Chapter 2

After that, he started making excuses, saying, "We're in our twenties. Going to an amusement park is childish. People would laugh at us.

"Plus, I'm terrified of heights, I can't handle any of the rides anyway. It's a total waste of time."

The vlog was still playing. "Mr. Davis cooked up a whole feast for me," Laura said.

The table was overflowing with dishes under the cozy glow of the lights.

There were BBQ ribs, seafood stew, fried shrimp, and creamy potato bake.

"He told me he'd never cooked before, but from now on, he's going to cook for me every day," Laura added.

In the video, Sean was pouring soup into Laura's bowl.

He shot the camera a half helpless, half loving smile. "I swear, Laura never has to cook or wash dishes at home. That's my job.

"The food's getting cold. Come on, eat up. I'll make you something else next time."

Seeing that, I clenched my fists.

Sean never even stepped into the kitchen.

He always complained that prepping ingredients was a waste of time, and he didn't want to get his hands dirty cooking or washing dishes.

I was always the one cooking, making sure there was a full meal on the table when he got home from work.

So he did know how to cook after all. And not cook, he was amazing at it.

But not once did he ever think to cook for me.

Finally, the last scene was a photo with a bright red background, and their marriage certificates.

"We're married," Laura announced.

In the photo, Sean looked absolutely radiant, beaming with pride, while Laura's whole face was lit up with a joyful smile.

The video ended there.

Anyone watching would think they were a perfect couple.

If that man wasn't Sean, maybe I would have smiled and wished them all the best, too.

But he betrayed me, and everyone I thought was my friend stabbed me in the back.

I was left completely alone, with nobody on my side.

That was when it hit me. Every time I brought up getting engaged or married, he always dodged the question.

Even when I told him I could handle the house, the car, and even all the wedding expenses myself, he still wouldn't commit.

I wanted a clear answer from him. But every single time, he always found a way to delay things.

He'd say, "The company's still getting started If we get engaged now, it'll distract me too much.

"Just wait a little longer, Nora. I'm not up for marriage right now."

I waited for thirteen years. I waited for him to become successful, to finally have everything he ever wanted.

And in the end, I watched him marry her, that blinding red marriage certificate so bright it felt like a slap in the face.

The door to the private room closed behind me.

It felt like I was completely shut out, as if there were two worlds now.

I watched as Laura gave Sean a playful tap, then held a piece of cake up to his lips.

I wanted to say, Sean didn't even like cake. He'd always avoided sweets like the plague.

Back when it was my birthday, I bought myself a fancy new cake, all excited, and cut a slice to feed him.

But before the frosting could even touch his lips, he turned his head away.

Sean shot me a glare, his tone harsh as he scolded me, "How many times have I told you? I don't eat sweets.

"Seriously, you should lay off the sugar too. It'll just make you gain weight and it's not healthy. Why do you never listen?"

With that, he stood up, grabbed his coat, and stormed out in a huff.

In that huge restaurant, the fancy cake sat there, half-cut, right next to the scraps.

Still holding my fork, cream smeared on it, I just stood there, stunned.

But now, in the warm glow of the private room, everything was different.

He just smiled, lowered his head, and naturally took the cake from Laura, frosting and all.

He reached out and brushed the frosting off Laura's fingers for her.

And then, I watched as Sean dropped to one knee, pulling out a ring box wrapped in velvet.

My eyes were glued to that box, my mind going completely blank.

Suddenly, I remembered how Sean took me to look at wedding rings not too long ago.

I was absolutely thrilled.

After thirteen years, I really believed all the pain was finally over, and our happy ending was right in front of us.

I followed him, full of hope, watching as he walked straight up to the salesperson like he'd done this a hundred times.

When he saw me, there was the faintest hint of surprise in his eyes.

But he didn't say anything, just asked the salesperson to bring out the custom ring.

I was both shocked and delighted, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst right out of my chest.

I took the ring and looked it over carefully.

Gently, I slipped it onto my ring finger. But it got stuck.

The ring was a size too small, and I had to force it on.

Sean frowned, holding my hand, and said, "Take it off."

I wanted to say it was fine, that it'd loosen up after a couple of days.

But he grabbed my hand and forcefully pulled the ring off from my knuckle, not caring how much it hurt.

My knuckle got scraped, a little blood welling up, and I couldn't help but let out a sharp hiss of pain.

Sean didn't even look at me. Instead, he carefully put the ring back in the box and tucked it away in his inner pocket.

I thought he was saving it for a big, romantic proposal later.

It turned out that the ring was never meant for me.

The black velvet box opened up, and sure enough. It was the same ring I'd tried on before.

Sean slipped the ring onto Laura's finger.

Their friends burst into applause, some even whistling and cheering.

I wanted to storm in, scream at the top of my lungs, smash the plates, and rip the faces off those two homewreckers.

But would it even change anything?

I clutched the pregnancy test results in my bag, my mind a mess. I had no idea what to do next.

Just then, the door to the private room swung open.

The noise and laughter from inside flooded out, shattering my thoughts.

Sean walked out with a smile, but when he saw I was still there, he instinctively frowned. "Can you not make a scene tonight? Tomorrow, I'll explain everything."

I turned away from him. What was there to explain?

I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved him aside and stormed toward the stairs.

Gripping the railing, I stood there in a daze, staring at the decorative mirror.

The woman reflected at me was ghostly pale, her eyes red and swollen from crying, hair all over the place.

Laura strolled over, her high heels clicking loudly against the floor. "Nora, you lost, so own it.

"Yeah, I started things with Sean first, and I really owe you an apology. But after all these years, did you seriously never notice anything?"

I dug my nails into my palm, the pain barely keeping me from losing it.

"Why didn't you just tell me sooner?" I whispered, my voice hoarse with emotion.

Laura sneered. "Didn't you think it was exciting?"

Laura strolled over and stood next to me, both of us staring at ourselves in the mirror.

One of us looked like a wreck, the other flawless.

She shrugged. "Sean said you're so steady and sensible, you keep the house running so well he doesn't have to lift a finger.

"Unlike me, always needy and delicate, always wanting him to pamper me, always needing him to take care of me."

Laura's tone was full of condescending advice. "Women can't be too sensible. You want to do everything for him, but men only want someone who needs them.

"You're too independent, too capable. That's why your love is worthless."

She lifted her hand, casually tucking her hair behind her ear, her fingers brushing over the wedding ring on her finger.

Laura glanced at my bloodshot, empty eyes in the mirror, her smile growing even prouder. "See? In the end, I'm the winner here."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Laura, you knew you were the side chick and still forced your way into my relationship for eight whole years.

"Doesn't that make you feel even a shred of guilt?"

She shot me a mocking smirk, then shoved me aside with a force that was almost vicious.

I barely managed to stay on my feet before Sean rushed over and gave me an even rougher push.

I crashed down the stairs, tumbling and crawling in a mess.

I clutched my stomach, barely able to get the word out. "Help."

"Who's the one who knew she was the side chick and still did it?" Laura stood at the top of the stairs, leaning into Sean's arms. "Nora, how could you say something like that about me?"

I gripped the stair railing so hard my knuckles turned white, curling up in pain. "The baby…"

Sean let out a cold snort, his eyes full of disgust I'd never seen before. "Nora, I never thought you could be this vicious.

"You know Laura's not in good health. Couldn't you talk to her nicely?"

He fussed over Laura, not even sparing me a single glance.

Back then, he'd rush to my side, terrified I might get hurt. But now?

I was sprawled on the floor, pain wracking my body, sweat soaking my clothes, unable to get a single word out.

Warm blood was pouring down my inner thigh, staining the pale carpet red.

The group of friends watching finally started to panic.

"Oh no, something's wrong."

"Oh my god, Nora's bleeding. There's blood everywhere."

My world was completely pitch black.