Chapter 2

Edison's POV

I didn't reply.

Jayne had always treated me well. Nothing about her gave off the typical wealthy heiress vibe.

She cooked for me after work, knew every type of vegetable at the grocery store, and all their prices. She even knew how to mend clothes and was perfectly happy eating at cheap street carts like me.

We found joy in the little, domestic chores and playfully debated which ketchup brand was better.

Most of the time, I felt that we were very alike, like we just fit. That was why I had never noticed anything different about her.

I had always believed that we belonged to the same social class, that neither of us was punching above our weight, and that we were just two people working hard for our shared future.

When I brought her into my family, we treated her wonderfully and saw her as our own daughter. So, I always assumed that she would be my future life partner and my one and only.

That was why I worked so hard to buy a house. I wanted to prove that ordinary people like us could build a great life together, and that there was joy in a simple, quiet life.

I stopped believing in fairy-tale romances and just wanted a steady life. I kept telling myself that everything would work out.

Maybe I took too long to reply, for Jayne called me.

After a moment of hesitation, I picked up, and she rambled on excitedly about her day before finally saying, "This place is so close to my hometown, Edison. I'll head back there for a few days before coming home. Take good care of yourself while I'm gone."

I gave her a few absentminded hums before tapping on her social media feed.

It was filled with photos of her and her parents, but I knew it was all a lie. They were just actors she had hired, and those posts were likely hidden from everyone but me.

A sudden wave of bitter sorrow surged in me.

Jayne and I dated for five years and met each other's families in our third year. I remembered how seriously I had taken the meeting back then and changed my outfit countless times.

Mom and Dad were just as invested. To show their sincerity, they took a day off work and carefully chose gifts for me to bring to her family.

Back then, Jayne had only sighed. "You didn't have to go through all that trouble. Just showing up is enough."

Now, it all seemed too laughable. Of course, we didn't have to go to the trouble. The gifts weren't even for her biological parents.

It must have been quite a hassle to put on a show just to play along with us. She watched us pour our hearts out and treated our genuine affection like a joke.

I wondered if she would have produced a fake marriage certificate on our wedding day, just to keep the charade going.

Would she have lied to me for decades, just to make sure that her childhood sweetheart, Rowan Gray, and Bianca were blissfully in love?

That was such a noble sacrifice.

…

The next morning, I checked myself out of the hospital. It wasn't for any reason in particular; I had just come to realize that work was the only thing that would never betray me.

I never expected to run into Bianca while delivering documents for the office.

The hatred I once felt for her had faded after all these years. Now, she was nothing more than a stranger to me.

I tried to detour around her, but she stepped in my way and blocked my path.

"You and Jayne aren't a good match," she announced.

I looked up at her and felt so absurd that I almost laughed. Was her conscience finally kicking in, or was she just in the mood to play the good guy?

I was about to respond when someone grabbed my wrist so hard it hurt and forcefully yanked me backward. It wasn't until I stumbled and crashed into the corner of a desk that I finally saw who it was.

It was Jayne. She glared at Bianca viciously and warned, "Stay away from my boyfriend."

My wrist was red from Jayne's grip, but she didn't care. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on Bianca.

She wasn't trying to protect me from getting hurt. She was terrified that Bianca might change her mind, and that she still had feelings for me, the ex-boyfriend she had cut ties with and dumped so abruptly.

After all, that was the reason Jayne had dated me in the first place.