Chapter 2

She froze, then asked cautiously,

“Ethan, are you upset?”

When I didn’t answer, she went on.

“You know Daniel and I have been close since we were kids.”

“He came all the way here on his own to find me. Of course I have to look after him.”

“Don’t be childish. Be a little more generous.”

I choked on my words. Was I not allowed to be angry?

I had worked myself to the bone to give her the best, only for her to turn around and give it to someone else.

When had she ever thought about me?

My clothes had been patched, torn, and patched again. I had spent half my life making do.

Why had it never occurred to her to make something for me?

I scooped the cooked food onto a plate and said calmly,

“Wash your hands. Dinner’s ready.”

If she was determined to put someone else first, there was nothing left for me to say.

Maybe I should have realized long ago that she either ignored everything I did or simply took it for granted.

I pulled out a chair and started eating.

For the first time, I didn’t wait for her to pick up her fork before picking up mine.

Emily opened her mouth, but in the end, she said nothing.

That night, she climbed into bed and spoke gently.

“You work so hard, Ethan. Let me rub your shoulders.”

She placed her hands on my shoulders and slowly began to knead them.

That caring, gentle-wife routine was exactly what had kept me captivated for so long.

When we were young, she loved wearing a blue cotton dress with a little wildflower tucked into her hair. Her voice was always soft.

She came from a well-off family and taught at the local school. Students and parents loved her.

Back then, everyone envied me for marrying such a wonderful woman.

I thought I was lucky, too.

But after Daniel took her away from my side again and again, I couldn’t keep lying to myself.

She loved me, but she loved Daniel more.

I turned over, removed her hands, and said quietly,

“I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”

Emily’s expression stiffened. She frowned and complained,

“How long are you going to keep this up?”

“He has no family here. I’m the closest thing he has. If I don’t look after him, who will?”

“You’ve known him since you were kids, too. How can you be so heartless?”

My patience snapped.

“He’s a grown man in his thirties. Why does he need you taking care of him?”

“Does he treat you like a friend? Because it looks to me like he treats you like his wife!”

Emily flushed and pointed at me.

“Ethan Reed! What the hell are you talking about?”

I laughed coldly and continued,

“Emily, when you quit my job at the steel mill behind my back, I thought you were worried about me.”

“But after hearing it straight from Daniel today, I finally understood. You wanted to give him my position.”

“You knew how much work it took for me to get into that mill. Yet you handed my job to him without a second thought. Which one of us is your husband?”

Emily froze. Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to find out. She tried to explain.

“It wasn’t like that, Ethan.”

“You were working two jobs. I only quit the mill job for you because I could see how exhausted you were.”

“Daniel couldn’t find work after coming here, and he had to survive somehow. So I happened to recommend him.”

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Daniel’s voice followed.

“Emily! My light’s broken, and I’m scared of the dark. Can you come help me fix it?”