Chapter 3 The Final Straw

They walked in together, laughing and chatting.

My mom spoke first. "We've bought almost everything the baby needs. Trevor's going to be a dad soon. We should get him a few outfits while we're at it."

My dad chimed in. "Allison has a prenatal checkup tomorrow. Let's go shopping the day after instead. Have her tell Tristan she'll be back a day later."

Allison replied calmly, "Okay. I'll call Tristan in a bit and tell him a meeting came up."

Then, I heard Trevor asking my mom to get him his slippers and my dad to wash some fruit for him.

Allison pulled out her phone as she headed upstairs. "I'll go to my room and video-call Tristan first."

However, just as she reached the door, my phone started ringing inside the room.

…

When she saw me, her phone fell to the floor.

That was when I noticed she was wearing a prosthetic left eye. It looked completely natural.

Back then, I'd tried to convince her to wear one, but she'd refused. She'd said, "I want to remember this lesson for the rest of my life. I'll never make the same mistake again."

Looking back, I realized she'd wanted me to remember her missing eye—and the two conditions she'd set for me.

"Tristan? How did you get here?"

Allison stared at me in disbelief and reached for me in a panic, but I pulled away.

My parents hurried upstairs when they heard the commotion. Their first reaction was to demand an explanation.

"Didn't we agree you'd only see us once a year? How could you just come back without even telling us?"

I laughed bitterly, tears filling my eyes. "How else would I have found out you were secretly taking care of Allison's lover?"

For the past three years, my parents had always arranged to meet me at restaurants, claiming they were too old to cook at home. After dinner, they'd keep finding ways to stall me, never letting me go home.

"I haven't been home in three years, and the door code is Trevor's birthday now. You've even turned my bedroom into a hotel room! Are you even my parents?"

My dad raised his hand and slapped me across the face. "That, you know! Why are you making such a scene then?"

The slap caught me completely off guard, leaving me dazed.

Allison stepped forward and took hold of my arm. "Dad, talk to him. Don't hit him!"

She looked over my face and spoke softly. "Tristan, just calm down and hear me out, okay?"

Trevor had come upstairs without me noticing. He pushed them aside, walked straight up to me, and dropped to his knees.

"Tristan, this is all my fault. Please don't fight with Allison or your parents because of me. I know you're angry. You can hit me or curse at me if you want."

He knelt there, tears streaming down his face as he looked between Allison and me.

Allison let go of my arm and reached down to help Trevor up. "Tristan, Trevor isn't in good health. Whatever you want to do, take it out on me."

Watching them support each other, I suddenly felt like the guilty one.

I leaned against the wall, my voice trembling. "Let's get divorced, Allison. I'll let you two be together."

Allison hesitated, then handed Trevor over to my mom. Turning back to me, she said firmly, "Tristan, you promised me you wouldn't bring up divorce again."

I met her gaze and laughed bitterly. "What about you? You promised me you'd end things with him."

My gaze fell to her slightly rounded belly. "And now, you're pregnant with his child…"

She stepped closer and took both my hands. "But after what happened, Trevor lost everything. He even lost you, his best buddy… You two used to be so close. Can you really stand by and watch him end up with nothing?"