Chapter 3
Blair's voice came, thick with tears. "Elsie, you really got it all wrong.
"Cole is just my senior, nothing else.
"He just noticed that I was in a bad mood recently, so he invited me over to help me relax and talk things out.
"If there was really something between us, it wouldn't be you who married Cole now."
As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful as she looked at Cole.
Blair choked out, "Cole, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come here.
"I made you quarrel with Elsie.
"I'm leaving now.
"And from now on, I'll do my best not to bother you two anymore."
Cole said coldly, "Stay right here."
He grabbed Blair, who was about to leave, pulling her protectively behind him. Then he turned to me, his eyes icy and piercing.
He said, "Blair, if anyone needs to leave, it's not you.
"Elsie, you really have it too easy. You're always jumping to conclusions, making drama out of nothing!
"Blair's innocent. She just treats me as a brother, someone she can trust. She just came here to relax and talk. What's wrong?
"You're thinking too much, always assuming the worst about everyone! You must apologize to Blair now!"
Ask me to apologize?
I stared at Blair, who was sheltered behind Cole, throwing her a defiant glare. I felt a chill shoot up my spine.
Anger, hurt, disbelief, and a deep, bottomless sadness all twisted together in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Apologize to her?" My voice shook, but was unusually sharp.
I shouted, "Cole, who should really apologize here? You! You two!
"You're in my house, wearing my clothes, doing these ambiguous, flirty things.
"And now I bumped into it, suddenly I'm the crazy one, the one with a twisted mind? Who is actually shameless here?"
"You!" Cole's face went pale with anger, his expression twisted. He raised his hand, as if he was about to slap me.
But in the end, he just waved hard, and his hand froze in the air.
Then he dropped it heavily.
He stared at me, the disgust and disappointment in his eyes digging into my battered heart like a blunt knife, slow and merciless.
He spat, "You're being ridiculous! Elsie, you're insane! There's just no way I can talk to you!"
That night, after Cole slammed the door to go downstairs with Blair, he never came back.
I stood alone in the living room for so long until my legs went numb before I shuffled back to the bedroom.
The sheets still reeked of that sickly-sweet perfume, mixed with the unfamiliar scent left by Blair.
I didn't bother opening the window or changing the sheets, just lay down, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling in the darkness.
Now and then, headlights swept across the ceiling, casting brief, fleeting patches of light before everything went quiet again.
For several days, the house was as quiet as a grave.
Cole's toothbrush, towel, and razor sat untouched, coated in invisible dust.
No calls, no messages, nothing at all.
He seemed to have completely disappeared from this place, leaving behind only those cold, unused belongings as proof he ever existed here.
On the other hand, Blair seemed to be very busy.
She started to constantly update her social media.
At first, it was a series of blurry, indistinct photos.
One was a night shot with the caption "Knowing someone's got my back, feeling safe."
In the corner of the photo, I could see part of a man's hand on the steering wheel. I knew that cufflink, and the watch was familiar to me, too.
Afterwards, there came a photo of two hands, fingers tightly laced together, resting on a white tablecloth at a restaurant table.
Her hand was tiny, and the man's was strong, with sharp knuckles.
That little mole at the base of his thumb, right where it met his index finger. Even with my eyes closed, I could picture it perfectly.
After that, the couple of photos were impossible to miss.
At the art gallery, she tilted her head and leaned against a man's shoulder. Her smile was so bright it made her eyes curve into little crescents.
The man only showed half of his side profile, but I knew it was Cole.
The gray cashmere sweater he was wearing was chosen together for our third wedding anniversary.
The caption read, "With the one who loves me, enjoying the exhibition I love."
Someone asked in the comment section. [Your boyfriend?]
She responded with a playful giggle emoji.
Blair even made a new account called "Blair's Daily Sweetness," and the bio was "Documenting all the sweet moments with him."
It was full of Cole, or more accurately, showed the two of them together, flaunting their life as a couple.
There was a photo of burnt eggs and scorched bread slices. The caption read, "His first time cooking, total disaster, but honestly, it's too sweet!"
There were movie ticket stubs for a hit romantic movie.
There was a super shaky video shot in the car.
In the background, I could hear Cole's deep, half-laughing voice, "Stop fooling around, keep your eyes on the road," and Blair's clear, flirty giggle.