Chapter 2

"You two are the married couple. From now on, let's keep our distance to avoid any more misunderstandings," Julian said.

The moment he shut the door, Wendy's eyes immediately reddened with hurt.

No matter how hard she pounded on the door, he didn't answer.

She took her anger out on me. "Julian's been helping me with my illness. You're blowing this way out of proportion. Apologize to him right now. If he doesn't forgive you, don't even think about coming back to this house!"

Ignoring my pale face, she slammed the door shut.

I stared at the closed door. I felt hollow inside.

If she could be that heartless, why should I cling to old feelings?

I called my lawyer. "Draft a divorce agreement. I want Wendy to leave with nothing."

After hanging up, I forced myself to go to the hospital for a checkup.

While I was getting treated, Wendy called. Her tone was softer.

"How long are you going to stay mad? I'll take my medicine, okay? If it makes you feel better, tie me up so I don't sleepwalk."

She acted like treating her sleepwalking was some kind of gift for me.

I couldn't help but scoff.

She fought me every time I urged her to take her medication. Yet she obeyed Julian's every word.

I remembered the first time I met her parents. Julian was there too.

I thought nothing of it, assuming they were just close friends.

That night, Wendy sleepwalked and found herself standing on the bridge over a river.

Julian and I reached out to her as we shouted her name frantically.

I was so close to catching her, but she pushed me away and threw herself into Julian's arms.

Onlookers cheered for them while I became a laughingstock.

When she woke from her sleepwalking, she pleaded, "Julian's my cure. I can't live without him."

For her safety, I swallowed my resentment and agreed to let Julian move in next door.

However, my compromise only emboldened her.

"I'll step aside. You and Julian can have each other," I said coldly, finally having had enough.

She paused, then raised her voice. "Stop being ridiculous, Zane. I told you that Julian and I are just childhood friends. There's nothing between us. Besides, we've only been married for two days. How would our families react if we got divorced now?"

Appearances mattered most to her.

Compared to Julian's idleness, I had a respectable job and income that she could boast about.

Seeing that I hadn't responded, she softened her voice. "I'll cook tonight. Let's talk it over."

In the year I'd known her, this was the first time she'd offered to cook.

I would've felt touched back then, but now I feel nothing.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator back home, I ran into Julian.

He had his back to me and was on the phone.

"That idiot Zane actually bought into Wendy's sleepwalking story. Serves him right for being cuckolded for a whole year."

I clenched my fists at his words.

I held back my rage and continued listening. "Wendy's pregnant with my kid. It wouldn't be so bad to have that idiot raise the kid for me."

My head started buzzing in an instant.

Wendy had been lying to me from the very moment we met.

I had been played like a fool by them both.

Thinking back on the past year, I realized that I had been visiting doctors, desperate to cure her sleepwalking.