Chapter 2

2

Chase was so sure I was safe that he didn't even bother to send a text.

After Bree finally fell asleep, he stood by the stove, patiently simmering porridge for her.

I watched the tenderness and love flickering in his eyes and felt a sudden daze.

Years ago, he used to look at me the same way.

Chase and I met during a corporate retreat. He was witty, charming, and talented. Falling for him felt inevitable.

I knew he had a high school sweetheart he once loved, but I didn't care.

I believed that trust was the foundation of love. Besides, he treated me like royalty after we got married.

He would pick me up from work and cook for me. Even putting romance aside, Chase was a perfect partner.

That is, until Bree Whitmore came back into the picture.

Our first major blowout happened the day she returned to the country.

The man who always prioritized me forgot my birthday. He stumbled home drunk, smelling of expensive perfume and covered in lipstick stains.

"It's just a work dinner, Stella. Can you stop overthinking everything? It's just one stupid birthday. Why are you being so dramatic?"

I stood there, frozen. I couldn't understand why his attitude had done a complete 180.

Then his phone buzzed. Bree's messages popped up one after another.

【Thanks for picking me up, Chase! But today was Stella's birthday… won't she be mad that you were with me?】

【It's just a birthday, though. I survived all those years abroad alone. I used to wish you were there, but I stayed strong.】

【Oh, I shouldn't have said that. You have a wife now. I'm sorry for being a burden…】

I read every word, feeling a fire ignite in my chest. I took the phone to confront him.

In hindsight, my anger played right into Bree's hands.

Seeing me so aggressive, Chase's face twisted into an expression of pure loathing.

"Bree told me that girls are always jealous of her because she's too nice. I didn't believe her then, but I see you're exactly like them!"

"She's all alone here with no one to help her. What's wrong with me picking her up? I know Bree better than anyone. She's an innocent soul. Stop projecting your filthy thoughts onto her!"

From then on, any mention of Bree ended in a fight.

He grew increasingly impatient with me. In his mind, I was already the 'crazy, jealous wife.'

I was the only fool who refused to let go. I kept trying to use my love to bring back the man he used to be.

Instead, I ended up losing my life.

I watched Chase carefully wake Bree up to eat the meal he had prepared. The sweetness of the scene felt like acid on my soul.

I wanted to run away, but I realized I was tethered to him. I couldn't leave his side.

"Being your wife must be heaven. I don't get how Stella could fight with you every day. Oh, by the way, aren't you going to call her?"

Bree's words triggered Chase's bad memories of our arguments. He frowned and shook his head.

"Why bother? She'll just start another fight. It's endless. It's exhausting. If she was even half as sweet as you, I wouldn't hate coming home so much."

Bree smiled. The triumph in her eyes was obvious to me, though Chase was blind to it.

"Since I'm so well-behaved… can I have that Patek Philippe watch as a reward? It's not too much to ask, right?"

Chase smiled and stroked her hair. "Of course. Have I ever said no to you?"

Seeing him agree without a second thought, I finally understood something.

The money you're too afraid to spend will always be spent by someone else.

Chase and I had been planning to buy a bigger house. I had been saving every penny, putting it into our joint account.

I didn't realize I was just funding someone else's dowry.