Chapter 2 · Weight Of Betrayal

I holed up in my room and kept messing around with the My Home app.

I found out that every morning at 8 AM, the central air conditioning would automatically kick on, set to 78°F with a gentle breeze.

The humidifier would also kick in, keeping the humidity at 60%. This was just how Lily liked it.

I remembered once, when we were all out to eat, Calvin casually mentioned that his cousin was kind of frail.

She couldn't stand the AC blowing directly on her, but she'd get overheated easily. The perfect temperature for her was a steady 78.8°F.

Back then, I didn't think much of it.

I pulled up the smart fridge's dashboard.

There was a shopping list displayed.

The order had been placed just half an hour ago, straight from the fridge door's touchscreen.

It showed: [Fresh Mart, delivery expected within an hour.

[Items: Boston lettuce, cherry tomatoes, skinless grilled chicken, organic eggs, and fat-free ranch.]

The delivery address was my house.

Calvin was listed as the recipient.

Even the phone number was his.

Talk about the perfect light meal.

It was clear Lily was on a diet. This was exactly the kind of food she'd go for.

It turned out that they weren't just living in my house; they were using my money to enjoy their healthy, picture-perfect little lives.

And I was just the idiot who provided the house and the cash.

That evening, Calvin texted me: [Baby, was work tough today?]

I replied: [Not too bad.]

He called me right away, sounding worried. He said, "You sound a bit tired. Are you okay?"

"A little," I said, leaning back against the headboard.

"Don't work too hard. I'll look after you from now on," Calvin said.

"Sure," I replied.

He said, "Oh, and about that scale thing you mentioned today, I asked my mom. She said Lily's been prepping for her art school entrance exam, so she's been hitting the gym every day to keep her weight in check.

"Maybe she's using the gym's scale, and it's linked to the same app account as mine, so the data got mixed up. Don't overthink it."

He spun a whole new story, and honestly, it sounded almost believable.

If I hadn't seen the door lock records or the fridge order, I might've actually bought it.

"I see," I said.

"Exactly," Calvin said, sounding relieved. He said, "You really scared me for a second. I thought you were mad at me. Anyway, I gotta go. There's still some stuff I need to handle for work."

I called out, "Wait."

"What's up?" he asked.

I said, "Sunny's been looking a bit skinny lately, and he's not really eating his cat food. Could you ask Lily to check on him when she comes over tomorrow? Girls tend to notice these things better."

There was a long pause before Calvin finally spoke again.

"Tina, what are you getting at?" he asked.

I replied, "Nothing. Didn't you say she's never been to our place? So now you're saying it's the gym's scale?"

I could hear Calvin's heavy breathing through the phone.

He stammered, "I-I was just afraid you'd get the wrong idea. Lily had a fight with her family and had nowhere to go, so I let her crash with me for a few days.

"I didn't tell you because I thought you might not be okay with it."

I pressed, "A few days? You call three months a few days?"

"Tina, please, just listen to me. There's nothing going on between us. She's my cousin. We're totally innocent. I only let her stay because I felt sorry for her," Calvin blurted out, sounding desperate.

I asked, "Calvin, which room did she stay in?"

"The guest room," he mumbled.

"Did she use my dressing table?" I pressed.

"O-Once in a while. Girls just have a lot of stuff," he stammered.

"She ate my snacks, used my skincare products, slept in my bed, and you made me think it was all my fault?" I shot back.

I didn't even get to ask my last question, because I suddenly heard a woman's voice on the other end of the line.

Her voice was soft and thin, with a hint of sobbing.

She choked out, "Calvin, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Don't argue with Tina, okay? I'll leave tomorrow, I promise."

It was Lily.

Calvin immediately reassured her, "It's not your fault, don't cry." Then he turned back to me, his voice suddenly cold.

He demanded, "Tina, what do you want from me? Lily's already had it rough. Do you have to go at her like this? Yeah, I lied, I'm sorry, okay? But can you stop nitpicking every little thing?

"It's just Lily crashing here, using some stuff. The place was sitting empty anyway. Why does it even matter?"

I said, "The house might be empty, but it's my wedding home."

Calvin snapped, "Is that house all you ever care about? We're about to get married. What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine.

"Why are you making such a fuss? Just think of it as me showing my cousin around, getting her familiar with the place ahead of time. What's the harm?"

Listening to him, it sounded like I was the one in the wrong. Like I was being petty, too hung up on things, just not mature enough.

Chapter 2

I holed up in my room and kept messing around with the My Home app.

I found out that every morning at 8 AM, the central air conditioning would automatically kick on, set to 78°F with a gentle breeze.

The humidifier would also kick in, keeping the humidity at 60%. This was just how Lily liked it.

I remembered once, when we were all out to eat, Calvin casually mentioned that his cousin was kind of frail.

She couldn't stand the AC blowing directly on her, but she'd get overheated easily. The perfect temperature for her was a steady 78.8°F.

Back then, I didn't think much of it.

I pulled up the smart fridge's dashboard.

There was a shopping list displayed.

The order had been placed just half an hour ago, straight from the fridge door's touchscreen.

It showed: [Fresh Mart, delivery expected within an hour.

[Items: Boston lettuce, cherry tomatoes, skinless grilled chicken, organic eggs, and fat-free ranch.]

The delivery address was my house.

Calvin was listed as the recipient.

Even the phone number was his.

Talk about the perfect light meal.

It was clear Lily was on a diet. This was exactly the kind of food she'd go for.

It turned out that they weren't just living in my house; they were using my money to enjoy their healthy, picture-perfect little lives.

And I was just the idiot who provided the house and the cash.

That evening, Calvin texted me: [Baby, was work tough today?]

I replied: [Not too bad.]

He called me right away, sounding worried. He said, "You sound a bit tired. Are you okay?"

"A little," I said, leaning back against the headboard.

"Don't work too hard. I'll look after you from now on," Calvin said.

"Sure," I replied.

"Maybe she's using the gym's scale, and it's linked to the same app account as mine, so the data got mixed up. Don't overthink it."

He spun a whole new story, and honestly, it sounded almost believable.

If I hadn't seen the door lock records or the fridge order, I might've actually bought it.

"I see," I said.

"Exactly," Calvin said, sounding relieved. He said, "You really scared me for a second. I thought you were mad at me. Anyway, I gotta go. There's still some stuff I need to handle for work."

I called out, "Wait."

"What's up?" he asked.

I said, "Sunny's been looking a bit skinny lately, and he's not really eating his cat food. Could you ask Lily to check on him when she comes over tomorrow? Girls tend to notice these things better."

There was a long pause before Calvin finally spoke again.

"Tina, what are you getting at?" he asked.

I replied, "Nothing. Didn't you say she's never been to our place? So now you're saying it's the gym's scale?"

I could hear Calvin's heavy breathing through the phone.

He stammered, "I-I was just afraid you'd get the wrong idea. Lily had a fight with her family and had nowhere to go, so I let her crash with me for a few days.

"I didn't tell you because I thought you might not be okay with it."

I pressed, "A few days? You call three months a few days?"

I asked, "Calvin, which room did she stay in?"

"The guest room," he mumbled.

"Did she use my dressing table?" I pressed.

"O-Once in a while. Girls just have a lot of stuff," he stammered.

"She ate my snacks, used my skincare products, slept in my bed, and you made me think it was all my fault?" I shot back.

I didn't even get to ask my last question, because I suddenly heard a woman's voice on the other end of the line.

Her voice was soft and thin, with a hint of sobbing.

She choked out, "Calvin, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Don't argue with Tina, okay? I'll leave tomorrow, I promise."

It was Lily.

Calvin immediately reassured her, "It's not your fault, don't cry." Then he turned back to me, his voice suddenly cold.

He demanded, "Tina, what do you want from me? Lily's already had it rough. Do you have to go at her like this? Yeah, I lied, I'm sorry, okay? But can you stop nitpicking every little thing?

"It's just Lily crashing here, using some stuff. The place was sitting empty anyway. Why does it even matter?"

I said, "The house might be empty, but it's my wedding home."

Calvin snapped, "Is that house all you ever care about? We're about to get married. What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine.

"Why are you making such a fuss? Just think of it as me showing my cousin around, getting her familiar with the place ahead of time. What's the harm?"

Listening to him, it sounded like I was the one in the wrong. Like I was being petty, too hung up on things, just not mature enough.