Chapter 2
Through the half-frosted glass of a private room, I was about to call out for William—until what I saw stopped me cold.
William was actually kissing Melissa.
She kept pulling away, but William was relentless, chasing after her.
Melissa kept dodging William's kisses, blocking his mouth every time he tried to get close. She shot me a look through the glass, then asked on purpose, "William, you just said you wanted to make up with Joyce, and now you're all over me.
"So, who do you really like—me or Joyce?"
William blurted out, "Come on, Melissa, you know it's you I like!
"Joyce... I just can't bring myself to let her go, but I've already asked for a divorce. She's the one who keeps refusing.
"Otherwise, I'd have married you ages ago. I wouldn't have to put up with her drama anymore."
Melissa giggled, clearly enjoying the moment.
"Didn't you chase Joyce for like a hundred times back in school before she finally agreed to date you? Now you just say you don't love her anymore?" Melissa teased, her tone playful.
William paused, frowning as he thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"A hundred times? I don't remember that," he said, sounding completely indifferent.
He didn't remember? Forgot? Just like that?
That was the proof he once loved me—how could he just pretend it never mattered?
Furious, I stormed out.
When I got home, I rushed straight into William's study—the one he'd never let me set foot in.
I started frantically searching for any proof that he ever loved me.
But after searching the whole room, I still couldn't find a single thing.
That was when I spotted a plain old box tucked away in the corner.
It was covered in dust, totally out of place for someone as neat as William.
How much did he have to loathe those things inside to not even want to touch them?
When I opened the box, I saw every single gift I'd ever given William over the past five years.
There was the scarf I spent three months knitting, the photo album I spent a whole month making, and all the photos I took for him, and so on.
It turned out that he never cared about any of it. He just dumped everything in a corner like it was nothing, letting it collect dust.
At that moment, it felt like five years of my love meant absolutely nothing.
William, that made ninety-nine. Just one more, and I was gone for good.
*****
That night, I came down with a bad illness and was stuck in bed for three days, unable to even get up.
William, like his conscience finally kicked in, didn't leave my side for a single second those three days. He stayed right by my bed, making sure I had everything I needed.
He looked at me with that same worried gaze he used to have five years ago, back when he actually cared.
For a moment, my heart almost melted.
But I quickly snapped back to reality.
Five years of marriage, and he never changed. Was I really dumb enough to think getting sick would suddenly make him turn over a new leaf?
There was no way William was doing this out of the goodness of his heart.
After I got better, he actually took me to my favorite photography exhibit.
Walking around, I saw so many works from my photography idol.
My eyes lit up when I spotted a gorgeous landscape photo, and I turned, eager to share the story behind it with William.
But he was already on the phone, and after a quick chat, he called out to me.
"Joyce, it's the holiday. Mom's been bugging us to come home for dinner," William said.
As soon as I heard that, my smile vanished in an instant.
So that was his real reason.
He was just trying to get me to patch things up with his mom, but couldn't even ask me directly.
But William seemed to forget—who kept making me choke down weird herbal brews and sketchy home remedies?
Who kept pushing those meds until I got poisoned and had to be rushed to the hospital?
His mom. Every single time.
Even now, I still had to get checked out at the hospital all the time.
Every time I went, it was like I was being put up on a wall of shame for everyone to see.
William noticed the look on my face and quickly promised, "I promise, I won't let Mom force you to eat any of those crazy herbal remedies or weird medicines ever again!"
Looking into his earnest eyes, I reluctantly agreed.
This was the last time. I hoped he wouldn't let me down.
That night, I went back to the house with him. Megan had ordered a ton of dishes from a restaurant to welcome us.
At first, she was actually pretty polite.
But as soon as William left the table, his mom slammed some weird herbal medicine right in front of me.
"I spent a ton of money on this—hurry up and take it! Eat it, and you'll finally get pregnant and give me a grandson!" she barked.
My face darkened, and I refused right away.
She snarked, "William must've been cursed to end up with you! Five years and still no baby bump!"
I retorted, "That's because you kept making me take those sketchy herbal potions—now my body's messed up because of it!"
I was just telling the truth, but she totally lost it, yelling at me like I'd crossed the line. "You've got some nerve talking back to me!"
William rushed in, immediately defending me.
"Mom, did you forget what you promised me? Didn't we agree you wouldn't force Joyce to take any of that stuff?"
With William backing me up, Megan finally didn't dare say anything more.
For a moment, it almost felt like old times—like he still cared about me, like I was the one he cherished.
At the table, William kept helping me to food.
Some dishes I really didn't care for, but I just ate them anyway, not wanting to make a scene or hurt his feelings.
But the more I ate, the more uncomfortable I started to feel.
I started feeling a weird itch somewhere on my body.
And the itch just kept getting worse, until I couldn't help but start scratching.
I looked down and squinted—there were little peanut pieces hiding in the food.
I jerked my head up, staring straight at William.
"William, did you seriously forget I'm allergic to peanuts?" I asked, my voice tight with disbelief.
He used to always remember.
Whenever we ate out, he'd make sure to tell the staff: No peanuts for me.
But now, he was the one making sure I had peanuts.
William was busy texting, totally oblivious—until I spoke up and he finally saw the red rash breaking out on my arms and neck.
"Stop eating! I'm taking you to the hospital right now!" he blurted out, his voice tight with panic.
In no time, the rash covered my whole body, and the itch turned into a numb, tingling feeling.
William realized things were getting serious. He grabbed the car keys, ready to rush me to the hospital.
But just then, his phone started ringing.
William was so close that I could hear Melissa on the other end, being all spoiled and clingy.
"William, I want to go to this restaurant, but they only let couples in! Hurry and come be my date!" Melissa pouted.
I couldn't help but find it funny.
I was literally having an allergic reaction and needed to go to the hospital—there was no way William would actually agree to something so unreasonable.
But then, I saw hesitation flicker across William's face.
He wrestled with himself for ages, finally letting out a defeated sigh. For the hundredth time, he sent me money. "Joyce, I'll call you an ambulance. Just be good and wait here for it, okay?"
I just stared at him, completely stunned.
William was the reason I was having this awful allergic reaction, and now, seeing me like this, he was actually choosing to leave me behind and go have dinner with Melissa? Seriously?
I clung desperately to his wrist, refusing to let go.
He glanced at the rash spreading across the back of my hand, and for a moment, his expression actually softened. But then his phone buzzed in his pocket—Melissa was reminding him about their date.
Without hesitation, William forcefully pried my hand off.
"Joyce, just do as I say," he said, his tone flat and leaving no room for argument.
At that moment, I finally saw just how little I meant to him.
I was just a cat he'd toy with when he felt like it.
Just a dog he'd feed a couple of bites to whenever I happened to cross his mind.
But Melissa? She was the one he put on a pedestal—the real center of his world.
Everything started to blur as I watched him walk away, his figure growing more distant with every step.
Right then, I made my decision.