Chapter 4

"Maya, you've misunderstood. I'm not mocking you. It just so happens that I have an event to participate in soon, which will take some time. If you were home, I wouldn't have time to take care of you. So, this works out well; you can use this time to properly spend time with Julian."

I said truthfully.

My face was serene, showing no emotional fluctuations.

"What event?"

"Didn't you promise to join me for a charity drive a while back? I figured you wouldn't have time now, so I'm planning to go alone."

I explained.

This charity drive was very meaningful.

The organizers hoped to donate books to underprivileged children in remote areas through this event.

At the time, I thought about signing up for such a meaningful activity.

That day would also roughly coincide with our fifth wedding anniversary.

If our fifth wedding anniversary could be spent on such an event, it would be a truly significant day.

For this, I had even bought the gift in advance.

But Maya seemed to have forgotten our wedding anniversary.

Hearing me bring it up, her expression didn't change much.

"I really don't have time to participate this time. I'll join you another time if I get the chance."

"Alright, I understand. You should go take care of Julian quickly; don't make him wait too long."

Maya still looked at me with a hint of confusion.

But as soon as she heard Julian's name, she no longer hesitated, turning to walk out.

Watching her disappearing back.

I let out a bitter laugh and said nothing more.

I stood there for a moment.

When I came to my senses, I began to pack up my belongings in the house.

In our five years of marriage, besides a single photo of us from an event we attended, there were no other shared photos in the house.

We hadn't even taken wedding photos.

Of course, I wanted to take wedding photos, but when I brought it up to Maya,

She bluntly refused.

"I don't want to waste time on meaningless things."

But what was meaningful to Maya?

Ever since Julian returned to the country.

Maya had been busy, helping him arrange a place to live.

She found hospitals and specialists to help Julian with his treatment.

Maya paid meticulous attention to every update Julian posted on his Ins story.

I remember Julian once posted a picturesque European landmark.

Maya dropped her busy work, and the very next day, she took Julian to that landmark.

Julian posted a picture of a delicious meal.

Maya immediately started learning to cook, just to satisfy Julian.

As for me.

Maya never did any housework.

Let alone cook a meal for me.

For me, it was simply unimaginable.

I simply packed up my belongings in the house.

I threw everything that belonged to "us" into the trash can.

Among them was a scarf I had knitted for her by hand.

She had never worn it once.

When I gave her the scarf and told her I had knitted it myself, she immediately pursed her lips.

"As a top designer, wearing such an unstylish scarf from you would be absolutely laughable."

From then on, the scarf was relegated to a corner, collecting dust.

This scarf was just like our relationship.

From the very beginning, I wasn't even Julian's "substitute."

In the end, after five years of marriage,

I was merely "the dusty scarf."