Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Thinking back on these things felt like being flayed alive.

Watching Zane and Jianna walk together, I had to admit they looked perfect.

As they passed a bakery, Jianna playfully tugged on Zane's arm.

"Zane, I want a slice of that strawberry cheesecake. Please?"

"I knew you didn't eat much at dinner. You were saving room for dessert, weren't you?"

Zane looked at her and let out a soft, indulgent chuckle.

Jianna pouted at him, and Zane immediately threw up his hands in mock surrender before heading inside.

It was such a cozy, intimate scene. It felt like a physical weight on my chest.

I didn't know he could be this attentive. I didn't know he could show such open affection.

It's just a shame that I was never the one he wanted to show it to.

The bitterness spread through my soul like poison.

I couldn't help but mock myself. Wren, you're so pathetic. Six years of marriage didn't even earn you a spot in his heart.

Actually, I should have seen this coming the moment I heard Jianna was back.

Last weekend was the anniversary of my parents' death. Zane had promised to go to the cemetery with me.

But at the last minute, he told me there was an emergency at the hospital. I told him I understood. Doctors don't own their own time.

But Zane didn't come home until well past midnight. I was worried, but he wouldn't answer his phone.

I called the hospital. The nurse on duty recognized my voice immediately.

"Oh, hi Wren. Is everything okay with Dr. Zane?"

During our marriage, my main job was taking care of him. He was always busy and had a sensitive stomach.

My job was flexible. Between the rent from the properties my parents left me and my own investments, I made over fifteen thousand a month.

So, besides housework, I spent my time bringing him home-cooked meals.

The nurse sounded confused. "Dr. Zane clocked out hours ago. I thought you picked him up."

"I saw him get into a car with a woman in a red trench coat. She looked a lot like you from behind."

I went silent.

I wasn't a magician. I couldn't be in two places at once. I had spent the whole day at the family plot in the suburbs.

Right then, my tablet buzzed with a notification for a trending gossip piece.

"Famous photographer Jianna caught on a late-night date with a handsome stranger."

The moment I saw her name, my heart lurched.

So she was famous now. So she was back.

Driven by a morbid curiosity, I clicked the article. I recognized the man in the photo instantly. It was Zane.

I don't know what I felt. Maybe the pain had gone beyond a certain threshold and turned into numbness.

I stared at that intimate photo for a long time.

The nurse's voice finally brought me back. "Wren? Are you still there?"

I forced a long, shaky breath. Every inhale hurt.

But I was too cowardly to face the fact that my husband lied to me to go on a date. It was too humiliating.

I feigned a casual tone. "Oh, it's fine. I'm out of town on business. I just wanted to make sure his ride showed up."

The nurse sighed in relief. "You're such a great wife, Wren. Dr. Zane is lucky to have you."

After I hung up, I stared at the ceiling.

To everyone else, we were the perfect couple. We never fought, never even raised our voices.

But if you truly love someone, do you really stay that calm and indifferent?