---- Chapter 10 Michael came home late that night, feigning surprise to find me awake, packing a small bag "Liv? What are you doing? You're still upset about the brunch?" His tone was patronizing, as if | were a child sulking after a minor scolding. "Upset?" | repeated, my voice devoid of emotion. "No, Michael. I'm done." He tried to touch me, to pull me into an embrace. | recoiled. "Don't be like that, baby," he said, his voice softening into the manipulative croon that used to work so well. "It was a misunderstanding. Serena is... vulnerable. | was just trying to help her." "Help her by fathering her child? By setting her up in a condo? By letting the world think she's your partner?" He had the grace to look momentarily flustered. "It's complicated, Liv. You wouldn't understand." "Oh, | understand perfectly," | said. "| understand that you're a liar and a cheat. | understand that you've been gaslighting me for months. | understand that you have another family." His face hardened. The charming facade slipped. "Don't be dramatic. So | made a mistake. We can work through this. For the baby." He always came back to the baby. My supposed weakness. ---- "There is no 'we' anymore, Michael," | said, zipping the bag. "| want a divorce." He stared at me, stunned. "A divorce? Are you serious? Liv, you can't mean that." Just then, the doorbell rang. Michael looked relieved, as if for a distraction. It was Serena. With her suitcases. And the baby in a carrier. "Michael, darling," she said, smiling brightly. "| thought I'd surprise you. | just couldn't bear to be apart from you another night." She swept past me into the house as if she owned it. Michael looked from her to me, a flicker of panic in his eyes, quickly masked. He turned to me, his voice cold. "You see, Liv? Serena needs me. Our son needs me. If you can't accept that, if you insist on this divorce nonsense, then maybe you should be the one to leave." An ultimatum. From him. In my own home. The sheer audacity of it almost made me laugh. | looked at him, at Serena cooing at the baby in our living room, and a profound sense of detachment washed over me. This wasn't my home anymore. This wasn't my husband. My hand went to my belly. "We're leaving," | whispered to my unborn child. "We're getting out of here." His hypocrisy, Serena's brazenness, it didn't cause despair anymore. ---- It fueled my resolve.