Chapter 3

Rodney walked into the room, his face stormy, and saw that the spot once packed with souvenirs and gifts was now stripped bare.

His eyes went icy as he glared at me, rage simmering beneath the surface.

He demanded, "Leslie, those were the handmade gifts you made for Spencer. And the ones you gave me. How could you just sell them all? Are you really that desperate for cash that you'd get rid of something so meaningful?

"Or is it that you don't want to be with me anymore, so you decided to clear everything out? Is that all our five years together mean to you? Just stuff to be dumped at a thrift store?"

I knew better than anyone how much those things meant.

When my son was three, I spent a whole month designing those figurines. Rodney even took them to the church to have them blessed, hoping they'd keep my son safe year after year.

I once thought the thoughtfulness behind these handcrafted gifts was priceless. But I learned that anything from someone who doesn't matter is just something that doesn't matter.

Instead of waiting for them to throw it all away, I decided to do it myself.

I replied softly, "These are my things too. I have the right to do what I want with them."

Rodney's anger boiled over. "Your right? This house is mine, Spencer is mine, and you're mine too. What rights do you think you have here? Did you even bother to ask me before selling everything?"

The tension was suffocating. Jessica, looking anxious, tugged at Rodney's sleeve.

She said, "Rodney, please don't fight. Leslie must have her reasons. I heard from the shop owner that she sold those things to raise money for a poor student named Antonio. Maybe she's really going through something."

Rodney laughed in disbelief, his eyes burning with rage as he stared at me.

He demanded, "Antonio? So you threw away our memories just to bail out your deadbeat ex? Leslie, you're my wife now, and you're still helping your ex? Does our marriage mean anything to you?"

I froze, unable to believe what I was hearing as I stared at Jessica.

I told the shop owner I was selling everything because I was about to get divorced.

I said, "She's lying. I never said anything like that. I haven't talked to Antonio in ages, and it's not my place to raise money for him."

Rodney clenched the bowl of medicine in his hand. "You really think I'd believe that? Jessica doesn't even know your ex. How would she know his name?

"Guess that's why you made such a fuss about Winter Wonderland and pushed for a divorce today. Turns out, you're looking for an excuse to run back to your ex."

He looked at me, eyes full of disappointment and hurt. "Today is Spencer's birthday, and you still do something like that? Leslie, this is just too much."

His accusing, disappointed gaze pierced straight through me, leaving my chest aching. I opened my mouth to speak, but in the end, I stayed silent.

Antonio was my first love, but we had been completely over long before I ever married Rodney. And he knew that.

He was the one who had fallen for someone else first, yet now, with a few careless words, I'm suddenly made out to be the unfaithful one.

Jessica put on a troubled look. "I'm sorry, Rodney. I never thought things would get so messy today. Maybe I shouldn't have come. I-I should leave."

With that, she started to walk out, but Spencer, his eyes red and brimming with tears, pushed past me and grabbed Jessica's hand.

Spencer yelled, "Mommy's bad! She sold my gifts. I don't want to celebrate my birthday with her this year. I want to leave with Jessica."

A flicker of satisfaction flashed in Jessica's eyes, but she quickly put on a guilty face. "Spencer, I'm sorry for saying the wrong thing and making your parents fight.

"To make it up to you, I'll treat your whole family to dinner tonight. Let's make your birthday extra special."

"Since you're so eager to run back to your old flame, don't bother showing up for Spencer's birthday," Rodney said coldly, his gaze fixed on me.

He added, "But Leslie, remember this. I'm your husband now, and everything here belongs to me.

"Everything you sold. Make sure it's all back in its place before I return."

Rodney walked out with Spencer without a backward glance. Jessica looked over her shoulder, her eyes flashing with triumph as she followed them out.

The door slammed shut, leaving the house cold and empty once more.

When I came back to my senses, the spot where my son had shoved me into the table corner was throbbing with pain. But honestly, that ache was nothing compared to the sharp pain stabbing at my heart.

After I married Rodney, he gradually developed feelings for me, all because of the way I cared for him day in and day out.

Maybe it wasn't love, but we were far from strangers.

He remembered every holiday or occasion that was important to me, and he'd always give me the best of what he had.

I used to think that maybe this was happiness, after all.

Everything changed when Jessica returned. She and Rodney had always gotten along, but after she brought him herbal remedies to help him recover, their relationship grew even closer. And Jessica became just like family to him.