Chapter 3

By the time I got home, it was incredibly late.

The apartment was small, but every part was decorated in the way Orion liked.

We were about to break up soon, and I felt more upset about the money I had spent than anything else.

So, I took out my bag and started packing up all my valuables to sell at a shop nearby.

While packing, I saw the scarf I had made for Orion.

I had always been better at larger hands-on projects. Fine, detailed work was just not my thing. I kept pricking my fingers over and over while trying to sew it.

When Orion saw it, he immediately said it was ugly.

However, it actually did not look too bad to me.

I sighed and put it away. Maybe I could still use it in winter.

After selling my things, I came back, and the apartment looked a lot emptier.

I decided to take the rest once I was ready to leave for good.

I did not plan on leaving Orion anything.

He came home very late.

I saw him, and his face was a bit red. He looked like he might be a little drunk.

“I had dinner with them. That’s why I’m late,” he said.

Good thing I did not bother making dinner for him.

However, he smelled strongly of magnolia perfume. The scent was stronger than it was in the morning.

They must have been sitting very close.

He seemed to notice the smell too and quickly took off his jacket.

“She fell, so I helped her walk. Don’t overthink it.”

I nodded and did not argue.

I had witnessed the same trick too many times before.

Whenever Orion and I were alone, Sofia would always show up and get hurt.

Every time, Orion would just say he was a doctor and could not ignore someone who needed help.

In the end, I would watch him carry Sofia in his arms and walk away. Even when I cried my eyes out, he never looked back at me.

Everyone else could see something was going on between them.

Yet, I was too dumb to see it. It took me my whole life to finally realize it.

I returned to my room without a word. Then, I took out the books my lecturer had given me so I could study.

Just as I was about to sit down, I heard the door open.

Orion walked in without knocking.

I quickly stood up and tried to hide my books.

I did not want him to know that I was planning to take the graduate school exam.

He did not seem to notice and just said, “My mom picked a good date for our wedding. It’s the first day of next month.”

He was not asking for my opinion. He was just informing me.

It just happened to be the same day I was planning to leave with my lecturer.

Perfect. I wanted to see how he would react when I ran away right in front of him.

I nodded and pretended to agree.

He did not think anything was wrong and kept talking.

“I brought over the pots and pans my mom gave you.

He walked over and gently held my hand.

“I know you’re not a good cook. That’s okay. From now on, we can cook together, alright?”

There was a gentle look in his eyes that I did not see often.

He had said the same thing in our past life, but after we got married, things changed.

He would often say he was too busy to come home and eat.

His parents yelled at me for being a bad cook and not acting like a proper wife.

When he found out, he did not really care. He just told me to study more and not make them mad.

Later, I learned that he was doing all the cooking and housework at another house.

He took great care of Sofia. Even when she got older, her hands were still soft and smooth.

I held back my disgust and did not pull my hand away. Instead, I looked down and pretended to be shy.

I said a few things to play along, and that was when he finally left.