Chapter 2

I was helping my mom unpack when there was a knock at the door.

Edward was standing in the hallway, holding the milk coffee I always liked to drink in one hand, and the final inspection report for the wedding apartment in the other.

"I'm here to bring you back, and I need your signature. The final payment for the renovation is due tomorrow. Don't let our fight mess up the important stuff," Edward said, all business.

The milk coffee was cold, the sticker still reading 'full sugar.' Six years of unsweetened, and he never got it right. I always just laughed it off.

But today, I didn't take it.

Edward glanced past me into the room, and when he saw my parents, his impatience faded a little.

"Mr. and Mrs. Turner, I didn't handle things well yesterday. Claire's luggage is still in the master bedroom, and it's not really convenient to clear it out right now. As soon as the bed for the guest room arrives, I'll come get you," he said.

My dad pulled the door almost shut, leaving just a narrow gap.

"No need. We're fine here at the hotel," he said.

Edward handed me the inspection report, his finger pressing right on the signature line.

The renovation for the wedding apartment cost 130,000 dollars, 90,000 dollars from my savings, and 40,000 dollars from my parents as a wedding gift. The contract was in my name.

Back then, Edward had his arm around me and said, "The deed might only have my name on it for now, but every brick in this place is half yours."

"I need to check the place out myself," I said.

"You don't know the first thing about renovations. Just put your signature on it," Edward said, glancing at his watch. "Claire's got an online interview this afternoon, and I need to help her set up. I'm not going to waste my time on this."

"Fine, then I'm not signing," I said.

Edward's brows furrowed as he tried to grab my key card.

"Sophie, come on, don't start. I didn't even complain when you canceled the wedding banquet. Claire's in the master bedroom because I said so. Giving her a hard time won't fix anything," he said.

I pulled my hand back, the edge of the key card brushing against his palm.

Back then, whenever he called me "Sophie," my heart would always soften. He spent half a year calling me that, trying to win me over when we first got together. Now, hearing it just felt like he was trying to open a door that no longer existed with an old key.

I changed my tone. "Edward, my stuff's still at the wedding apartment. I'll go get it myself this afternoon."

He stared at me for a bit, then suddenly let out a mocking laugh.

"The wedding's right around the corner. Where else are you gonna haul your stuff? Whatever, go take a look if you want. Just sign the papers after, and we'll sort out the wedding banquet tonight," Edward said.

He tossed the milk coffee into the trash by the door and stepped into the elevator.

That afternoon, I headed back to the wedding apartment with my parents.

The lock still wouldn't recognize my fingerprint. Edward opened the door from inside, letting me in but holding out his arm to block my parents.

"The place just got cleaned, and too many people will just track dirt everywhere. Mr. and Mrs. Turner, you can wait downstairs," he said.

My mom's medicine box slipped from her hand and hit the floor, a few blister packs spilling out of the bag. I bent down to pick them up, but Edward had already stepped back into the entryway, Claire's white high heels sitting right by his feet.

I stood up, took my parents by the arm, and walked them right through the door.

"My parents paid for the renovation. If anyone deserves to be here, it's them," I said, my voice firm.

The living room curtains had been swapped out. The original off-white sheer ones were something my mom and I spent ages hunting down, visiting three different stores before we found the perfect pair.

Now, there were dark gray blackout curtains hanging instead. The main lights were off, and the only light in the room came from the warm glow around Claire's computer.

She walked out of the master bedroom, hugging my bunny pillow to her chest.

"Sophie, don't blame Edward. I'm a light sleeper, and the white curtains let in too much light. He was worried I wouldn't get any rest, so he had someone come over in the middle of the night to switch them out," Claire said.

Edward grabbed the pillow from her arms and tossed it into the corner of the sofa like it was nothing.

"They're just curtains, nothing important. Change them whenever you want. But sign the inspection report first. The guy's waiting for his payment," he said.

I ignored the pen and headed straight for the master bedroom, pushing the door open.

My clothes had been stuffed into cardboard boxes and dumped under the bay window. The marks where Edward and I had planned to hang our wedding photos were still on the wall, but now there was a painting of Claire hanging there instead.

Her luggage filled the entire closet, and even the three drawers I'd set aside for myself were stuffed full of her scarves.

Under the vanity, the round mirror that had been taken down was propped up against the wall, the glass cracked right down the middle.

"It slipped when we were taking it down," Edward said, standing in the doorway, his tone flat. "It's broken now, just toss it. I'll buy you another one later."

I crouched down, my palm cradling the frame.

The day he finished making that little round mirror, he'd carved "Edward and Sophie's home" on the back with a knife. Now, the part about "Sophie" and "home" had been scratched away, leaving behind nothing but rough splinters and messy wood shavings.

Claire stood beside him, whispering, "I didn't know the mirror meant so much to you. Edward just said it was a gift from the developer."

I looked up at Edward.

He avoided my gaze and gently tousled Claire's hair.

"She just got back, and she's already on edge. Don't scare her with old stuff," he said.

I straightened the mirror, but didn't say anything more.

Back when we moved, the corner of this mirror got chipped. Edward hit up every hardware store nearby until he found the right glue, then glued it back together bit by bit. He told me, "If something's broken, you fix it. Don't let a little trouble stop you."

Turns out, not everything was worth fixing for him.

I opened the box and took out the two crystal mugs we made together. His was blue, mine was white. We'd crafted them ourselves for our one-year anniversary.

Claire's eyes sparkled when she spotted them.

Claire said, "These mugs are adorable! I actually drank from the blue one yesterday."

Edward said offhandedly, "If you like it, just keep using it."

My hand paused on the box, but in the end, I only took the white one.

As I walked through the living room, the renovation inspection report was still spread out on the coffee table. I pulled out the smart home list tucked underneath and saw that the master bedroom's sleep system was linked to two accounts.

One was Edward's.

The other was Claire's.

The accounts had been linked six months ago, back when Claire hadn't even come back to the country yet.

I closed the list and turned to leave with my parents. As we were about to step out the door, Edward's voice came from behind.

"If you don't sign the inspection report, the late fees are on you. And don't be late tomorrow. Our families are meeting to discuss the wedding," he said.

I put the white crystal mug into my mom's handbag. I didn't bother taking his blue mug.