Chapter 2

The next morning, when Edward saw a cold and unused kitchen and realized I didn't make breakfast at all. He pulled a bitter smile and said, "Susan, even if we're just putting on a show, shouldn't we at least look like a married couple?

"Someone's got to cook for us, right? Otherwise, the place just feels lifeless. It's not what a home should look like, right?"

Yeah, in my previous life, that's exactly what I thought. I was such a fool.

Back then, I helped hide Edward and Charlotte's secret affair from the world.

I forced myself to smile through the pain, acting like the dutiful wife, shopping for groceries, cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning every single day.

I kept everything in order just for our little family. But in reality, every day after work, Edward and I were just two strangers living under the same roof.

We barely exchanged a word over dinner, and we'd each retreat to our separate rooms.

For three whole years, Edward stayed true to his promise to Charlotte. Not even once did he lay a finger on me.

Three years later, Edward's dad, Baylor Miller, was hospitalized with liver cancer, and the health of his mom, Caroline Miller, was failing too.

Because of what people would say, I, as their daughter-in-law, had no choice but to quit my job and move back in to look after them.

But I never thought it would end up being twelve years of nonstop caregiving.

Baylor fought the illness for three years before passing away, and right after that, Caroline was diagnosed with a tumor.

During those years, I was always at the hospital with them, handling everything, like feeding and cleaning. I ended up losing over thirty pounds, so skinny that I felt like I'd blow away in the wind.

But after Caroline and Baylor passed away, and I returned, I realized the little home that once belonged to Edward and me had already been taken over by Charlotte.

That evening, I stood at the doorway and watched as Edward, dressed in his crisp military uniform, opened the passenger door of his jeep.

With a gentle look in his eyes, he reached out his hand. Charlotte Evans, wearing a stylish khaki trench coat, took his hand and stepped out of the car with effortless grace.

When Edward saw me standing there, he froze for a moment, clearly flustered.

He asked, "Susan? Why are you back?"

I gave a bitter smile. "This is my home. Why can't I come back?"

Everyone turned to stare. Charlotte, both embarrassed and furious, jerked her hand free from Edward, covered her face, and fled, crying as she ran.

Edward glared at me, his face twisted with rage as he lost control and shouted, "Susan, don't think that just because you looked after my parents all these years and saw them through to the end, I'll ever be grateful, and love you.

"I told you on our wedding day. I love Charlotte. You and I are nothing but a couple in name."

That night, neither Edward nor Charlotte came home.

If he'd just waited another minute, he would've seen I wasn't here to keep pretending to be his wife.

I was only here to grab my stuff and to let him know, now that his parents were gone, there was no one left to stand between him and Charlotte.

I wanted us to part ways peacefully and take this chance to get the divorce finalized, so that he and Charlotte, those star-crossed lovers, could finally be together out in the open.

I also wanted to tell him that after all these years, I'd had my resentments, but deep down, I never really hated him.

Even if he left me stuck in a marriage where I'd basically lived like a widow for thirty years, being his wife did mean I got three decades' worth of military family perks, so I guessed there was that.

Even before Caroline passed, she held my hand and told me that the Miller family truly owed me for everything I'd done.

She said that if I ever felt I couldn't go on with Edward, I should feel free to divorce him.

She made sure to leave me two thousand dollars and a house, so even if I divorced, I'd always have a place to call my own.

I'd already made up my mind to part ways with him on good terms.

But Edward acted like he was possessed, dead set on believing that I'd only taken care of his parents to morally blackmail him, so he'd never be able to divorce me.

In my previous life, we were trapped in a cycle of mutual misunderstanding.

To protect Charlotte's reputation, Edward applied for a transfer and headed off to the remote borderlands with her.

I stayed behind, putting up with all the gossip. In the end, I got stomach cancer, and even as I lay dying, Edward forced me to sign those divorce papers.