." A long silence later, Zack chuckled. "I held that wedding with her overseas and got a fake marriage certificate. You're the only one I ever wanted to marry." The call ended, and my heart froze. The certificate was fake, and so was his love. Still, this was for the better. I did not need to see him or ask him to sign the papers. I pulled out the fake certificate from my suitcase and placed it on the nightstand. I refused to keep anything that was not mine. Zack did not come back, not even when it was already the next day. I joined the parent-teacher meeting alone. When it was time for the race, the other kids had their fathers leading them. I was the only mother in the lane. Chapter 4 Pushback Men naturally had more physical strength, so I was dead last. But Dora did not care about the rankings. She wiped the sweat off my forehead, looking worried about me. While we were on the way back, she blurted, "Where's Daddy? He promised he'd take me to school today." "He probably forgot." Dora said nothing, but the disappointment in her eyes grew. I looked at the darkening sky and hastened. When I got home, Zack was on the couch looking displeased. "Why didn't you text me? Dad wants to see Dora, and I've been waiting." Before I could say anything, Zack picked her up and went into the car. Dora had not seen him in a while, and she was looking at him with trepidation. He had a fierce look on his face, so she cried, even though she had missed him. I spent the whole ride calming her down. We had arrived at the Shaws' estate. Philip only gave Dora a glance before giving her back to me, but he was concerned about Wendy. Right before dinner, Wendy said she wanted to talk to me at the staircase. I did not want her pulling a fast one, so I changed it to the hallway. "You heard last night's call. You know what Zack wants. I don't want you and that girl showing up in my life. You know what I can do, and children are fragile. They die easily." She gave me a look of scorn, and her voice dripped with threat. I wanted to tell her I was no longer the servant she could lord around. No matter how powerful the Woods were, they were not the law. But now I had a bigger weakness. Dora was my only family. I did not need Zack, but I could not live without Dora. "I'll leave and never show up in your life again." Wendy smiled and said I knew my place as usual, then she left. I composed myself and returned to the living room. She was talking to Dora, and she had a smile on her face as she pinched Dora's cheeks. "You're the big sister, Dora. When my baby's here, you have to protect him, okay?" She pretended to be a gentle lady, but Dora suddenly spread her arms and shoved Wendy. Wendy fell to the ground. She clutched her stomach and screamed in pain. I wanted to grab Dora and leave this place, but Zack was faster. He darted ahead and slapped Dora hard. It broke my heart. My eyes went red, and I shielded my girl. "Why did you hit my daughter?" Zack had a cold expression on his face, and he looked at me darkly. "You're asking me? I saw Dora push Wendy!" Wendy leaned on Zack's chest and held her imperceptible baby bump, then she tugged on the hem of his shirt like she was the victim here. "It's alright, Zack. She's just a child. Maybe someone taught her that." This woman was trying to push me to the brink. "This is how you teach your daughter, Cynthia?" "She's your daughter too, Zack! You know she's not that kind of girl!" I had known my daughter's heart from the moment she entered this world. Dora had always been gentle. Always kind. She would never hurt someone for no reason.