Chapter 3

3

Jane suddenly changed her tone, offering me a soft smile I hadn't seen in years. she even wrapped a piece of meat in a leaf and held it out to me. "Dax had this sent from his hometown. You should thank him."

"Frank, we always said we'd get married once you had a stable life," she began. "But Dax needs help. I'm planning to marry him first so he can get his legal residency here."

I almost laughed out loud. This was their big plan. Since they couldn't steal my job, they were going to steal my status.

Jane and I grew up together in the same neighborhood. I had loved her for half my life, and her father had trusted me to protect her. When he passed away, I promised him I'd take care of her forever.

But since she came back from Alaska, I didn't exist to her. She treated Dax like a king while treating me like a servant. She even made me wait in the rain for hours to buy him his favorite food while I was sick with a fever.

I remembered overhearing her talking to a friend a few weeks ago. When asked about me, she had said, "Frank is a good guy, but life with him is just so boring. Dax is the one who actually excites me."

That one word―boring―had shattered my heart. I had tried to hold onto my promise to her father, but I was done being a martyr. Her proposal was the perfect exit strategy for me.

"Sure, Jane," I said, looking her right in the eye. "Let's just call off our engagement then." Dax looked like he'd won the lottery, but Jane's smile froze on her face.

"It's just a temporary thing!" she explained quickly. "Once Dax is settled, I'll divorce him and marry you." I just nodded dismissively, not caring about her lies anymore.

I poured a glass of whiskey and toasted to Dax. "To Dax, for taking such good care of Jane all those years!" My sincerity seemed to put them at ease.

They started drinking heavily, celebrating their easy victory over me. Before long, they were both completely wasted and passed out at the table. I dragged them both into Jane's room and posed them together in her bed.

Dax instinctively pulled Jane closer in his sleep, looking like he'd done it a thousand times. You two deserve each other, I thought. Tomorrow was going to be a very loud wake-up call.