Chapter 3

Chapter 3

So, he knew I was bothered by him being with Chloe. It was just a sprained ankle, yet he bent over backward for her, completely indifferent to my sister's life.

I sneered. Perhaps it was the sheer depth of my despair. Chloe was 'all alone' here? Her parents were living lavishly abroad. And me? I only had my sister.

"Are you mute? Give me half an hour. If you don't bring the medicine, let's just get a divorce!"

He hung up, cold as usual. He never cared about my feelings. He knew I loved him, that I couldn't let go, that I was afraid of divorce. That's why he kept testing my boundaries, never even looking at me when he went to see Chloe.

Is this a marriage?

Is this love?

Until my sister died, I hadn't truly re-examined my relationship with Silas.

"Summer, please, accept my condolences. Let's find a professional team to seek justice for her."

Caleb arrived, out of breath. He hadn't even caught his rhythm before trying to comfort me, his eyes brimming with the same pain I felt.

Caleb and I had met in the orphanage. Unlike us, he had been sickly. His parents had actually intended to adopt my sister, and Caleb had taken a liking to her from the first moment, but she refused to leave me behind.

Later, Caleb kept coming over to visit, and as he grew healthier, we became the best of friends.

In the hardest times of our lives, Caleb had helped us a lot.

The year I got married, Caleb moved abroad.

When the rumors about my sister reached him, he hurried back, exhausting every resource his family had to clear her name.

But his family were just small-time merchants. How could they compete with a gang?

When I hesitantly asked him if he ever doubted my sister, Caleb shook his head firmly.

"She is the kindest person in this world. She would never do those things."

Caleb told me that if she were really as shameless as they claimed, she would have sold herself to make money years ago. She was beautiful; she could have had anything. She wasn't that kind of person, and she never would be.

I couldn't express my feelings then. Caleb had spent far less time with her than Silas, yet Silas had just gone with the flow, assuming there was 'no smoke without fire.'

"Summer? Are you okay? Don't worry about the money. I have enough. We can't let her death go unavenged."

Caleb nudged me, and I snapped back to reality.

Exactly. This couldn't just end. I had been foolish to place my hope in Silas. Finding him had been the most direct way, but I had underestimated his cold-bloodedness. It was my fault she died.

I sniffled, looking at Caleb with gratitude, the words stuck in my throat.

Caleb gave me a knowing look and patted my shoulder gently.

We arranged her funeral together. It was simple; we had no relatives, and she was a quiet, modest soul who hated the spotlight.

It was just the two of us.

The sky opened up, and the rain drummed against our umbrellas.

I stared at her bright, sunny photo on the tombstone, feeling as if half my soul had been ripped away. I couldn't be happy again, and I no longer had the motivation to keep fighting.

I remembered the orphanage―I was small, skinny, and always bullied. My sister would descend like an angel, chasing off the tormentors and sharing her meager food with me.

When we finally left the orphanage, we used our remaining savings to rent a place.

She was a brilliant student, but to pay for my education, she hid her college acceptance letter. She lied, telling me she didn't get in, acting as if she just wasn't meant for school.

But I would see her at midnight, under the tiny desk lamp, studying hard. She loved reading more than anyone. And whenever she saw my books, her eyes would light up.

She had sacrificed so much for me, and in the end, I couldn't even get her justice.

I knelt before her grave, caressing her photo, vowing that I would clear her name.

It was night by the time I got home. As soon as I opened the door, the living room light flicked on, blinding me.

"So you finally decided to show up? Do you know how long Chloe and I have been waiting?"

Silas sat on the couch, legs crossed, looking like an inquisitor.

I lowered my eyes. I couldn't face him―the man who had indirectly killed my sister. I was exhausted; I didn't want to fight, nor did I care who had sacrificed more.

I didn't even want to dwell on the grievances I'd endured for his sake.

After her death, the sheer weight of living left me drained.

"Don't look at me like that, like the world is ending. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just want me to risk my career to speak up for your shameless sister, right?"

"Chloe's wound is swollen from waiting for your medicine. If you kneel and apologize to her now, I might just issue that statement!"

Silas kept rambling, his aggressive tone making me wonder how I had ever fallen for him.

Has time passed so quickly, or has he changed that much?

No, his feelings for Chloe had never changed.

I suddenly remembered that whenever he did something for me, he always attached a condition. It was as if everything I did for him was expected, while anything he did for me was a transaction.

Looking at the man I had once loved so desperately, he suddenly looked like a stranger.

It's amazing how ordinary a person looks once the filter is shattered.

Caleb called me then. Silas knew about us; he'd always been jealous, claiming there was no such thing as 'platonic friendship' between a man and a woman.

I had cared so much about Silas that after he threw a fit, I had blocked Caleb and never spoke to him again.

But this time, I answered right in front of him.

"Summer, we have a lead. The girl she helped is finally willing to speak out. Where are you? I've set up a meeting. I'm sending you the address."

Before I could answer, Silas ripped the phone from my hand and smashed it against the wall. It shattered into pieces.

"Summer! Are you shameless? I wondered why you've been acting so distant lately―you're rekindling things with Caleb! I'm not dead yet! You want a divorce?"

His irrationality only hardened my resolve.

"Fine, let's get a divorce."

I turned to walk out of this suffocating home.