Chapter 2
But the moment Andrew saw me, all that excitement vanished, replaced by a calm, almost blank expression.
He stood there for a long time, lost in thought, before finally speaking up, sounding almost tentative.
He said, "Evelyn, everything that happened today was an accident. If you hadn't made Lily cry, I wouldn't have danced with her just to cheer her up."
I let out a mocking laugh.
Wow, what a surprise. He actually remembered turning me down before.
But today, he didn't show the slightest bit of resistance.
I sat there, not saying a word, not reacting at all.
But my calmness was like lighting a fuse in Andrew's heart.
His face went cold, and he stopped trying to coax me. Now he sounded like he was in the right, not trying to hide it.
He said, "I'm talking to you. Can't you at least react a little?
"Why are you making that dead expression? Do you think everyone owes you something? That we all have to baby you and do whatever you want?"
His barrage of questions made me bite down so hard on my lip that I drew blood.
The metallic taste of blood spread through my mouth.
I blinked my dry, stinging eyes, let out a soft laugh, and looked at him calmly.
"Let's divorced," I said.
When I finally said those words, I realized my voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like me anymore.
The air felt heavy, like time had stopped in the room.
Andrew looked at me, totally stunned, like he couldn't believe what he'd heard.
He yelled, "You're really divorcing me over something this small? Evelyn, have you lost your mind?"
I shot him a cold, empty look, nodded. "Yeah, maybe I am crazy. But for something this stupid, I don't want to be with you anymore."
Andrew's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Hearing how rough my voice was, guilt flashed across his face, and his tone softened up.
He rushed over and grabbed me in a tight hug. "Don't say stuff like that. There's no way I'd ever divorce you.
"Alright, let's just say today was my fault, okay?
"Don't let something so trivial mess up what we have!"
I didn't say a word.
But inside, I felt nothing but cold emptiness.
His words sounded so fake, like he was simply saying them because he had to.
It was all him caving under my pressure, nothing real.
"Still mad about today? It was only a birthday party. I'll throw you another one, alright?" he said.
This time, he didn't wait for me to answer. He simply turned and walked out.
That night, we slept in separate rooms.
When I woke up the next morning, Andrew was already gone.
For the next few days, he was out early and back late.
It wasn't until that evening that I finally got a message from him.
All it said was a hotel address.
He claimed he was throwing me a make-up birthday party.
I honestly didn't want to go.
But then Andrew sent me a photo. In it, Lily was wearing the gown my mom left me before she passed away.
I rushed over to the hotel.
That was when I found out this so-called make-up birthday party was really Lily's celebration, and I was nothing but an afterthought.
She had squeezed herself into my gown, which didn't even fit her, and was smugly rubbing it in my face.
"Evelyn, didn't you just have your birthday yesterday? Why are you crashing my party today? Are you jealous that my birthday is way more extravagant than yours?" she asked.
I snorted in fury.
This girl Andrew was supporting was now openly provoking me, the actual wife, right in front of everyone.
Everyone around, clueless about the real story, was snickering at me.
They called me a clown, saying I was here to mooch off someone else's birthday.
They said I was a poor wannabe trying to act like a rich princess.
Their gossip kept hitting my ears, making me feel even more humiliated than yesterday.
But none of it mattered to me anymore.
I glared at the gown my mom had sewn for me, every thread a reminder of her love.
"Take it off. Give me back my gown," I shouted.
I gritted my teeth, like I was barely holding myself together.
My fists were clenched so tight, they were shaking.
Lily smirked and walked right up to me.
She swirled her wine glass on purpose, letting red wine drip onto the hem of the gown.
Then, she carelessly wiped at the stain.
"It's just an old dress. I'm not giving it back to you. What are you gonna do about it?" she asked.
She blew her wine breath right in my face, taunting me with every word.