Chapter 2

Keith's POV

I didn't respond to Hannah's texts and returned to my rented apartment in a daze. I sat on the couch for a long time, but I still couldn't come to terms with what had happened.

It wasn't until after midnight that the metal door finally opened. Hannah came in, holding up a plastic bag for me to see.

"Keith, I had dinner with my clients at the hotel tonight. I brought you some leftovers. I know you always forget to eat when you get busy."

Hannah sounded just as gentle and thoughtful as usual. But the moment I saw the dishes, my stomach churned.

I had seen all that food at Cory's place earlier. It was cold leftovers from his dining table.

"You didn't even text me today. I was worried something had happened to you."

Hannah sounded a little annoyed. As she walked toward me, she stumbled, knocking over the bucket sitting in the corner.

Disdain flickered in her eyes. "They still haven't fixed the leak? How can we even live in a place like this?"

I looked at her calmly. "We've managed for the past five years, haven't we?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She had gone from living in a lavish home of thousands of square feet to a tiny 53-square-foot place. No wonder she struggled to accept the change.

"Rent is due soon. The landlord told me he's raising it this month."

Hearing that, Hannah frowned slightly. She took out a few hundred-dollar bills from her bag and placed them on the table.

"This, along with your salary, should be enough for now. We still have other debts to pay off."

I stared at the crumpled bills on the table. I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about how she had been able to transfer over 100 thousand to Cory.

Hannah seemed a little uneasy. She sat beside me and took my hand, looking concerned.

"You're acting strange today. You've barely said anything since earlier."

I lowered my head and looked at her fingers. Back then, I never noticed the faint ring mark on her ring finger.

Every time Hannah came back to see me, she had always made sure she was well-prepared.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired." My voice came out hoarse. "What about you? Aren't you tired?"

Hannah was about to respond when her phone beside her started ringing. When she saw the caller ID, she didn't answer.

Instead, she turned to me and said, "Don't forget to eat. I have to stay at the office tonight. You know I just started this job, so I need to work harder. I might have to go on a business trip tomorrow too."

With that, Hannah was about to leave when something seemed to occur to her. Before she walked away, she hugged me again.

"Once I finish this project, we'll be rich again. I'll buy you a big house. We won't have to live here anymore."

After she closed the door, the house fell silent again. I thought about it carefully and realized she never stayed for long whenever she came back.

The days Hannah spent at home could be counted on one hand. She was either swamped with work or away on a business trip, and I had actually believed that for the past five years.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and walked toward the window. When I looked outside, I saw a Rolls-Royce parked in a corner nearby, and Hannah was in the driver's seat.

A sharp pain shot through my chest. I braced myself against the wall and slid down to the floor.

Cory lived in a luxury apartment worth tens of millions of dollars, while I had to worry about making rent for a 53-square-foot place.

Hannah could transfer over 100 thousand dollars to Cory, but all she said to me was that her salary wasn't enough and that we still had debts to pay off.

While I swallowed my pride to borrow money just to get us out of debt, she went behind my back and married Cory overseas. She even had a child with him.

The money I used to pay off those so-called debts had become Cory's allowance. I had been lied to for five whole years.

Thinking back to the way Cory had bragged about it, I realized that all these years, Cory and Hannah had stood by and watched me struggle and humiliate myself. They had mocked and judged me for it.

Every hardship I went through became the foundation of their happiness.