Chapter 3

3

Hayes spent the entire night in Clementine's room.

He walked out with messy hair, looking guilty. "She was scared last night, so I just crashed on her floor."

Clementine peeked out from behind him, a mocking smirk on her face. "Yeah, sister. Hayes is so thoughtful."

But she intentionally pulled her collar aside to reveal red marks.

Her lips were slightly swollen. My phone had even received a suggestive video earlier.

Everything pointed to exactly what had happened last night.

Perhaps Hayes noticed my gaze. To change the subject, he became unusually active about breakfast.

At the table, the two of them sat across from each other, perfectly in sync.

I was the outsider, the third wheel in my own home.

I didn't say anything. I just sat there, watching Hayes put food on her plate.

I lost my appetite and tried to leave, but Clementine stopped me.

"Sister, I dropped my fork. Could you pick it up for me?"

Her eyes were dancing with triumph.

I knew it wasn't just about a fork.

Sure enough, as I leaned down, I saw Hayes quickly retracting his hand from under her skirt.

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran to the bathroom and threw up until my throat burned.

"Seriously, why is the wife so thick-skinned? She's still hanging on?"

"She's pathetic. Hayes will always belong to our heroine."

After they left, I started packing my things.

I burned everything Hayes had ever given me. If it couldn't burn, I threw it in the trash.

Watching the flames rise made me feel a rare sense of relief.

Now, for my mother's locket.

Thanks to the comments, I knew exactly where they were.

The Sterling Estate.

It was a private mountain retreat Hayes had given me as a wedding gift.

"Wow, this is the estate Hayes built for the heroine. It's full of her favorite camellias."

So it wasn't named after me.

I should have known. I always loved red roses―bold and sincere.

When I arrived at the estate, I heard the voices of Hayes's friends from inside.

"Hayes, you're the man."

"Seriously, you spent so much effort on the wife all these years. Now you finally have the real beauty."

"When are we getting the wedding invites? You need to divorce that woman already."

The comments chimed in: "If it wasn't for the wife, they'd be married by now."

"Yeah, she's such a nuisance."

It turned out everyone knew about them. I was the only one kept in the dark.

In that moment, I felt both pathetic and ridiculous.