You stepped out of the elevator with a heavy heart. The gift box in your grasp felt light despite the carefully selected items. You could imagine how surprised Caden would be to see you home early. Your smile grew as the thought crossed your mind.

However, that smile slowly faded as your eyes caught a familiar figure in the distance. Your body tensed. Caden. He was standing in front of a toy store, wearing a casual shirt that he usually wore on weekends.

Your excitement was about to explode, but something stopped you in your tracks. A small, curly-haired girl ran towards him with a cheerful shout, "Daddy!" The girl immediately jumped into Caden's arms, and he greeted her with a warm laugh. You blinked, trying to comprehend what you were seeing.

"Maybe she's the little girl's mistake? Little kids often get it wrong, right?" you thought, even as your heart began to pound uncomfortably.

Your confusion turned into deeper shock as a woman appeared. The woman smiled softly at Caden before nuzzling his cheek affectionately. And what almost made you lose balance was when Caden responded with a quick kiss on the woman's forehead.

Your body froze. Your breath hitched. The gift box you were holding slipped from your grasp and fell to the floor.

Your eyes couldn't look away from the sight. The woman was someone you knew—Caden's ex-girlfriend from college. An unexplainable feeling raged in your chest: anger, hurt, disbelief, all mixed into one.

Your eyes shifted back to the little girl. Her cheerful smile was so similar to Caden's, it was impossible to ignore.

"This can't be. It can't be!" you whispered in a choked voice.

Tears began to well up in your eyes, your vision blurred by the unbearable pain. What you had just witnessed felt like a nightmare you never imagined. The world you believed in with Caden seemed to collapse in an instant. "Caden... Cheated on me? He... Cheated on our marriage?" you whispered, barely audible over the noise of the shopping mall.