Chapter 3 Too Late

"Is there something you don't want me to see?"

Leon shook his head, startled. "Of course not, Harrison. Let me explain!"

He reached for me in a panic.

I shifted slightly to the side, and he stumbled forward, losing his balance.

"Leon!" Brianna quickly caught him and steadied him, then turned to me furiously. "Harrison, what the hell are you doing? You know Leon has a heart condition. Why did you push him?"

I met her furious gaze without explaining.

It wouldn't matter. She wouldn't believe me anyway.

He seemed to realize what had happened and grabbed my arm with an uneasy smile. "Stop. This is my fault. I lost my balance. Don't blame Harrison."

Then, he looked at me. "Harrison, we were just saying that I'm going to be a father."

"Who's the mother?" I asked Leon, but my eyes stayed on Brianna.

The anger on Brianna's face vanished, and she avoided my gaze. "Obviously, Leon's girlfriend. I was just at the hospital for therapy to overcome my fear of marriage. I happened to run into Leon."

Leon quickly chimed in. "That's right, Harrison. I didn't mean to hide the fact that I have a girlfriend. Don't be mad."

I looked at their uneasy faces, then checked the time on my phone. "Don't worry about me. Anyway, I have a physical, so I should get going."

They both froze, then visibly relaxed.

Brianna belatedly hurried after me. "Harrison, I'll go with you."

"It's fine."

At my refusal, she instinctively glanced at Leon before nodding distractedly. "Okay, Harrison. Be careful."

I watched her turn away almost immediately. Leon carefully supported her as he opened the car door for her.

So they were even expecting a child together. I really had been a fool.

…

After the physical, I went home. There were barely any traces of Brianna in the house.

It was the home she'd bought for us as our marital home, but the deed was in my name.

Because she was afraid of marriage and hated feeling tied down, she didn't come home every day.

She told me that except for the marriage certificate, she'd give me everything else that came with being married.

She even introduced me as her husband to everyone she met.

Whenever I was sick, she would bring me soup, crouch beside my hospital bed, and tell me, "I'm here."

Whenever I picked her up from work, she would smile and introduce me to her coworkers. "My husband's here to pick me up."

I thought that was what love looked like. It had never occurred to me that love could be faked, too.

…

The next day, I received confirmation that my application to go overseas with the violin ensemble had been approved.

I was about to accept when Brianna texted me. "Harrison, I know I was out of line at the hospital yesterday. I've thought about it for a long time. Let's go get our marriage certificate."

I froze.

I had waited eight years to hear those words. And she had finally said them only after I'd decided to leave, but it was too late.

A pounding came from the front door.

I opened it and found Brianna standing there, her expression dark with anger. "Harrison, did you do this?"

Leon stood behind her, his face frighteningly pale. "Harrison, I just want you to tell me the truth. Did you really post those photos online? Everyone's spreading rumors about me and Brianna now…"

His voice was weak. "I never thought you'd actually suspect me and Brianna…"

"Leon, who else could it have been?"

Brianna was so distraught that she no longer cared about hiding anything.

"Harrison, you got him so worked up that he had a heart attack, and he's still defending you!

"Leon has always put you first. He even asked me to get a fake marriage certificate just to make you happy!

"But what did you do? Just because I went to the hospital with him, you pushed him so far that he had a heart attack! The doctor said another shock could kill him!"

She was so agitated that she didn't even realize her nails had dug into my arm hard enough to draw blood.

I didn't struggle.

I simply looked at her calmly. "Brianna, when you said we should get our marriage certificate, was that a lie?"

She froze and slowly released me.

Her eyes flickered with panic when she saw the deep marks her nails had left on my arm, but anger quickly swallowed it.

"Now that things have come this far, there's no point hiding it anymore. Yes! Leon and I have been married for a long time. We've been hiding it from you and lying to you all along! And I'm pregnant with Leon's child! Are you happy now?"

She pointed at me, hatred burning in her eyes. "But even so, that doesn't give you a reason to hurt Leon!"

Leon hurriedly grabbed her. "Brianna, stop!"

He shook his head repeatedly. "I'm fine. Harrison is the best friend I've ever had."

Brianna's eyes reddened, her fury barely contained.

…

The next second, my parents burst through the door.

"Harrison, didn't we explain everything to you at the last wedding? How could you still do something like this?"

I stared at the blame in their eyes, momentarily dazed.

Leon's father had once risked his life to save my parents, so they adopted Leon.

From that day on, they always checked on Leon before they checked on me. Whenever they bought something for me, they'd get something for Leon first.

But I had never imagined that when it came to choosing a wife, I would still be the one who came second.

"You already knew?" Brianna came to her senses and stared at me, the words seeming to catch in her throat.