Chapter 2

As I reflected on everything, a dull ache pulsed in my chest.

I quickly pulled my hand away from Sebastian's grasp. He looked surprised.

I thought about Sebastian's grandfather, Wayne Chesson. Over the years, he hadn't allowed me back into the Chesson residence, but he'd never forced Sebastian to divorce me either.

I figured that I should at least see him before the divorce. So, I nodded and said, "Alright."

But on Wayne's birthday, Sebastian texted me, "Something came up. Just grab a cab to the house."

It was pouring, and cabs were impossible to find. I stood in the rain for an hour. By the time I arrived at the Chesson residence, the other guests were already there.

As soon as I stepped inside, Liam walked over with his signature sneer. He remarked, "You're even late to Mr. Chesson Senior's birthday party. No wonder the Chesson family's never accepted you."

He chuckled, full of malice. "Roxanne showed up early, holding hands with Sebastian, by the way. What a picture-perfect couple. Seriously, how can you even compare?"

So that was why we couldn't leave together. Sebastian had gone to pick up Roxanne.

However, I felt nothing. It was as if I had gone numb.

I ignored Liam and gracefully approached Wayne, wishing him, "Happy birthday."

Sebastian knocked the gift box right out of my hand in irritation. He snapped, "I already got him something."

He probably thought I had brought something cheap and embarrassing.

I calmly picked up the box, opened it, and took out a handwritten herbal recipe. "It's a wellness formula that's been passed down through my family."

Roxanne burst out laughing. "Why did you give that? Please, Mr. Chesson Senior wouldn't dare touch it."

But Wayne took it, scanned the page, and his eyes lit up. "This is excellent. How thoughtful of you."

Roxanne's face twisted into something ugly as she clutched her chest dramatically. Sebastian panicked, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her upstairs.

I could feel the guests' eyes on me as they mocked me, "I thought Sebastian was head over heels for his wife. But it doesn't seem like it now."

"Please. She's probably just clinging to him so he won't divorce her."

"Honestly, she's got the looks and the elegance. She's not at all the low-class woman people say she is."

Once, words like that would have hurt me. Now, I just picked up some pastries and quietly ate in the corner.

Midway through the party, Sebastian approached me. "Why did you bring a gift for Grandpa?"

I glanced at him and noticed the lipstick stain on his collar and the scratch marks on his neck.

Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore. I set the plate down. "You never told me you already prepared something."

Sebastian said nothing. He simply looked down and froze. Then, he grabbed my hand and asked, "Where's the ring? You haven't taken it off in ten years."

I pulled my hand away and glanced at the faint mark on my ring finger. "It must've fallen off."

In truth, I'd buried that ring—the one Sebastian gave me when he was 22, brimming with love—deep in the mountains.

As for his own wedding ring, he had lost it years ago and never bothered to replace it. So, he just stopped wearing any wedding ring at all.

His expression turned stormy. "Then wear the diamond ring I gave you three years ago."

I reminded him, "You gave that to Roxanne after she said she liked it. Did you forget?"

"I'll take you to buy a new one tomorrow," he said, grabbing my wrist with apparent frustration.

"Tessa, why do you have to make this so hard? I didn't know you were in the mountains then. And besides, you didn't die, did you?"

I almost laughed. Then I looked him straight in the eye. "Have I caused a single scene since I returned?"

It was the fact that I hadn't that unsettled him. He couldn't explain why it made him nervous.

Just then, the "pain" in Roxanne's chest seemed to have miraculously cured. She ran over and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Mr. Chesson," she purred. "I'm craving garlic butter shrimp."

Sebastian looked at me. He knew that it was my signature dish.

I used to prepare his lunch every day. I guessed those meals ended up in Roxanne's stomach. I wasn't surprised to learn that. I just sat there, numb.

But even my silence seemed to offend him. His tone sharpened, cold and commanding as he said, "Tessa, go make that dish for Rox."