Chapter 2

I looked at my grandmother, who was on the verge of death in the hospital room. My fists were clenched so tightly that my fingernails dug deep into my palms, drawing blood without me even feeling it.

For my grandmother, however, I set my dignity aside. In the hospital hallway, in the eyes of the public, I dropped to my knees to ‘propose’ to her again.

She smiled contentedly, reached out, lifted my chin, and said with contempt, “That’s more like it, Connor. You should’ve known to play along a long time ago.”

Deep down, I knew that she agreed to remarry me not because she still loved me.

Instead, it was revenge on me for not humbling myself to beg her to stay back then and for refusing to bow down to her, even when I walked away with nothing from our divorce. But none of that mattered to me.

All I knew was that once my grandmother’s condition improved, and once I had gathered enough evidence, I would return every bit of humiliation she had inflicted upon me, tenfold.

Just like today, after the rain stopped and we had just stepped out of the parking garage, we ran into Joshua. He was soaked, and his hair was a mess.

The moment he saw Zoe, he looked distressed. “Zoe, my car broke down. With the rain, I can’t go anywhere. Can you please give me a ride?”

Zoe looked at me, then looked at Joshua. Hesitation flickered across her face.

At that moment, I felt a slight stir in my heart, not because I cared, but because this was exactly what I wanted to see. Her hesitation and favoritism were the most powerful chips for revenge.

I said nothing. I simply raised my hand to hail a passing cab and opened the car door.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll catch a cab home.”

A trace of surprise flashed in Zoe’s eyes, but she quickly regained her usual composure as she led Joshua into our car.

“Alright then, be careful. I’ll be back a little later tonight.”

I nodded and got into the cab. As I watched their car gradually disappear into the distance, I felt nothing.

I had long since anticipated she would stay out all night tonight. After all, in her heart, I was never her first choice.

When we first got divorced, I thought I could let go of this relationship.

I deleted all of her contact information, threw away everything connected to her, and moved out of the apartment we once shared. I even moved to an unfamiliar city, desperate to start over, but in the end, I couldn’t do it.

We had been together since high school. We weathered grueling exam-prep days side by side; we got accepted into the same university; we built our careers together, going from having absolutely nothing to owning a company and a home of our own.

Back in high school, she always snuck me some breakfast. Even when caught, she would just smile and argue, “We’re just good friends.”

In university, she gave up the stable job her family got for her so she could accompany me in starting our business.

Every day she squeezed onto buses with me and ate plain bread. No matter how difficult or exhausting it got, she never complained.

On my birthday, she bought me a watch with money she had saved up for three months and fastened it onto my wrist, saying, “From now on, I’ll stay by your side so we earn a better living. Connor, I’ve never felt secure since I was a child, but since we’ve been together, you’ve made me feel so safe. All I want in this life is to be with you.”

Her words still rang clearly in my ears. Yet, she had done so many things that had pushed me over the edge, again and again.

Everything changed after Joshua appeared. Joshua was her childhood friend, and the two of them grew up together. Word had it that Joshua’s parents had once done a massive favor for her family.

She always told me that Joshua was just like a brother to her and that I shouldn’t let my imagination run wild.

“Connor, Joshua has no one to lean on. I can’t just ignore him. We’re just friends. Can’t you be more open-minded instead of always getting jealous?”

Friends? What kind of friend would wear her husband’s pajamas and snuggle up in her arms? What kind of friend would show up constantly and drive a wedge between a married couple?

In truth, from the moment Joshua first appeared, I had already caught wind of certain rumors. Some said Zoe chose to be with me back then because Joshua already had a girlfriend, and since her unrequited love went nowhere, she settled for second best.

Some said Joshua had always been in love with Zoe, but out of consideration for her feelings, he never confessed. Others said Zoe had never truly forgotten Joshua and that she was only with me to pave the way for Joshua.

I refused to believe those rumors. I preferred to believe her feelings for me were genuine, and that her relationship with Joshua was truly nothing more than pure friendship. Yet, I was so foolishly wrong.

After our divorce, I happened to catch a photo of Zoe and Joshua together in a group chat with classmates. In the picture, they were both smiling intimately on a beach we once visited together.

At that moment, I finally understood that I was the joke from the start, and for me, remarrying her wasn’t about rekindling an old flame. It was a long “withdrawal” process and, more than anything, a carefully orchestrated act of revenge.