Chapter 3

When I came out after showering, Daisy was sitting on the living room sofa, staring at her phone.

She didn't seem to notice me, completely engrossed in a voice call.

"Babe, why did you have to rush back? His dad died, not yours! Why do you care about him so much? I'm so turned on right now, I can't even sleep. I miss you so damn much."

"Don't you miss me? You kept begging for more today..."

A crisp, youthful male voice came through the phone's speaker.

"Is that Chase? You two seem awfully close," I remarked casually.

Daisy jumped in fright, frantically locking her screen.

"What Chase? I was just watching a TikTok video! You're overthinking things. What does this have to do with him?"

Despite her defensive words, an unnatural flush crept up her cheeks.

I didn't have the energy to argue with her. I turned around and headed into the bedroom. Some things were better understood in silence.

After turning off the lights, I lay in bed.

At some point, Daisy slipped in. She crouched by the bed, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Don't be mad anymore. What happened with your dad's memorial was my fault. I'll go with you again tomorrow."

I peeled her hands off me.

"No need. You were right. Work comes first."

Daisy didn't get angry. Instead, she looked at me with seductive, hooded eyes.

"Speaking of which... we've been married for so many years and never been intimate. Why don't we try tonight...?"

If this had been the past, I would have leaped at the chance, giving Daisy an easy out. But now, I only felt disgust.

Was this guilt from cheating? Or did she think I would tolerate anything, so throwing me a crumb of affection was enough to placate me?

"Don't you have gender identity disorder? Forget it. I don't want to force you."

For now, I didn't want to expose her just yet.

"Okay then... get some rest," Daisy said, sounding visibly relieved as she turned and walked away.

I lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

The moment I closed my eyes, memories of Daisy flooded back like a relentless tide.

I didn't know when our relationship had decayed to this point. Perhaps because we never had a strong emotional foundation to begin with, Chase's appearance was simply inevitable.

They had met at a bar.

Shortly after we got our marriage license, I accompanied Daisy to a company mixer at a nearby bar.

Chase was working as a bartender there. At the time, I was too busy taking drinks for Daisy to notice the blazing desire in her eyes whenever she looked at Chase.

That night, Daisy claimed she had to drive a coworker home and didn't return until morning.

From then on, Chase's name appeared frequently in our lives. Daisy told me he was her college junior, studying the same major, which gave them an endless supply of things to talk about.

Later, Chase added me on SnapChat. He subtly flaunted their romance on his story, every single photo hiding traces of Daisy.

I knew everything all along, yet I clung to a foolish sliver of hope.

I had demeaned myself so much that I demanded practically nothing from her.

But now, I was truly exhausted.

The next morning, when I got up to wash my face, Daisy was already gone.

I didn't pay it any mind. After getting ready, I threw myself into my work.

By the time I finished compiling the financial data for the day, it was already late afternoon. I stretched my back, thinking about cooking some dinner.

Just as I stood up, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door to find Daisy standing outside with Chase behind her. Their fingers were tightly intertwined. Anyone passing by would have assumed they were the married couple.

"Chase is doing his internship here in the city. I was worried he wouldn't adjust well, so I brought him here to stay with us for a while."

"Liam, sorry for the trouble. Don't worry, once my internship ends, I'll move out," Chase said with a smirk, standing tall like he owned the place despite being an uninvited guest.

"Oh, why bother explaining things to him? My house is your house. Come on in!"

Without waiting for my permission, Daisy pulled Chase inside.

She seemed to have completely forgotten that I was the one who paid the down payment and every single mortgage installment on this apartment.

"Liam, Chase is a guest. Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and cook us some dinner!"

I almost laughed out loud from sheer anger.

"What kind of guest? The kind you share a bed with? Or the kind you get naked with?"

Daisy's face drained of color. She stood up, craning her neck to yell defensively,

"What are you talking about? How dare you slander Chase and me! I already told you I have gender identity disorder! How could I possibly do something like that?"

I gave a cold smile, walked to the entryway, picked up yesterday's living room trash bag, and hurled it right in front of Daisy.

"Do you take me for an idiot? Aside from you and Chase, who else would sneak into this house to do something so filthy? How much longer do you plan on lying to me?"

"And another thing—you weren't at work yesterday. You flew out to see Chase! I know everything! Yesterday was the anniversary of my father's death! You knew how broken I was, so why the hell would you treat me like this?!"

By the end of my shout, my eyes were burning with tears.

Daisy's expression shifted through several shades of guilt, but she ultimately said nothing.

Instead, Chase stood up with a casual shrug.

"Liam, I apologize for all of this. I was going through a bad breakup, and Big Sister Daisy was just worried about me, so she came to keep me company. As for what's in that trash bag... we both had too much to drink..."

Before I could speak, Daisy cut in, dragging Chase toward the door.

"Chase, don't apologize to him! He's just making a scene out of nothing! Come on, I'll take you out to eat. We don't have to put up with his crap!"

I let out a heavy sigh.

"Daisy, let's get a divorce."

Hearing that, Daisy froze. She turned around, looking at me with a mocking smirk.

"Fine, let's divorce! I've wanted out of this marriage for a long time anyway! A grown man who sits at home all day with zero ambition—you're completely pathetic."

The next second, the front door slammed shut.

This time, my heart was completely dead to her.