"Ethan, Alf has a fever! Come home now!"

It was 2 a.m. when I called my husband Ethan Badman.

Our son, Alf, had suddenly developed a high fever. Although I had already called an ambulance, the emergency center informed me that all their vehicles were out on calls and they needed to dispatch one from another location. I couldn’t afford to wait, so I contacted Ethan, knowing his office was just ten minutes away.

But instead of Ethan, a soft female voice answered the phone.

“Cynthia, I’m so sorry. Ethie went to register me at the hospital. I’ll make sure he comes home as soon as he’s back.”

I was stunned. It was Hannah Adams, his assistant!

How could they be together? Before leaving, Ethan had clearly told me he was going back to the office to handle an urgent matter.

So, was Hannah the urgent matter?

Realizing he’d lied, I felt a mix of anger and disbelief. But I also knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on it—nothing was more important than our child.

“I don’t care what Ethan is doing right now. Tell him to come home immediately!”

The next second, I heard Ethan’s reproachful voice over the line.

“Hani had too much to drink tonight while negotiating a deal and ended up with alcohol poisoning. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to overthink. I can’t believe you’d make up such a ridiculous excuse like Alf having a fever just to check up on me. Cynthia, can you stop acting like a paranoid lunatic, constantly doubting everything?”

Ethan’s baseless accusations left me feeling both hurt and furious. But now was not the time for arguments.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

“Ethan, believe it or not, Alf really does have a fever. The ambulance won’t arrive for another hour, so you—”

“Enough! Stop nagging. I’ll come home once Hani’s condition stabilizes.”

He didn’t let me finish, cutting me off before hanging up the phone. When I tried calling him back, his phone was already off.

I couldn’t begin to describe how I felt at that moment—sadness, anger, disappointment—a whirlwind of emotions all at once.

I wanted to scream, to let out all the pent-up frustration inside me. But I couldn’t. I still had to take care of Alf.

Since I couldn’t rely on Ethan, I called my best friend, Lara. She lived twenty minutes away, but when she heard what was happening, she ran three red lights and made it in ten, rushing us to the hospital.

“That idiot Ethan! If I see him, I’m giving him a piece of my mind. What’s he doing out at this hour instead of being home with you two? Does he think he’s some kind of hero?”

I didn’t tell her the truth. Even with my closest friend, I was too ashamed to admit it. I was afraid that if I started talking, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from breaking down in tears.

My child had a fever of 104 degrees, yet the man I depended on was busy caring for his assistant. How utterly absurd.

And at that moment, I had no idea that even more unbearable things were yet to come.