She glanced at the dusty floor.

The floor was a complete mess, with loads of empty bottles and takeout boxes scattered around.

Some of them were starting to emit a funky smell.

She had to cover her nose, feeling utterly disgusted.

Remembering the good old days, she felt a mix of emotions.

Back then, she had dressed all bright every day, dining on top chef's creations, with servants handling the cleaning.

Now, it was just take-out for her, and the house was a disaster zone she didn't want to deal with.

Matthew hit the bottle every day, and when he was mad, he was ready to hit her too.

She couldn't take this life anymore.

If her daughter, Adaline, were around, Helga believed she could reclaim her past life.

Lost in thought, she gazed out the window, pondering about Adaline.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, the living room door was kicked wide open.

The door burst open, crashing against the wall with a resounding bang.

Helga's contemplations were abruptly shattered as she jumped, startled, fixing her gaze on the door.

Matthew staggered in, clutching a few bottles of beer concealed in a shopping bag, looking disoriented.

As he stumbled forward, he mumbled, "This beer is no good."

Frowning, Helga approached him and complained, “Did you go drinking again? You neither cook nor clean the house..."

Before Helga could finish, she felt a sharp sting on her cheek that silenced her. Matthew narrowed his eyes and delivered a hard slap across her face, leaving a bright red handprint.

As she gingerly touched her throbbing cheek, her ears rang from the force of the unexpected slap.

She stumbled forward and fell to the floor. When she saw Matthew approaching with a ferocious expression, fear gripped her, and she quickly crawled backward.

“Stay out of my business, you bitch," Matthew yelled.

The thought of Helga's infidelity filled him with seething rage.

He strode to Helga, grabbed her hair, and yanked it hard. "You bitch," he cursed, his voice filled with anger. "I've worked so hard in the company for our family. I gave you everything you wanted, and this is how you repay me? By cheating on me and leaving me to raise another man's child? You're a shameless and despicable woman." His grip on her hair tightened as he leaned in closer, his eyes blazing with fury. "I swear I'll kill you for what you've done."

“Matthew, I'm sorry," Helga pleaded, enduring the searing pain from her scalp as she quickly surrendered.