Chapter 1
Before our honeymoon trip, my husband secretly refunded the plane tickets.
He switched it to a flight for a solo trip with his first love.
Even his frivolous friends felt a bit disgusted and tried to persuade him in the group chat.
[Don’t go too far! Your wife has been looking forward to this for so long.]
My husband, Knox Harrington, didn't care at all and interrupted their advice.
Knox: [Lilo's birthday wish is to take a solo trip with me before I get married.]
Knox: [Iris is always making a fuss over these matters. It’s annoying.]
Knox: [This time, it's a good opportunity for her to calm down.]
The Lilo Prescott mentioned by Knox is his sweetheart who loves to cry.
And I am the "ignorant" Iris Caldwell.
I didn't argue or quarrel, pretending to be completely unaware.
I quietly canceled our honeymoon trip and bought a one-way ticket to fly to another country.
My phone was lagging, the refund page kept refreshing, and wouldn't go through.
On the tablet, a group chat named "Snow White and Her Seven Servants" kept popping up nonstop.
I tapped into the group chat, and Lilo's messages popped up, filling the whole screen.
Lilo: [What do you guys mean?]
Lilo: [You're all siding with Iris. Anyone who didn't know better would think all of you have hooked up with her.]
Lilo: [Well, I'm the one to blame.]
Lilo: [I'm the homewrecker, right? I shouldn't even have a birthday wish, let alone askfor Knox to accompany me on one last trip.]
Lilo: [I should be like you guys to curry favour with Iris.]
Lilo: [So you're the family, and I'm just the outsider. Is that what you want?]
Knox had been ignoring my messages for two days, always claiming he was very busy. But the moment Lilo's messages popped up in the group chat, he appeared immediately.
He tagged the other six people and just sent a question mark.
Seeing this, they immediately started apologizing. [I'm so sorry.]
One of his friends sent a message. [It's just a trip. Lilo, if you ask, it's not just Knox accompanying.]
[All six of us will go along as your bodyguards.]
Lilo: [Damn! Iris is the one your master, not me.]
The group shot back. [Who cares about Iris? They just had a wedding, but they didn't get the marriage certificate.]
[Who knows, Knox will actually end up as whose family? Maybe yours.]
I blinked, quietly watching the group chat buzz with energy, all because I wasn't in.
If Lilo's tablet hadn't left in Knox's car, I wouldn't have had the chance to peek at their joy.
I was still foolishly planning out the trip, hoping for some picture-perfect honeymoon moments.
My phone buzzed. Finally, my refund went through.
I stared at my blank travel plans and was silent for a long time.
Back on the main screen, I dial a phone number.
I said, "Mom, I want to go to Alonder with you."
On the other side of the phone, Margot realized something was wrong immediately.
After all, she'd refused chances to travel abroad because of me.
I continued, "Mom, I know you have a lot of doubts."
But now, I really couldn't handle explaining what happened suddenly.
I added, "I've already decided. After I finish work and get my visa, I'll go there with you.
"I'll explain all to you when the time comes."
Margot was silent for a few seconds, but she didn't press.
After hanging up, I collapsed on the couch, just struggling with my bad emotions.
Knox's friends were right.
It was just a wedding without getting the marriage certificate, so everything would change easily.
Just like now, I didn't have to wait for him to come back so we could talk about the divorce.
I forced myself to calm down, tidying up my things.
In the closet, the perfectly ironed matching outfits seemed to sneer at me, as if mocking me.
I'd designed them myself, dreaming of picture-perfect honeymoon shots with Knox.
After staying up for many nights and revising it repeatedly, I just got all the outfits today.
Half an hour ago, I was still waiting for him to come home and try them on.
Now, I'm tearing down months of my effort off the hangers and stuffing them straight into the trash.
It was already past midnight when I packed nonstop and walked out with my suitcase.
When the elevator doors slid open, a familiar voice came from the hallway.
"Knox, say it now! You're a dog! Come on, bark for me!" Lilo said.
Through my blurry, stinging eyes, I saw Knox, who hadn't been home for three days, carrying Lilo on his back.
Her face was flushed, and she grabbed his ear with one hand and his hair with the other.
She forced him bark like a dog.
Knox tried to grab the wild Lilo, but her heels, dangling from his fingers, slipped off and fell to the ground.
With a bang, all the lights came on.
Knox saw me, relaxed his hold, and Lilo immediately slipped down from him.
"Lilo's drunk," he frowned and explained.
In fact, I didn't know why he explained it to me.
After all, the moment he moved in and lived with me, Lilo bought the apartment upstairs the next day.
She appeared at my door, grinning from ear to ear, and started messing around with Knox.
When she said, "I'll always be one step ahead of you," Knox didn't explain anything.
He only said to me, "Iris, you know how things are between Lilo and me."
After all, they were childhood sweethearts, their families always watching over them. For years, everyone thought they were destined to be the match couple.
But Knox made his move and pursued me for three years.
He thought that all of this could prove he and Lilo were just friends.
There were countless times I tortured myself over it, picking fights with him, unable to just let it go.