Chapter 2

I was desperate to get off the train and find out the truth, but Julian grabbed my arm.

"Olivia loves it when I wear a suit. Help me get one made. I am going to wear it to our son's one‑month celebration. It will look great."

Before I refused, he stuffed a slip of paper with an address into my shoulder bag.

The train roared away, its green cars disappearing one by one before my eyes.

I stood there in a daze until a station employee told me to leave. That was when I finally came to my senses and stumbled away.

The moment I pushed open the door at home, an enamel mug flew at my head.

"Where the hell have you been? Are you trying to starve me to death, you worthless piece of trash!"

Blood ran down my forehead and covered half my face.

Pressing a hand to my wound, I stared coldly at the old man in front of me.

After 3 years, I realized he did not look anything like Olivia.

Yet the resemblance between Julian and him was unmistakable.

The old man shifted uneasily under my gaze before snapping angrily,

"What are you staring at? Get your ass in the kitchen and make me something to eat!"

I ignored him, slammed my bedroom door shut, and crouched in the tiny room as tears poured out.

After my parents died, Olivia had become the last bit of warmth in my life.

The happiness I cherished all those years had been a lie. She was the person who had deceived me more cruelly than anyone else.

I cried until I had no strength left and collapsed onto the makeshift wooden bed. Then my hand brushed against the note Julian had slipped into my pocket.

In the fading light of the sunset, I read the address written on it.

3, Maple Street

My blood ran cold.

That was my parents' house.

After we married, Olivia told me she did not want me living there because it would remind me of my parents and make me sad. She rented a run‑down house on the outskirts of town and moved me and the old man there instead.

She took the keys to my family home herself and told me she had rented it out. In 3 years, however, I had not seen a cent of rent money.

I did not sleep at all that night. The next day, I arrived at the address right before noon.

The moment Julian saw me, his face lit up.

"Come in. I was thinking I had forgotten to get your measurements and wondered where I could find you. I cannot believe you came here yourself."

The spacious courtyard looked nothing like the home I remembered. The apricot tree my parents loved was gone, replaced by a fish pond.

Noticing me staring at it, Julian blushed and laughed.

"Everyone else likes planting trees, but Olivia knows I love fishing. She had them all cut down and turned this place into a fish pond for me.

"Come in and try this. Olivia brought it back from the capital last time."

He pressed the cup into my hand before stuffing a piece of milk candy into my palm.

As he spoke, he turned on the radio in the corner, filling the room with foreign music I did not recognize.

"My wife says it is romantic."

He laughed as he swayed along to the music. His face glowed whenever he talked about Olivia.

As I looked at him, I felt as though something sharp were lodged in my throat.

For a moment, I wondered whether I should tell him the truth, that he was nothing more than the other man in someone else's marriage.

Then Julian suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right. Make sure you tell the tailor I am in a hurry.

"Our son's one‑month celebration is coming up in a few days. I want to look my best and make Olivia proud.

"You should come, too. I will ask Olivia to find you some work so you do not have to struggle out there anymore."