Chapter 2

I couldn't believe Samuel'd actually cheat on me.

What really blew my mind was that the other woman was the very one I introduced to him myself.

A year ago, the lead designer at BrightForge Studios, Samuel's company, was poached by a rival.

Nicole happened to return to the country right then, so that was when I invited her to join BrightForge Studios as our new lead designer.

Now she was still out on the balcony, talking on the phone, her smile all sunshine and sugar.

It was obvious who she was talking to.

She was fiddling with a red and gold lighter.

My eyes nearly popped out.

Wait, didn't I see that lighter somewhere before?

I frantically swiped through my phone, pulling up the dinner party photos Mike had sent me last night.

I zoomed in.

There it was, plain as day, sitting right on the table.

It was right next to Samuel's plate.

I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

Last night, she was sitting right next to him, all cozy and close.

I remembered what Mike had said.

It just made the whole thing feel like a cruel joke.

"Ms. Reed is seriously impressive. She just bought a luxury apartment like it was no big deal," Megan Turner, one of the planners, said from outside.

"Yeah, she's gorgeous and super talented. She and Mr. Carter look amazing together, like they are made for each other," Sophie Quinn, the secretary, chimed in.

Megan added, "I get what you mean. Mrs. Carter's great, too. Back when Mr. Carter had nothing, she emptied her savings, one million dollars, to help him start his business.

"But the way Mr. Carter and Ms. Reed work side by side as equals? That's the kind of ship you just can't help but root for."

Sophie gushed, "Totally. Every time they do rounds of drinks, Mr. Carter always steps in to block them for Ms. Reed.

"And whenever someone questions Ms. Reed, Mr. Carter's the first to stand up and defend her. His protective streak is off the charts. Plus, they just click. It's like they're soulmates."

"If only Mr. Carter were still single," Megan sighed.

A chill ran through me.

I finally realized that all those friendly smiles were just a front.

Between Nicole and me, they'd already picked their side, and it sure wasn't mine.

They'd all chosen her over me.

My chest was so tight I could barely breathe. I rushed out the door in a panic, running home as fast as I could.

I collapsed onto my bed, my thoughts racing, desperately trying to make sense of it all.

Why was it him?

My family and friends always believed that even if every man on earth cheated, Samuel was the one exception.

I remembered those anxious, sleepless nights in high school, when he would softly hum songs to lull me to sleep.

At the high school graduation party, he stood on stage and sang "Only You" to me, pouring his heart out in front of all our classmates and teachers.

We were both admitted to our dream school with high scores.

Our teachers used to call us the golden pair.

Back then, we used to dream about making our dreams come true together, raising two kids, and settling down in a big house with a garden.

After all the hardships we endured, it felt like we were finally on the verge of our happy ending.

Why, at this moment, when we were so close to everything we'd hoped for, did he start looking at another girl?

I just lay there all night, staring at the ceiling, wide awake and lost in my own misery.

It wasn't until the first hint of sunlight slipped into the room that I finally reached up and wiped away the cold, salty tracks on my cheeks.

I couldn't just hand over the eight years we'd struggled through together, or let someone else take away everything we'd fought so hard for.

I still wanted to give our marriage one more chance.

The runaway success of Quest of Legends put Samuel right in the spotlight. Everyone wanted a piece of him.

He was jetting around the country nonstop, but every single day, he'd still video call me, whining playfully about how exhausted he was, just wanting me to baby him a little.

I kept it cool, acting like nothing was wrong and just treated him even sweeter and more thoughtfully than before.

When he finally got back to Bayview City, he didn't even stop by home and just dragged his suitcase straight to the office to work late.

He was working himself to the bone, barely getting a break.

Even though I resented him because of Nicole, I still couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

So, that night, I brought some snacks over to the office for him.

But when I got to BrightForge Studios, the whole floor was dark and empty, not a single person around.

I walked into Samuel's office and saw that the spot where our wedding photo used to sit had quietly been swapped out for a company group photo.

It might look like a group photo.

But right there in the very center were Samuel and Nicole. They were impossible to miss.

Nicole was in a pure white dress, and Samuel was rocking a sharp white suit.

He had his arm around her, and both of them were beaming from ear to ear.

If she'd worn a veil, I'd think this was their wedding photo.

My heart went cold as ice.

I started yanking open one drawer after another, searching frantically.

Where the hell did he hide our wedding photo?

Then I found a drawer with a password lock. I punched in every code I could remember, but nothing. Not a single one worked.

I stared at it for a moment, my mind racing.

Taking a guess, I entered six numbers.

And just like that, the drawer popped open.

My heart sank like a stone.

The six digits I typed in were Nicole's birthday number.

Inside the drawer were two cell phones.

One was an old model, and the other looked a bit more recent.

I grabbed the older phone and hit the power button. It lit up instantly.

On the screen was a long-haired girl in a pale blue dress, glancing over her shoulder with a pure, adorable smile.

That was Nicole, eighteen years old, back in our senior year of high school.

My mind went completely blank.

What did this even mean?

Wait, did Samuel know Nicole since his first year of high school?

I scrolled through his notes app, and one after another, his diary entries from 2015 started loading up.

That was when it finally hit me.

He and Nicole first met on the very first day of high school that year.

He'd known her way before he ever met me.

He fell for her the instant he laid eyes on her.

When he bumped into her again at a party, he was absolutely thrilled.

So he played dumb, constantly coming up with excuses to ask her questions, and she'd tease him for it.

She said, "You're like my little shadow, following me everywhere."

In his diary, he wrote, [God knows, I wish I could really be her puppy.]

He was always scheming in a cute way, playfully calling her "Nikki" just to get her attention.

If she ever said he sang well, he'd make it his mission to learn every single song she liked.

There were loads of videos of the two of them saved on this phone.

He'd be strumming his guitar and singing, lighting up the room with his energy.

She'd watch him with eyes so gentle and full of warmth, and people could see just how much she cared.

I gave a hollow, broken laugh.

So, every song he hummed to help me sleep was one he'd learned just for her.

And here I was, not even knowing he could play guitar.

After graduation, he finally got the guts to tell Nicole how he really felt.

But she shot him down.

Nicole just shrugged. "I don't like younger guys."

He just couldn't give up. He kept chasing after her, again and again.

She was completely done with him, her patience worn thin.

She said, "Why waste your time on me? Go chase after Evelyn Brooks. Everyone says you two are the perfect match."

Her cold, mocking laugh cut deep, leaving him shattered.

The pain in those words washed over me, stabbing deep into my heart.

Tears fell silently onto the back of my hand.

I used to think Samuel and I were destined for each other, that our love was fate.

But in the end, the love I treasured was just something Nicole threw away, and Samuel passed it on to me like leftovers.

I was nothing but Samuel's second choice.