Chapter 3

When I finally came to, I saw Derek with tears streaked across his face, clutching my hands tightly.

I forced a smile and teased, "Look at you, were you really that scared? Can't live without me anymore? Would you totally fall apart if I were gone?"

When Derek heard me, his furrowed brows relaxed slowly, like winter ice melting away.

He shook his head. Seeing that I could still crack a joke, the worry in his eyes faded a little.

He replied, "Come on. Don't underestimate me. I wasn't that worried about you."

When he said that, Derek's hand was trembling, just like it was now.

At this moment, Derek was sitting beside me. After saying, he casually straightened my scarf, acting like nothing was wrong.

Then he turned away and continued, "Don't talk like that in front of Chloe. I don't want her ears getting tainted with these."

But before he could finish, the sound of a glass shattering came from the door.

Everyone turned to look at it.

All I saw was a woman in a white Chanel suit, running away like she couldn't get away fast enough.

Without hesitation, Derek dropped my hand and ran straight after her.

The scarf he'd only half fixed was dangling awkwardly around my neck, making me look just as out of place as I felt, just like a clown.

As Derek stood up and chased out, he accidentally knocked over a bottle of whiskey.

The yellow liquor spilled onto my white pants, leaving an ugly mess.

My face was burning with embarrassment.

Staring in the direction Derek left, I just felt hollow inside, like my heart was numb.

"I really thought Derek could be ruthless enough to forget about Iris, but turns out he's just pretending not to care. We have seen him put on this tough guy act so many times back then."

"A stand-in is still just a stand-in. Now that Iris came back, what place does an imposter like her even have?"

"Does she really think just because she looks like Iris, she can keep her spot as Derek's wife? She's just delusional."

I listened to all their snide remarks, my eyes brimming with tears of humiliation.

Honestly, it felt like I was the main act in a twisted public shaming ritual.

If I had known about all the drama, the grudges, and the dirty secrets, I would never have married Derek back then.

My throat was choked up, and I couldn't say anything.

My first reaction was to frantically piece together excuses in my mind to explain myself.

People who cling so tightly to their reputation can never truly block out the rumors and snide remarks swirling around them.

I wish I could tell them I didn't know I looked so much like Iris, Derek's old flame.

I never tried to use her reputation or my resemblance to her to get close to Derek.

Thinking about it, I realized it was all ridiculous. It was not my fault.

But honestly, I just felt so miserable inside. I was afraid someone would catch me crying and laugh at me even more.

So I lowered my head, pretending to wipe the whiskey stain on my pants, choking back my tears, but in the end, I just let them fall anyway.

For an introvert like me, this kind of emotional warzone was absolute torture.

I was so embarrassed that I didn't know what to do.

I was so awkward, I didn't know how to get out of that hall with all those eyes locked on me.

So I just stood there like a fool, blankly grabbing onto Derek's coat, waiting for him to return.

I wished in Derek's heart that he still remembered me, his wife of three years.

I just hoped he'd remember that I was an introvert with social anxiety, someone who always felt awkward in crowds.

As long as he came back to pick me up and helped me keep my dignity right now, no matter what he explained, I could let it slide.

But when the party was finally over, and the whiskey stain on my pants had long since dried, he still hadn't sent me a single message, and he never came back for me.

After everyone left, I finally slowly stood up.

I took off my scarf and covered the yellow stain on my pants, the one that looked like pee, then slowly walked out of the hall.

For someone like me, an introvert, socializing was always a real struggle.

Since I was a child, I had just one wish. To fade into the background, blending in so no one would ever notice me.

I was afraid of all public events, freaked out by any group larger than five, hated it when strangers tried to talk to me, and I never dared to speak in front of a crowd.

Debates or speeches were way out of my league. I couldn't even picture myself doing something like that.

Making small talk with strangers was a challenge for me.

Every time I got hit with a question I couldn't answer, my throat would just freeze up.

I never imagined myself finding love or having someone who actually understood me.

I always thought someone as introverted and sensitive as me was just meant to end up alone.

But ever since I met Derek, those awkward moments didn't feel so unbearable anymore. He would always hold my hand and stand in front of me.