Chapter 2

2.

The next day, I ran into Nadine at the hospital.

"Listen to the doctor from now on! If they say keep the wound dry, don't touch water!"

"I just wanted to help you wash the lunchbox, big sis..."

Sawyer was pressed close against her side.

Nadine held his hand, which was wrapped in a bandage.

At first glance, anyone would have mistaken them for a couple.

They were laughing and flirting.

The moment Nadine spotted me, her smile vanished.

"What are you doing here?"

My eyes were swollen and my vision was blurry this morning.

I had come for an ophthalmologist appointment.

Before I could say a word, Nadine attacked.

"Weston! I told you to cool off yesterday, not stalk me!"

"We're equals in this marriage. Can you stop violating my privacy?"

Whenever she used to go out, I would worry about her safety and ask who she was with.

I thought it was caring. To her, it was an invasion of privacy.

I gripped my appointment slip tightly.

I would never ask again.

"Mr. Vance, there's really no need to treat Nadine like this," Sawyer chimed in with fake innocence.

Yet the look in his eyes was pure provocation.

"Even my dog gets to go outside on its own!"

Nadine's rage flared even higher.

"A dog has more freedom than I do!"

She swung her designer handbag directly at me.

My vision blurred, and I couldn't dodge in time.

The hard metal buckle slashed across my face, leaving two bloody cuts.

I grunted in pain.

Nadine froze for a second.

Then she scoffed, calling me an idiot.

"Couldn't you dodge?"

A conflicted look crossed her face as she stepped toward me.

Right then, Sawyer spoke up anxiously.

"Mr. Vance, please don't misunderstand! There's nothing going on between Nadine and me!"

My hand was covering my bleeding cheek, and I had no energy to deal with his nonsense.

Nadine stopped dead in her tracks.

She followed Sawyer's gaze to the ground, where a cheap glass bracelet lay shattered beneath my shoe.

She screamed my name.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"You suspect something between Sawyer and me, so you provoked me on purpose! You made me throw my bag so his gift would fall out and you could crush it!"

I touched the stinging cuts on my face, baffled by her delusional accusation.

Sawyer stoked the fire, playing the victim.

"Even though my gift wasn't expensive, it was still from the heart..."

I glanced down at the broken glass beads.

Indeed, dirt cheap.

Probably bought in bulk online for fifty cents.

Yet Nadine treasured it like gold.

She demanded an immediate apology.

I felt a bitter laugh rise in my chest, along with a deep ache for my past self.

Whenever I bought her gifts, she either tossed them in the trash, broke them, or carelessly lost them.

Even so, I had always prepared thoughtful surprises for her.

This year, knowing she loved jewelry, I spent millions having a custom, one-of-a-kind diamond set made for her.

When she received it, she barely offered a polite thank you.

A few days ago, she casually told me she had lost it.

When I asked where, she had snapped with impatience.

"It's just some necklace and earrings! Why are you interrogating me? If you're that stingy, don't give me gifts in the first place!"

Remembering her double standards, I felt relieved.

I was glad I had woken up in time.

Nadine grabbed my arm aggressively.

"Weston! What are you zoning out for?"

"Apologize to Sawyer right now!"

She glanced at the blood on my face and bargained.

She said if I apologized, she wouldn't hold my stalking against me.

I pulled my arm away and let out a cold chuckle.

"Save your breath. I'm not here for you."