The husband k!cked his wife and children out, but his mistress pursued them, gave the wife $10,000 and whispered in her ear: “Come back in three days, there will be a surprise for you…”

The cold superiority was gone.

So was the quiet contempt she had felt before.

Now, there was only something heavier. Something grounded. Almost…human.

The children pressed themselves against their mother, grabbing her clothes.

“Mom… I’m scared…”

“I know,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around them, though her own hands were trembling. “I’m right here.”

She stepped inside.

Each footstep echoed loudly in the empty house, as if the walls themselves were listening.

“Where is he?” she asked, her voice dry, strained from everything she had held back.

There was a brief silence.

Then the woman answered.

“He’s not coming back.”

A chill spread through her entire body.

“What do you mean…not coming back?”

The woman inhaled slowly, as if choosing her words with care.