Chapter 2

On the night of our fifth anniversary, I sat alone on the sofa at home.

Before me were the anniversary gift I'd bought for Chloe and the elaborate dinner I'd prepared.

She and Liam hadn't returned from their trip yet.

*She won't forget, she always remembered these dates. She cares about them the most.*

But even by eleven o'clock, Chloe still hadn't come back.

The food had been reheated several times.

*Maybe they couldn't get a flight, or it's the time difference… she'll definitely call.*

I murmured, trying to comfort myself.

Midnight. She hadn't returned, no messages. Our anniversary was over.

I stared blankly at our SnapChat chat box. Amidst the sea of green, only a few emojis were from her.

The last time she sent me a message was half a month ago.

Just then, my phone finally chimed with a notification.

I eagerly picked it up, but my smile froze.

It was Liam.

The message contained photos of him and Chloe at Disneyland.

In the pictures, they were beaming, cheeks pressed tightly together, looking sweeter than a couple deeply in love.

"Uncle, Mommy and I went to Disneyland today! Uncle, you haven't been with her, have you? Uncle isn't mad, right?"

"Uncle, Mommy said she won't be back for another two days, because tomorrow's my birthday, and Mommy wants to stay longer and give me a surprise."

"So Uncle will have to wait a bit longer. Anyway, Uncle won't mind, right? Uncle isn't petty enough to argue with a child, is he?"

I put down my phone and ignored it.

For the first time, large tears rolled down my face.

I ate the already cold food ravenously. The thought of Chloe perhaps eating or playing with Liam at that very moment made my stomach churn with disgust.

0