Chapter 2

2.

The moment I hung up, Maddy kicked the front door open.

She saw the lingering smile on my face and pointed a finger at me, shouting:

"How can you even smile! Your post almost drove Silas to jump off a building!"

"I really don't get it. We're family! Why is Silas so kind while you're so malicious?"

"Delete that post right now. And get those engagement rings we ordered. I'm giving them to Silas."

Even though I had already decided to let her go, hearing her want to give our rings to Silas was still mind-blowing.

Since I didn't move, Maddy snatched the phone from my hand.

"Stop being so slow! Zeke, do you really think a post like that is going to threaten me?"

"It's not like I'm saying I won't marry you. We just need to wait until Silas's condition stabilizes. Then we can get married!"

Maddy spoke as she habitually tried to swipe my passcode.

But she kept entering her own birthday, and it kept saying the password was incorrect.

She frowned at me.

"What's your passcode?"

I said indifferently, "My birthday."

Right after Maddy had posted that pregnancy announcement, I had changed the wallpaper and the passcode I'd used for three years.

Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time without pressing a single digit.

"When is your birthday?"

For once, there was a flash of embarrassment in her eyes.

I chuckled and threw a question back at her.

"When is Silas's birthday?"

Maddy didn't even have to think; she blurred out the date instantly.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

She didn't even know her own fiancé's birthday.

The irony was loud.

Maddy nagged me to delete the post immediately.

I opened my phone and deleted it.

Now that I had found the person I needed, I didn't need the post anymore.

Maddy assumed I was submitting to her as usual, and a smug smile crept onto her face.

"Where are the rings? Hand them over," she prompted impatiently.

I looked at her and smiled thinly.

"I paid for those. You..."

Before I could finish, she cut me off with a darkened expression.

"It's just a pair of rings! Silas just wants to wear them for fun. When he's bored with them, I'll bring them back to you!"

I spoke up calmly. "I don't like things that other people have worn."

"Those rings cost me over thirty thousand dollars. How do you plan to pay me?"

Maddy looked at me in total disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

I repeated my sentence, word for word.

The moment I finished, she let out a frustrated, mocking laugh.

"Fine, fine. You're actually asking me for money now? Where did you learn this new trick, Zeke?"

I looked at her steadily.

"I'm not playing any tricks. I'm dead serious."

"Just Venmo me. It's faster."

Seeing my serious face only fueled her anger. She was about to snap when Silas's call came in.

His "weak" voice drifted through the speaker.

"Maddy, where are you? Is Zeke upset because of my request again? I don't need the rings."

"As long as he's happy, that's all that matters."

By the end of it, his voice was cracking with feigned tears.

Maddy's face shifted from rage to pure heartache in an instant.

Especially after hearing Silas's words, she looked incredibly pained.

"No, no. Zeke just forgot where he put them. You know your brother is a bit of a loser."

"Just wait for me at home, okay? I'll be back soon."

After cooing at Silas for a while, she hung up.

When her gaze shifted back to me, the disgust and contempt were practically overflowing.

"I don't have time for your games. Give me the rings!"

I stared at her without saying a word.

After a long silence, Maddy pulled out her phone to transfer the money.

As she entered her PIN, I saw several notification boxes pop up on her screen.

On the fifth attempt, the payment failed.

She snapped her head up to look at me.

"Zeke, did you cancel the secondary credit card?"

I feigned surprise.

"You weren't planning on using my own credit card to pay me back, were you?"

Maddy froze for a moment, then grit her teeth.

"You did this on purpose!"

I smiled at her and said nothing.

When Silas called again, Maddy finally transferred thirty thousand from her own account.

I handed her the rings with a smile.

"Wishing you two a lifetime of bliss!"

Maddy snatched the rings and hissed, "Just you wait," before storming out.

The moment the door slammed shut, the smile on my face collapsed.

This was the woman I had loved for so many years, after all.

Seeing her with Silas... how could I not feel the pain?

I closed my eyes, forcing the bitterness down.

Just then, a message from Sera arrived.

"Why did you delete the post?" followed by a crying emoji.

I couldn't help but chuckle. I replied: "I already found what I was looking for, so there was no point keeping it up."

Sera sent back a sigh-of-relief emoji that made me grin.

The unpleasantness from earlier seemed to vanish.