Chapter 3

"You should be apologizing to my girl, not me!" Scott complained angrily.

At his words, the manager quickly bowed and apologized to Roanna as well.

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Sterling. I will take care of this immediately."

Roanna raised her chin proudly, shooting me a smug look.

So what if I was Scott's lawfully wedded wife? I still couldn't compare to his mistress in the slightest.

The manager immediately turned to me, his face cold and stern. "Ma'am the exit is that way. Please leave, and refrain from disturbing others like you did today."

Then, he immediately started goading me towards the exit, making sure I couldn't walk any other way.

As I walked, I saw Scott walking away, his arm around Roanna as he comforted her and kissed her gently.

Once upon a time, he treated me like that too, but I was a fool for not realizing that people could change.

Mary, having noticed my delayed absence, came looking for me. Seeing the manager trying to kick me out, she immediately took out her premium membership card and threw it in the manager's face.

"Did you think that man was the only premium member around here? Besides, don't you know who this lady is? She's that man's lawfully wedded wife!"

The manager turned pale, stumbling over his apologies. "I'm incredibly sorry, I didn't realize! Mr. Harris always comes here with Miss Sterling, so all our staff believed that…"

He trailed off, but his meaning was clear. All of them thought that Roanna was Scott's lover.

Mary looked like she was going to explode with anger, but I gently tugged her arm. "Forget it. It's not his fault."

Her eyes reddened, tears threatening to fall out. "How could that man treat you like this when you're going through such a tough time?"

"Let's not talk about him anymore, Mary," I cut her off. "Let's just enjoy our meal, alright? After all…"

My days were numbered, and soon enough, we wouldn't even be able to eat together anymore.

Bursting into tears, Mary hugged me tightly, and at that moment, I found myself wondering… Would Scott cry for me like this at my funeral?

Would he regret everything he ever did to me?

-

During a thunderstorm, I fainted at home. My heart couldn't supply enough blood, after all, so my body was already fragile to begin with.

When the ambulance arrived, I thought I saw a familiar figure through my hazy vision. He pleaded in a trembling voice, as if he was going to cry, "Don't fall asleep, Wendy! Please don't fall asleep!"

Those words sounded familiar. Back when I first took a bullet for this man overseas, he had cried just like this, begging me not to lose consciousness.

Did Scott love me? Of course he did.

We grew up together, and were lasting fixtures in each others' lives.

I still remember a thunderstorm that happened when we were little the scared me so badly that I leapt into his arms, and from that moment on, he knew that thunder was what I feared the most.

"Aw, what a scaredy cat! Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

From then on, he'd always come and keep me company whenever a thunderstorm rolled in, keeping me safe.

Whenever the weather forecast predicted lightning, no matter how busy he was, he'd cancel everything to be with me and keep me company through the long nights.

"No matter where I am, as long as there's thunder, I'll find a way to be by your side," he promised.

Because of that, I slowly became less afraid of thunder as time went on.

Today was a stormy night too, and the fear of thunder kept me awake. I sat at home alone until midnight, and when the first thunderclap cracked through the sky, a video appeared on my social media feed—fireworks blooming in the sky in celebration of Roanna's birthday.

Those professional-grade fireworks were worth millions, so there was no way she could afford those on her own.

In the video she posted, I saw a familiar side profile.

The city was far too big. In one place, there was thunder and lightning, while in another, the night sky was clear with starlight.

With the thunder rumbling and my heart beating far too fast, I collapsed inside my own closet.