Chapter 2
For some reason, I thought back to the time I was sixteen, the first time I saw Andrew at a party.
He stood in the crowd, wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
He looked like the perfect gentleman, calm and gentle, almost too good to be true.
Moonlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making him look unreal.
I tugged on my sister's sleeve and whispered, "Who is that?"
She said, "That's Andrew Bennett, the Bennett family's second son."
From that moment on, I remembered him for ten years.
And I secretly loved him for ten years.
But after ten years of loving him, all I got was one sentence.
She deserved it.
How pointless, really.
I looked out at the clouds outside the plane window.
Turned out, marrying the guy one loved when one was young was not worth it.
*****
When the plane touched down, rain was pouring in Capitale City.
The air was thick and damp, smelling of earth.
Andrew called right on cue.
I answered.
"Rachel, the driver said he couldn't find you," Andrew sounded a bit on edge. "Where are you?
"Send me your location. I'll come pick you up."
He must be in a rush to get me to apologize to his precious Joanna.
"No need," I replied.
"Rachel—" Andrew started.
"Andrew," I cut him off. "I got the message your assistant passed on. Don't worry, I'll go."
My voice was utterly calm as I agreed to his request.
Andrew was stunned for a second.
For once, I didn't bombard him with updates or check-ins.
For once, I didn't get jealous over him sticking up for Joanna.
"Alright, I'm tired. Let's leave it at that," I said.
The car rolled up to the hotel, and I stepped out, feeling like I'd been dragged through a storm.
I hauled my suitcase inside, checked in, took the elevator, shut the door, and threw myself onto the bed.
I stared at the ceiling.
Capitale City nights weren't full of explosions and chaos.
The feeling of surviving washed over me, but it came late, almost sneaking up on me.
Not long after, my phone chimed.
Joanna had just updated her private feed a few minutes ago.
The photo showed a table piled high with delicious dishes.
The caption read: [After all these years, you're still the one who treats me best. I say I want to eat your cooking, and no matter how busy you are, you'll always show up for me.]
I stared at it, dazed.
I'd forgotten how Joanna's stomach had always been sensitive.
I heard about it when I first joined the Bennett family.
Andrew even got a nutritionist license for her.
His cooking was always spot-on: looked good, smelled good, tasted even better.
And then there was me.
I remembered how I used to be like all those girls lost in love.
When I was head over heels, I wanted the guy I loved to cook for me too, even if it was just a fried egg.
I tried everything, pouting, sweet-talking, hoping he'd do it.
But Andrew never cooked for me.
He always had some excuse: no time, too busy, always in a meeting.
I let myself sink into the soft bed and looked out the window.
The moon was huge and bright.
Too bad it wasn't my moon.
Too bad, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get him to love me.
Guess that was just how it was.
I rolled over and sent Andrew a text. [Let's get a divorce.]
After that, I didn't bother to check for a reply, just crashed and went straight to sleep.
****
The next morning, when I turned on my phone, I saw a dozen missed calls and messages.
They were all from Andrew.
I didn't read them.
After washing up and changing clothes, I grabbed a cab and headed straight for Bennett Manor.
Since I had promised, I should get it done.
There was no point dragging it out. I might as well settle things once and for all.
The cab wound its way through most of Capitale City, and as we were about to arrive, my phone buzzed.
It was a message from my sister. [Everything's ready. You can leave whenever you want.]
After that call in Sandport, I reached out to my sister and told her I was planning to leave.
The car finally stopped in front of a big black gate.
Bennett Manor was an old mansion with two tall trees in the yard. In autumn, their leaves turned gold, looking so beautiful it almost felt unreal.
I rang the doorbell, and the butler opened the door.
"Mrs. Bennett?" The butler looked stunned. "What brings you here?"
I didn't waste time on pleasantries. "Is Joanna here?"
"Yes, she's in the conservatory out back."
I nodded, walked past the front hall, and headed for the backyard.
I'd been to Bennett Manor so many times, I could find my way blindfolded.
There was a glass conservatory in the backyard, built after Joanna married into the family.
She loved flowers, especially roses.
Andrew's brother had it built to make her happy, keeping it warm all year, filled with roses from all over the world.
The conservatory door was slightly ajar.
I walked up to the entrance, about to push it open, when I suddenly heard movement inside.
"Joanna, don't do this." A voice came from within.
It was Andrew.
My hand froze in midair.
"Do what?" Another voice came.
I knew that voice like the back of my hand.
She sounded sunny, with a playful innocence.
Joanna was grinning, practically pressed up against Andrew, her chin slowly resting on his shoulder.
She kept forcing him backward.
"Don't. You're way too close." Andrew's voice dropped, strained and barely holding back.
He sounded helpless. "If someone sees us, it'll look bad for you."
Joanna stopped pretending and wrapped her arms around him.
"No one's coming," she said.
I stood outside the door, frozen.
Through the crack in the glass, I could see the conservatory bursting with blooms.
Roses were everywhere, in red, pink, and white.
Andrew stood by the flower rack, Joanna pressed against him, her back against the glass.
Sunlight poured down from the dome, dusting them in a soft golden glow.
"Joanna," he called her name.
His voice was so low, it sounded like a sigh. "I'm married."
Joanna suddenly let out a mocking laugh. "Married?
"Andrew, you can fool everyone else, but not me.
"Everyone around you knows how obsessed you were with me back then.
"Even when you agreed to marry Rachel, it was because I broke your heart. You picked a stand-in to make me jealous."
My chest tightened, the pain sharp and sudden.
Joanna raised an eyebrow, looking smug as she pressed, "Can you honestly say that's not true?"
Andrew stayed silent for a long time, not denying a thing.
My heart kept sinking.
I found myself barely breathing.
Honestly, I'd wondered about it before.
Why did Andrew marry me?
Maybe it was a family alliance.
Maybe I was a good fit for him.
But I never imagined it was all out of spite.
I remembered that it was the night before Joanna married into the Bennett family.
I ran into Andrew at a bar, drowning his sorrows.
He looked so lost, so alone.
I walked up to him.
Looking back, the way I looked at him must've given everything away.
He smiled at me and said, "I know you, Rachel.
"You really like me, don't you?"
I'd been secretly watching Andrew for years, but truth was, I was always a coward.
Otherwise, after all these years, I wouldn't have gone without even having his number.
It was rare for him to look at me like that.
Right then, I finally found the courage to nod.
Andrew grinned wider. "Alright then, let's get married."
And just like that, I married into the Bennett family.
I sniffled.
I raised my hand.
Blame it on this conservatory.
The scent of roses was so thick, it made my eyes sting.
Joanna was still all smug, getting bolder by the second.
Her red lips brushed against Andrew's ear. "Rachel's so obedient, so boring. Is that really enough for you?
"How many nights have you woken up, thinking of her as my stand-in? Doesn't that mess you up inside?"
Andrew frowned, finally stepping back from her. "So what?
"It's all in the past."
Andrew turned his head, like he was finally coming to his senses. "Joanna, stop being so willful.
"I waited for you.
"You were the one who left me first.
"You married my brother, and I married Rachel. From now on, we can only be family."
Joanna's smile faltered.
She studied Andrew. "What's this? Are you avoiding me?
"Or have you really fallen for Rachel?"
Joanna pressed him, demanding an answer.
I didn't want to hear any more of this.
I didn't want to interrupt their little scene.
I was just about to slip away when I accidentally stepped on something.
It made a faint noise.
Inside the glass conservatory, Andrew whipped his head around.