Chapter 2

I still insisted on going home. I immediately noticed the wedding decorations on the front door the moment the elevator doors slid open.

Stella froze and quickly moved between me and the door. "Nicole visits every now and then, so this is all just for show. Why don't we just stay at the hotel tonight, Henry?"

I ignored her and placed my thumb on the smart lock. "Access Denied."

I tried it again, but it still failed. Mom and Dad had left me this apartment, yet here I was, locked out of it.

"We changed the smart lock a while back, so we never got around to registering your fingerprint," Stella explained while avoiding my gaze. She then placed her thumb on the smart lock and unlocked the door for me.

There were two pairs of matching slippers by the entrance, and on top of the shoe cabinet was a Polaroid photo. Michael was wearing pajamas, hugging Stella from behind as she cooked. There was even a caption written beneath it—"100 Days Since We Got Married."

Stella's face turned pale as she reached out to block my sight, but I had already spotted the wedding photo hanging on the living room wall.

I felt my heart sink as I pushed past her and hurried into the spare bedroom in the apartment. Mom and Dad's joint portrait had been taken down, and in its spot was a wedding photo of Stella and Michael.

Underneath the frame, the small hole Dad had drilled years ago to hang their joint portrait was still showing.

I was absolutely dumbstruck. "What happened to my parents' joint portrait?"

Stella avoided my gaze.

"I'm asking you about my parents' joint portrait, Stella!"

"It's considered bad luck to keep portraits of the deceased hanging in a marital home, so I stored them away temporarily."

I ran into the storage room and opened the box at the very back. Mom's and Dad's belongings were carelessly shoved inside.

I took out the joint portrait and noticed that there was a jagged crack that ran right over Mom's face. I ran my finger across Mom's face, but the glass shard sliced right into my fingertip and caused me to drop the frame.

Stella's expression shifted. She hurriedly grabbed my hand and said, "I'll take care of it, so don't touch it."

I yanked my hand away and snapped, "Don't touch me!"

Just then, the front door unlocked, and Michael walked in with the familiarity of someone who belonged there. He suddenly stopped when he saw the broken glass scattered across the floor.

Stella searched through the cabinets but couldn't find the first-aid kit. She walked up to Michael and said, "Stay with Henry while I go downstairs to buy some medicine, Michael."

Stella's footsteps gradually faded away as the door closed.

Michael crouched down and carefully cleared the broken glass off the joint portrait. He then said softly, "You shouldn't have returned, Henry."

I caught my breath and looked over at him in complete disbelief.

Michael continued, "You don't actually believe that Stella married me just because of Mom's illness, do you? She did agree to register the marriage with me to appease Mom, but that couldn't possibly explain why Stella would jump my bones every night to try out different positions, Henry."

I could only hear a loud ringing in my ears after hearing what Michael said. I tightened my grip on the frame, blood trickling down through my fingers. "Why would you do this to me? I've always thought of you as my own brother, Michael!"

Michael looked up at me and said, "You should stay away from my wife, then. Stella and I live here now. What are you doing back here?"

"Mom and Dad left this apartment to me!"

"You've been raised by the Soden family for more than 20 years, Henry. Isn't it only right that you give this apartment to us?"

I went completely still; after all, when the Soden family took over as my legal guardians, they took possession of all the savings and settlement Mom and Dad had left behind. I had continuously given them money over the years, even after I came of age.

Upon noticing my silence, Michael followed my gaze toward Mom and Dad's joint portrait and smirked. "You know, the first time Stella and I slept together was right in front of your parents' joint portrait, Henry."

He picked up a piece of broken glass and slowly ran it along the crack across Mom's face. "Having them staring down at us was a total mood killer, so I told Stella to take the portrait down."

In that instant, the last thread holding me together snapped. I threw everything I had into one punch and sent Michael crashing to the ground.

Just then, the door swung open.

Stella dropped the box of Band-Aids, pulled Michael to his feet, and snapped, "Have you lost your mind, Henry?"

I couldn't even be bothered to explain anymore. I merely said, "Get out of my way."

I walked past her and packed the joint portrait and my belongings into a suitcase.

Stella grabbed the suitcase handle to stop me. "You'd better stop making a fuss and apologize to Michael, Henry."

I was breathing heavily as I slowly pried her hand away. "It's over between us, Stella. You'd better pack up and get him out of my place before the wedding—this place belongs solely to the Sherwoods."