Chapter 3

3

Two weeks later, Bianca was recovered enough to leave the hospital. Jude drove her back to our house.

He carried her bags inside and set her vitamins on the sofa. He called out my name like he usually did.

When there was no answer, he checked every room, his face growing more annoyed by the second.

He couldn't find me anywhere.

Bianca sat on the sofa and noticed a thin layer of dust on the floor. She spoke in a small, fragile voice.

"Maybe I was too selfish. I was just so scared for the baby. I had to hide in the car."

"Jude... do you think Cora is okay? What if something happened?"

Her eyes turned red as if she were about to cry. Jude immediately knelt down to comfort her.

"We might be married, but I have no feelings for her. I don't love her at all."

Even as a ghost, those words felt like a knife to the heart. I followed him as he took down our wedding photo from the wall.

He was doing everything to make Bianca feel at home.

Later, he cooked a meal for her. He seemed distracted, his mind elsewhere while she tried to chat.

He opened his phone to look at our last messages. He typed out a new one.

"How long are you going to keep this up? I told you to handle the creditors. Get home right now. I'm waiting."

I looked at the screen and felt a wave of pity. He still had no idea.

That evening, the doorbell rang. Jude rushed to the door, thinking I had returned.

It was a delivery driver holding a cake.

I remembered then. Even though Jude had ruined my birthday, I had pre-ordered a surprise for him.

It wasn't just a cake. Inside the box was a luxury watch and a ring.

He had wanted that watch for months but thought it was too expensive. I had saved up for a long time to buy it.

I had also commissioned a custom ring to match the watch. I took a deep breath, wishing I could have given it to him before everything went wrong.

He opened the box and froze when he saw the jewelry. Bianca's eyes sparkled.

"Jude! Is this for me?" she squealed.

She didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed the ring and slid it onto her finger.

"Oh, Jude! I can't believe you remembered my size after all these years!"

I wanted to vomit. It was just a coincidence that her fingers were the same size as mine.

Jude knew the truth. This wasn't for her.

He stood there in silence for a long time before finally speaking.

"If you like it, Bianca, it's yours. Eat the cake, too. It's strawberry, your favorite."

I floated in the air, screaming in rage. He was giving away my hard-earned gifts like they were trash!

Jude didn't say anything else. He acted like nothing was wrong.

Bianca took the jewelry to the bedroom, leaving Jude alone in the living room.

He picked up his phone and sent another text.

"Did you buy the cake for Bianca to apologize? Just come home."

"Are you still mad about your birthday? Come back, and I'll make it up to you."

When no reply came, a look of genuine disappointment crossed his face.

I was shocked. For the first time, he actually looked like he missed me.

But it was too late. I was already home, but he would never see me again.