Chapter 4

The day Gavin moved in, I started packing my belongings into boxes.

Victoria stopped me from closing one of them. "Gavin can stay in the guest room. You don't need to clear anything out for him."

"I'm packing for myself," I said.

She didn't seem to understand what I meant.

Just then, Gavin appeared in the doorway with his luggage. "Lucas, I'm only staying for a couple of days. Victoria told me you wouldn't mind, so I figured it would be okay."

Gavin made dinner that evening.

Victoria took a bite of the fish and chips and smiled. "This tastes just like I remember."

"You still remember?"

"Of course! You were only 16 the first time you cooked, and you accidentally used sugar instead of salt. You almost burned a hole through the pan!"

They laughed together across the table, while I felt like an outsider who had stumbled into their private little world.

Gavin put some fish on my plate and said, "Lucas, you should try some, too."

"I'm allergic to fish."

Victoria's smile faltered. "Since when?"

"Since our first year of marriage. Did you forget?"

That night, I'd broken out in hives all over my body and could barely breathe. Victoria had stayed by my side the entire night, looking after me.

But when Gavin was upset the following day, she'd rushed off to comfort him.

Somehow, she'd remembered missing his birthday but completely forgotten why I'd ended up in the hospital in the first place.

The laughter died after that, and the rest of dinner passed in silence.

Later that evening, Gavin slipped and fell while taking a shower. Victoria immediately rushed into the bathroom to help him, and by the time I saw them, he was crying against her chest in a thin robe.

I watched them without reacting.

Victoria looked up at me and explained, "He can't get up on his own."

I gave a humorless smile.

"You keep giving him the time that should've been ours. His problems always come before mine, and now you've even turned our home into a place where he can come running whenever something goes wrong.

"But every time I've needed you, you've found a reason to leave. Not once have you actually stayed when I needed you. Victoria, I need you to stand by me, too."

Silence settled over the room.

After a long moment, Victoria reached out as though she wanted to take my hand. But before she could, Gavin hurried forward with an apology.

"I'm sorry. Please don't fight because of me…"

That was the last straw. All the anger and resentment I'd been holding back finally erupted, and I shoved him away.

"Get the hell away from me!"

Gavin let himself fall backward, and before I could react, Victoria shoved me so hard that I stumbled into the corner of a nearby table.

"That's enough!" she snapped. "There's no reason to take your anger out on Gavin."

Her brows were drawn together as she glared at me, then she turned toward Gavin, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Just calm down for now," she told me. "We'll talk when I get back."

"That won't be necessary…" I began.

We were getting divorced.

But before I could tell her that, Victoria was already helping Gavin to his feet and leading him out of the room.

I swallowed the rest of what I'd wanted to say.

…

The following day happened to be our fifth anniversary.

Victoria came home carrying a bouquet and a bag of chestnuts, only to find the house strangely quiet. It seemed emptier than usual, and an inexplicable sense of unease crept over her.

She called my name as she searched the house, but there was no answer.

Then, she noticed a stack of papers on the coffee table in the living room.

The moment she saw the words "Divorce Agreement" printed across the top, she stopped dead in her tracks, and the color gradually drained from her face.