Half a dozen servants surrounded the poodle, grooming its coat, blow-drying its fur, chasing after it with plates of plump, fatty salmon, as though they were attending to royalty.
Something lodged deep in my chest and climbed into my throat. I couldn't speak.
To save money for my son's medical bills, I had never once eaten breakfast. Dinner was a few bites of cold bread. I was dizzy with hunger more often than not.
Even a dog lived better than I did.
Eve was on a roll.
"This trip to Harbor City, he knows I hate noise, so he booked out the entire floor of the hotel."
"Meanwhile that idiot wife is sitting in her little slum apartment waiting for him to come home. Waiting for nothing! Six days a week he's 'working overtime,' and the whole time we're at the villa, having the time of our lives."
I lowered my gaze.
"Why does he treat her like that?"
"Are you slow? What man doesn't want someone young and gorgeous?" She thrust out her chest and winked at me. "If you were a man, could you stand sleeping next to some washed-up hag who looked like you? Let alone spending money on her."
I said nothing.
She looked me up and down.
"Hey, come in for a treatment. I'll give you fifty percent off."
She pulled a glittering gold business card from her Chanel bag.
"What's this?"
"For my birthday this year, he secretly spent a fortune building a cosmetic surgery clinic in Harbor City, just for me. A gift. You know what he said? He said my beauty was his pride."
"He's absolutely crazy about me."
She was right about one thing. I stared at her, drenched in love and money. She'd had a child and still looked young and stunning. Crimson lips, killer figure, not a single fine line at the corners of her eyes.
And me? Hollowed out from overtime shifts, my face gaunt and sallow, my lips cracked and peeling, my eyes dull and empty.
"When's your birthday?" I asked.
"April first." Something crossed her mind, and she broke into a radiant smile. "Best birthday I ever had."
She pressed the card into my hand.
"Seriously, you should take better care of yourself."
"Your bone structure's not bad. Fix yourself up a little and maybe you can hold on to your man. Trust me."
April first. Six months ago.
A day I would never forget.
My fifth wedding anniversary with Dominic.