Chapter 2
"Susanna! Are you out of your mind?" Xander shouted.
I stared coldly at the man I'd spent years loving. "Xander, let's get a divorce."
Xander was always good to me.
As a husband, he was pretty much perfect.
He grew up in a family with strict rules, so he always knew how to treat his wife with proper manners, no matter what she did.
So even when I slapped him in public and threatened to divorce him, all he did was frown.
"Let's talk about this at home, Susi," he said.
Everyone else stayed silent, except for Laura, who raised her voice. "Come on, you two, just talk it out. No need to get physical. Maybe I can come with you, just in case..."
I finally cast her the first real glance of the day.
"Come with us? Who do you think you are?" I said.
Xander's frown never left his face. "Susi, Laura's just trying to help. You don't have to be so sensitive."
He didn't say a word when I slapped him, but the second I spoke sharply to Laura, he suddenly jumped in to defend her.
Everything started to blur before my eyes.
But I never expected Laura's tears to fall before mine.
"Susi, did you catch that joke I cracked earlier? If it made you feel bad, I'm really sorry," she said.
She bent over, her tears dropping onto the carpet.
I kept my gaze icy as I looked at her.
She said, "Honestly, you don't need to take it so seriously. You probably don't know, but Xander and I always mess around like that; everyone in our group knows it's how we are.
"I've been out of the country for so long, I almost forgot you two were married. That's totally on me."
The classmates who'd been watching the drama started chiming in.
"Yeah, Susanna, don't be mad. She really didn't mean it that way."
"Xander's married to you. Laura knows where to draw the line."
"Susanna used to be so mild-mannered. Who would've thought she'd just go and slap someone like that? Never expected that from her."
"Honestly, I didn't realize Laura was so chill and easy to get along with. Kinda wish I'd gotten to know her better back then."
I laughed, but the more I laughed, the more the tears I'd been holding back started to well up again.
"Laura, you know exactly what game you're playing," I said.
Xander suddenly stepped in front of Laura, his tall frame like a shield, as if he was willing to take every harsh word I threw her way.
"Susanna, when will you stop making a scene?" he asked.
I stared at his swelling face, and in his eyes, that clarity and justice never faded.
It felt like he was a judge sitting high above, presiding over my fate—pitying, yet strict.
In the end, this whole drama closed out under Xander's careful control, just the way he wanted.
This time, Laura didn't ride shotgun with me. Xander made sure she got a cab.
Through the car window, I watched him give her a reassuring nod, then lean in to say something to the driver.
It reminded me of that summer at the school gate, when someone called out for me to look ahead.
And there I saw Laura bouncing into a car. Xander gave her a gentle pat on the head, and quietly said something to the driver.
His expression was soft and full of affection.
Back then, it was an unspoken rule among us that we'd always hang out with friends.
But I never realized that sometimes, they'd meet up alone, just the two of them.
Back then, Laura was still so raw and bold, full of youthful swagger.
She kissed her palm, then pressed it right onto Xander's cheek.
Seeing him so surprised, she laughed, her face flushing bright red.
I was so stunned by the scene in front of me that I just stood there, rooted to the spot.
Turned out, all those subtle hints from everyone around me were nothing compared to seeing it happen right before my eyes.
The sound of the car door closing pulled me out of my thoughts.
When Xander saw I wasn't sitting up front, he sighed in resignation.
"Susi, Laura wasn't trying to make a statement by taking your seat. She thought the air conditioning was better in the front," he said.
He sounded genuinely sincere.
Normally, by this point, my little moods would've been coaxed away, and maybe in the next second, I'd be back in my seat without a fuss.
If he went and bought me a gemstone necklace at an auction, I'd pretty much call it water under the bridge.
But when it came to Laura, I knew I'd never really get over it.
"Xander, ever since we got married, you never let anyone else ride shotgun," I said.
The car just sat there.
Xander suddenly lit up a cigarette.
He knew I couldn't stand the smell of smoke. But he still lit up in the tight space of the car.
Xander said, "I figured you'd be happy to see Laura.
"You guys were like best friends back then, weren't you?"
I let out a cold laugh. "Yeah, so close we practically shared a boyfriend."
The car was dead silent. Forced to inhale his secondhand smoke, I couldn't help but roll down the window.
He tossed away the cigarette, with most of it still burning. His voice was hoarse.
"Back then, whenever I saw her, I'd think of you, so I was a little more patient with her. But honestly, I saw her as one of my buddies."
The car was dim inside. I lowered my head, and a tear slid from the tip of my nose, soaking into my clenched fist.
"You know, after a few drinks, she broke down in tears and told me she wished she were a guy. That way, you wouldn't be so wary of her, and you two wouldn't be growing so distant."
I remembered that time. Laura showed me the video, with that smug look in her eyes.
She told me, from now on, Xander would only see me as useful. No more real feelings, just benefits.