Chapter 2
Derek must not have noticed anything, because he just gently patted my head as usual.
He didn't notice that I turned my cheek away, my body rigid with resistance.
Derek cleared his throat and, without really looking at me, said casually, "An old classmate came back. Everyone's getting together for dinner. Come with me tomorrow."
The atmosphere of the dinner was really subtle.
Speaking of which, Derek went out to eat with his old classmates before and never took me.
He knew I had social anxiety, didn't like socializing or being around too many people.
But this time, it seemed to be to prove something.
He insisted I come along, almost obsessively, and when we walked in, he locked his fingers with mine, holding my hand like we were glued together.
He was acting like he wanted to prove that we were the perfect couple, performing for everyone there.
I felt tense and uneasy. I had never been like this in front of so many people before.
In the past, Derek had always been so thoughtful, but now he completely overlooked how uncomfortable I was feeling.
I didn't want to spoil things for him in front of everyone.
So I just looked listless, huddled close to him, feeling like a prop for him to display.
My heart felt a little sour and wronged.
As soon as we sat down, a swarm of strangers closed in around us.
Their scents were all over the place, with all kinds of perfumes and alcohol mixed.
It honestly made me disgusted.
I scanned the group, but I didn't see that graceful face from the photo.
One of Derek's closest buddies, Jake Wilson, threw his arm around Derek.
He deliberately lowered his voice next to Derek's ear, but spoke just loud enough for me to hear.
Jake said, "Iris came back. So, when are you going to divorce Chloe?
"After all these years and all the women you've dated, Chloe is the only one who actually looks like Iris, especially that cold, aloof vibe in her eyes, which are the same.
"Come on, Derek, don't pretend you don't still love Iris. You have waited for her for so many years. Don't deny it, I won't believe you.
"All those other girls are just extras compared to Iris, right?"
I pretty much knew what happened between Derek and Iris.
But I never knew that I looked so much like Iris. I clenched my fingers so hard that my nails dug into my palms.
That suffocating feeling of betrayal and being lied to wrapped itself tight around my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Before marrying him, I'd only ever heard people mention that he had an ex he'd loved for many years, but their breakup was a total mess.
Back then, I thought the past wouldn't affect us, so I never brought it up or made a fuss about it.
But looking back now, I realized I'd been way too naive at that time.
Hearing those words, I scooted over in my seat in embarrassment.
Whether physically or emotionally, I felt incredibly uncomfortable.
I pretended not to hear, then I took out my phone and nervously fiddled with it, acting like I was busy with something important.
I kept refreshing my social media, re-reading the same posts I'd already seen many times.
Derek smiled softly, trying to sound tough.
He said, "For Iris? Divorce my wife, Chloe? No way.
"Come on, what is Iris even worth? If I hadn't been young and stupid back then, how could I have fallen in love with such a frivolous woman like her?
"After she separated from me, who knows how many guys she's messed around with? She could never compare to my sweet, innocent Chloe."
In my eyes, Derek was always a gentleman.
He would never say anything so cruel before.
This was also the first time I'd ever heard him talk about a woman like that.
His tone was filled with nothing but disgust and contempt.
But when he said "Iris," his voice unconsciously softened, and you could almost hear the longing in the way he spoke her name.
A chilly, aloof, and understated scent of perfume seemed to be not far away.
The woman in white at the doorway stopped in her tracks.
Derek didn't notice Iris standing at the door and continued to say in a disdainful tone.
He sneered, "It was just for fun. Bagging the hottest girl in school is every guy's dumb dream.
"She and her aunt are not ever the faithful kind. If they were, my uncle wouldn't have died so heartbroken.
"Marry her? Please, trash like her isn't worthy of me."
As Derek said these words, his hand holding the cigarette was shaking hard.
I knew he was lying.
I remembered that not long after we got married, I was in a car accident. A distracted dump truck driver crashed into me from behind.
The impact was so brutal that it almost crushed my car in half.
But by some miracle, I only broke a leg and got a minor scrape on my forehead.
Derek left all his work behind and never left my side, so scared that his face went pale.
He was up all night, day after day, just waiting for me to wake up.