Chapter 3

I discharged myself from the hospital. As soon as I got to the hospital entrance, I saw Kevin. He was supporting Evelyn as she walked, his expression gentle.

When he saw me, his face flashed with awkwardness, but he soon regained his composure and asked, "Have you been discharged from the hospital, Judy?"

I nodded without speaking.

He glanced at me briefly before looking back at Evelyn.

"Be careful, Evelyn. Don't trip."

I felt a jolt of pain when I caught the tender, caring tone of his voice. He once cared for me like that, but right now, Evelyn was the only person he cared about.

Not wanting to see them anymore, I turned to leave.

When I got home, I passed some of our neighbors and overheard their conversation.

"Evelyn has such a wonderful husband. Ever since she got pregnant, Kyle has been doting on her in every way!"

"I pity Judy. She became a widow at such a young age. She doesn't even have anyone to look after her, even though she got hospitalized."

My nose prickled as I nearly started crying.

They were right. I lost my husband the moment Kevin decided to lie to me.

That evening, Kevin abruptly came back. He set some health supplements on the table and said, "Here, Judy. I got these for you."

I thanked him curtly, but my heart remained still. I no longer needed his concern.

All of a sudden, I felt a wave of dizziness and ended up fainting due to my low blood sugar levels. I wasn't sure how long I'd been unconscious. When I woke up, I was back at the hospital again.

Kevin looked immensely relieved. He dashed over and hugged me tightly, exclaiming, "Judy! You're finally awake! I'm so glad!"

His voice was agitated. It sounded as if he had been worried sick the whole time. I could sense that his body was trembling too.

Just as I was about to speak, he suddenly cupped my face to kiss me. I shoved him away and eyed him coldly, saying, "Watch it, Kyle."

Freezing up, he asked, "What did you call me?"

His eyes flickered with panic as he continued, "I'm sorry, Judy. I… I was mistaken. I mistook you for Evelyn."

The moment he finished speaking, he hurried out of the room.

I knew he hadn't mistaken me for anyone else, of course. He was just pretending. As I watched the way he fled, the last trace of hope left in me vanished for good. The man I once loved dearly was now a total stranger to me.

…

After returning to the house, I got in bed and stared dazedly at the ceiling.

Out of the blue, my phone started ringing. Mom was calling me.

"Judy, I'll send someone to pick you up in three days. Have you settled everything yet?" Mom asked caringly. "We've prepared your room as well. All that's left is for you to come back."

I nearly burst into tears. "I miss you guys a lot, too. Yeah, I'm almost done. I can leave in three days."

As soon as I got off the call, the bedroom door abruptly opened.

Kevin came in with a scowl on his face. "What's this about you leaving? Where are you going?"

Frowning, I ignored him, but he snatched my phone and demanded, "Were you talking to those friends of yours again? How many times must I tell you not to hang out with sketchy people?"

After seizing my phone back, I couldn't resist shouting back, "What gives you the right to boss me around? I'm not your possession! I'm my own person! Ever since I got back from the hospital, you've been keeping me locked up in the house. You refuse to let me work, and you won't even let me see my friends! Just how far must you push me before you're satisfied?"

Kevin was startled. His eyes flickered with panic, but he quickly regained his composure. "I'm doing this for your own good, Judy. You haven't fully recovered yet. What if you end up fainting somewhere?"

With an icy glare, I shot back, "You don't have to worry about me. You should be worrying about Evelyn instead. As for me, my husband's dead, and I have every right to dictate my own life!"

Kevin fixed his eyes on me, his gaze seemingly both torn and disappointed. After a long pause, he left.

I crumpled onto the floor and began weeping in silence.

…

That night, I tossed and turned in bed without being able to fall asleep.

All of a sudden, my bedroom door flew open, and a large figure stumbled in—Kevin. He reeked of alcohol. Clearly, he was drunk.

Fumbling over to the bed, he gripped my hand tightly and said, "I love you, Judy. I really do. Don't leave me, okay?"

His voice was choked. I could feel the warmth of his hand. However, I yanked my hand back and eyed him coldly, saying, "You're drunk."

He shook his head, his eyes bleary. "No, I'm not drunk. Do you know how much I love you, Judy? From the moment I left home for the maritime assignment, I missed you constantly. Every day, all I wanted to do was see you.

"But my hands are tied. Evelyn is pregnant. I can't just abandon her. Can you forgive me, Judy, please? Once she delivers the baby, I'll…"

Pausing mid-sentence, he started closing in to try and kiss me.

I pushed him away, shouting, "Kev—Kyle! Snap out of it! I'm Judy! I'm not Evelyn!"

Just then, I heard footsteps at the door, and Evelyn came in. The moment she saw Kevin and me, her expression turned nasty.

I quickly composed myself and explained, "Kyle's drunk, Evelyn, and I think he mistook me for you. You should take him back to your room."

Evelyn didn't speak. She threw an icy glare at me before ushering Kyle away.