Chapter 2

The bar’s lights were a chaotic, blinding mess.

My eyes immediately landed on the person sitting with his back to the entrance.

He was wearing a suit, standing out in the crowd, almost out of place.

Next to him was Scarlett, her black dress outlining her perfect figure, also out of sync with the noisy crowd, yet somehow, she and Liam looked perfectly matched.

I knew all the people sitting around them –

Liam’s so-called “brothers” from his rich heir days.

I stood there for a long time, not expecting much. Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted nearby.

They seemed to be egging someone on, having a great time.

Then, Scarlett stood up and lightly pressed a kiss onto Liam’s lips.

I raised my phone and captured the moment, zooming in until the image froze.

Though I couldn’t make out Liam’s expression, the satisfied smile on Scarlett’s face was impossible to hide.

My phone trembled in my palm, my heart aching as if pierced by needles.

Turns out, the intimate moments I thought hadn’t happened were secretly playing out without my knowledge.

As if feeling my gaze, Liam suddenly turned and looked outside.

I quickly pulled down my hat to cover my face and turned to leave.

He still didn’t see me.

Back home, it was empty and silent.

This place was supposed to be my warmest refuge, but now it felt even colder.

After showering, I sat on the couch, staring intently at the pendulum.

At 1:28 AM, the sound of the door finally broke the silence.

I opened my eyes and rushed towards Liam as he stepped in, clinging tightly to him.

He caught me, gently stroking my hair.

He murmured, “Aren’t you cold, walking around barefoot?”

I placed my hand on his cheek, tracing the spot where Scarlett had just kissed him, my voice muffled:

“Where were you? So late, and you didn’t reply to my messages.”

He paused, but didn’t answer. Instead, he simply carried me to the couch, sat me down, and helped me put on my socks.

I playfully kicked him a couple of times, feeling a bit sulky.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

He ruffled my hair, sighing, his tone weary: “It was an important client. I didn’t drink. My phone was off, so I didn’t see your messages.”

I looked at him, my eyes filled only with the face of the man I loved most.

Liam, you’re lying to me.

But I didn’t ask anything else. I just nestled into his arms, clinging to him in the way I knew best.

2

Early the next morning, Liam left for work.

After he was gone, I sat up in bed and went to the study.

The room was filled with documents and classic books. Among them, I found my diary.

I pulled it out and flipped through the pages, filled with past emotions, from the day I met Liam until now.

During the years Scarlett was gone, I felt a care and affection I’d never experienced before.

Perhaps it was because I stayed by Liam’s side during his lowest point that he always treated me differently.

Though I always knew his heart belonged to Scarlett.

Sometimes, I’d wonder if this time would be different.

But then I’d think about those six years I spent by his side, only for Scarlett to reappear, wearing the wedding dress I’d personally ordered for myself. And on that very day, they’d be kissing and celebrating my absence in each other’s arms.

Thinking about these things, my heart twisted with a hatred that felt like madness.

Liam, you must suffer as I did, living every single second in a hell of emotions.

Tears blurred the pages, my fingers tracing the photo I’d secretly taken that night.

Replaying it again and again, it felt like my heart was being repeatedly sliced open.

I thought it wouldn’t hurt anymore.

“I went to pick up Liam, and saw a girl kiss him. She was so happy, but I felt so sad.”

These shaky words were scrawled across a new page.

My emotions were both agitated and suppressed, a tangled mess.

It was a contradictory feeling, yet there was a strange thrill to it.

I closed the diary and put it back in its place.

I put on light makeup and changed into a white dress.

The girl in the mirror looked quiet and gentle.

Completely unlike Scarlett’s flamboyant and passionate style.

A smile touched my lips, and the girl in the mirror mirrored the action.

My faint dimples seemed to hold all the sweetness in the world.

Liam had complimented my smile several times, saying it was beautiful.

But now, I no longer loved to smile, not after being reborn.

I preferred to cry. Only truly released emotions made me feel alive, gave me a strong sense of reality, made me feel like a normal human being.

Crying made me remember: I remembered Liam’s cold gaze, and Scarlett’s mocking smiles, time and time again.