Chapter 2

We shared joys and sorrows for three years, and yet now, Yannis had been quietly rotting away.

When I stumbled home, Yannis casually picked up the sportswear he'd taken off earlier and slipped it back on.

I leaned against the doorframe, pretending to be puzzled.

"I didn't wash that one last night. Doesn't it smell?" I asked.

Yannis quickly took it off, dug out another one from the closet, and shot me an awkward smile.

"Work's been crazy lately. I'm a bit out of it," he said.

I watched Yannis close the door, a bone-deep chill settling in.

He was still lying to me.

This time, I didn't wait for Yannis to come back. I ate breakfast by myself and headed out.

Right on the dot, I pushed open the door to the café. Sure enough, Ethan Hall, Yannis's colleague, was sitting in the corner, sipping his coffee.

I pretended it was a coincidence and greeted him. Ethan warmly invited me to join him for coffee.

"Did your department get someone new recently? I saw a fresh face in your group photo," I said, acting casual.

"Yeah." Ethan pulled up the picture on his phone and pointed to an elegant girl next to Yannis. "It's her.

"She just transferred in at the start of the month. Now she's working under Yannis.

"Unlike you, she's got both the looks and the skills."

He caught himself almost instantly. Noticing I looked uncomfortable, he laughed awkwardly, "Cara, we always joke like that. Don't take it seriously."

I finished my coffee in embarrassment and braved the chilly wind as I stepped outside.

Walking down the quiet, deserted street, I replayed everything that had happened over the past two weeks.

Ethan's words hit me hard.

"Unlike you, she's got both the looks and the skills... We always joke like that."

At that moment, I realized I'd become nothing more than gossip fodder.

I sat in the park by my apartment for ages before heading home.

When I got home, Yannis was smiling, speaking in a gentle, almost intimate tone to someone on the phone.

He spun around, and the moment he saw me, he hurriedly ended the call.

"Why were you out so long today?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

He pretended nothing was wrong, stuffing his phone into a pocket he never uses.

I forced a smile. "Work stuff. Who were you chatting with just now? You seemed pretty cheerful."

Yannis awkwardly covered his pocket. "A business partner agreed to sign with us. We're planning to go out for a dinner celebration soon.

"You must be hungry, right? Let me serve you some soup."

Wearing an apron, he turned to ladle soup for me.

He was as attentive as ever. But I knew that kindness wasn't reserved only for me anymore.

*****

On Wednesday afternoon, Yannis texted me that he was going out for a team dinner and wouldn't be home tonight.

I clocked out from work and walked over to Yannis's law firm.

The front window had posters of marriage consultants and their phone numbers.

I spotted the new girl from Yannis's team and saved her number for later.

Then I texted Yannis: [Send me your location. If you get drunk, I'll come pick you up.]

I watched that "typing..." bubble for ages before he finally sent a location.

Without any hesitation, I drove straight to the restaurant and reserved the private room right next to Yannis's.

The private rooms in this restaurant were separated by frosted glass.

People on both sides could only see vague shapes through them.

But they could easily catch bits of conversation from the other room.

"You guys have no clue how tough it is to get Yannis out. Cara is way too controlling; she might as well keep him on a leash," one of Yannis's teammates joked.

Another chimed in, "Yeah, seriously, this is a miracle. Yannis never joins us for dinner. I bet he's got something else on his mind tonight."

I numbly gulped down my coffee, holding back all my pain.

A gentle voice sounded. "Hey, don't give Yannis such a hard time. Family's important."

Ethan whistled teasingly. "Wow, Grace, already jumping to his defense? And you say there's nothing going on? I don't buy it."

"Cara is way too petty, not half as generous as Grace. If Grace were Yannis's wife, they'd be a perfect match," someone else snickered.

Yannis, unsurprisingly, didn't bother to defend me. He let out a low laugh and said, "Can't you guys shut up and eat?"

With his tacit approval, the jeering and teasing grew even louder.

I gripped my cup so hard my palms turned bright red.

Three years ago, I swallowed my pride, squeezed into a shabby apartment with him, and never complained.

I defied my dad and eloped with him.

Now, I felt like nothing but a joke.

I kept sipping my coffee. Its bitterness lingered in my throat, leaving me unable to speak.