Chapter 2

After spending a few days at my parents' place, I finally returned to the home I shared with Emily.

I opened the door and saw we had a guest.

Emily's first love, Daniel Turner, was sitting across from Jessica at the chessboard, both totally into their game.

Emily was standing nearby, coffee in hand, watching them with a gentle, happy smile.

From where I stood, the whole scene felt so warm and perfect—like they were the real family, and I was just someone who didn't quite belong there.

Instantly, my arrival ruined the cozy vibe.

Their smiles disappeared in an instant. The whole room felt frozen.

Sarcasm heavy in her voice, Emily was the first to speak, "I thought you weren't coming back."

Jessica just stared at me, her expression cold and distant.

Daniel looked a little uneasy in his seat and explained, "Hey Andrew, I just dropped by to play some chess with Jessica, that's all."

I took a deep breath, trying to hold myself together, and managed a smile. "It's okay. Just drop by whenever you feel like."

Then I glanced at Emily and kept my voice calm. "So, any decision on the divorce yet?"

Her face instantly turned sour, and she locked her gaze on me.

She was silent for ages before finally giving me a meaningful look and asking, "Are you really sure you want this?"

I shot back, "Or do you want Mr. Turner to keep hanging around in this awkward limbo between us forever?"

Daniel's face went pale, and Emily's smile vanished completely.

I looked her straight in the eye, calm and steady. Deep down, I knew she wasn't going to turn me down this time.

No one knew better than me just how much Daniel mattered to her.

They were childhood sweethearts. After they dated for two years, Daniel's family ran into some serious trouble, and he had to leave the country. Just like that, he vanished from her world for years.

Emily spent ages trying to find him, but in the end, she had no choice but to give up.

That was when I entered her life. Things just fell into place for us—love, marriage, everything went almost too smoothly.

But then one day, I ended up stumbling across a photo of Daniel secretly tucked away among her stuff.

I confronted her, furious, but she just mocked me, not even trying to spare my feelings.

She said, "Do you really think I would've ever gone for you if you didn't remind me of him?

"Andrew, if Daniel were still around, you wouldn't even get close to me."

I finally realized I had been nothing but a stand-in for her first love all those years. Just thinking about it made me feel so damn pathetic.

Later, Daniel came back into Emily's life, turning everything upside down.

From that moment on, Emily grew colder than ever toward me—she met up with Daniel more and more.

There were moments I convinced myself to just swallow my pride for Jessica's sake, telling myself to pretend not to notice what was really happening, so that I could at least give her some sense of family.

But as time went on, I realized just how naive I was.

Jessica didn't care about me at all. She warmed up to Daniel in no time, treating him with way more respect than she ever showed me.

Daniel came from money, just back from abroad, and Emily was crazy about him. He was always gentle with Jessica, never trying to control her.

Emily could give Jessica everything she wanted, making her feel special. So wherever Emily leaned, Jessica followed right along.

I just came back to pack up my belongings. After all, divorce wasn't something one could just rush into, and I knew Emily—she wouldn't easily agree, never letting even a hint of scandal touch her name.

But since Daniel was there, it felt like everything might get a whole lot simpler.

Emily was silent for a long time.

I pressed her, my tone sharper, not holding back. "Tell me, isn't Mr. Turner good enough to be your husband? Or are you going to say you love me more than him?"

Daniel's head hung even lower—he looked absolutely crushed.

Jessica saw that and was quick to comfort him. "Mr. Turner, don't be sad."

Then she shot me a glare that could cut glass.

She turned to Emily. "Mom, just divorce him already. He loves the drama, so let him have what he wants. Trust me, he'll end up regretting it big time."

That was what I got from the daughter I'd poured my heart and soul into raising.

Emily stayed quiet for a moment and then nodded. "Alright. Divorce it is."

Then, she snarled, "Andrew, when you regret this, don't come crawling back, begging for another shot."

I simply shook my head, firm and unmoved. "That day will never come."

Emily scribbled her signature on the divorce papers, crumpled them into a ball, and threw it right into my chest.

Daniel shot up from his seat, looking awkward and helpless. "Emily, don't act on impulse. This is all my fault. I didn't mean for Andrew to get the wrong idea. Please, don't let me be the reason you two fall apart."

He gave me an apologetic look and said, "I'm really sorry, Andrew—"

"Don't bother apologizing. Being Emily's husband was always supposed to be your role," I cut him off.

I wasn't letting his phony act mess up my shot at a clean divorce.

Emily cut in, "Exactly. He never should've had that spot in the first place."