Home / Her Lover Has Our House Key / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Her Lover Has Our House Key: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

13 Chapters

Chapter 1

Madeline looked stunned. She stared at me as if she didn't recognize me. "What did you say?"I repeated myself. "I said, since I'm not the man of this house, then of course I should leave."Kenneth immediately tugged at her arm. "Madeline, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have registered my fingerprint. I'll delete it right now."Charlie, don't be mad. I really only thought it would be more convenient."His voice was gentle, and his eyes held an apology, but it didn't seem sincere.Madeline immediately came to his defense. "It has nothing to do with you. Charlie, don't overthink it. It's just a fingerprint. Kenneth comes over all the time to work late and deliver files. I didn't want him waiting outside every time."She frowned at me. "What is wrong with you today? Why are you being so unreasonable?""Unreasonable?" I laughed. "Yeah, I'm being unreasonable. I should've stood at the door and applauded you and your male coworker. Maybe I should've welcomed him home too, right?"I t

Chapter 2

Madeline looked at me, her expression unreadable. "You're back?""Yeah." I changed my shoes, ignored them, and went straight to the bedroom. I needed to take stock of my things.I opened a drawer in my wardrobe and froze. The tie I had bought just last week was gone. It was a new design from a high-end luxury brand, a limited edition I had bought through a personal shopper for more than 400 dollars. I had only worn it once.I walked out of the bedroom. "Madeline, where's my tie?"She was sitting there with the remote, flipping through channels. She didn't even look up. "Oh, Kenneth said his old one was worn out, so I let him take yours."Blood rushed to my head. "You gave it to him?""Yeah." She finally looked at me, completely matter-of-fact. "It's just a tie. I'll buy you a new one later."Kenneth spoke quietly from the side. "Charlie, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that expensive. I'll buy you another one tomorrow.""How are you going to replace something I've already worn?

Chapter 3

I didn't say anything else. So, in their eyes, this was my fault too. I was unreasonable, petty, and stubborn."Mom, I'm tired. I'm going to hang up."Madeline didn't come home that night, and I didn't sleep a wink.The next morning, noises from the kitchen woke me. I walked out and found Madeline frying eggs.Morning sunlight streamed through the window. Her back was to me, and an apron was tied around her waist. She looked like the picture of a devoted homemaker.She heard me and turned around. "You're up? I made breakfast."She brought the fried eggs and milk to the table. "I was wrong yesterday. I lost my temper. Don't be mad anymore."My phone buzzed with a bank transfer notification. She'd sent me 7,000 dollars."Buy yourself a tie, a bag, whatever you want. Just don't be mad anymore, okay?" She pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit. "Kenneth is actually pretty pitiful."I looked at her without saying a word."His wife treats him terribly. She yells at him all t

Chapter 4

After saying that, Madeline untied her apron and tossed it onto the chair. "I'll bring his things over today. You'd better know what's good for you."The door slammed shut behind her.I sat at the dining table and stared at the untouched breakfast. So the apology and the money hadn't been meant to earn my forgiveness. They'd only been meant to soften the blow of what came next.…At 3:00 p.m. that afternoon, they returned.Madeline carried two large suitcases, while Kenneth followed with a cardboard box in his arms.When he saw me, a hint of unease crossed his face. "Charlie, I'm only staying here temporarily. I'll move out soon."Madeline set the suitcases down in the middle of the living room. "What do you mean, temporarily? Just make yourself at home. Here's the guest room key."She held out a set of keys to Kenneth, but he didn't take them. Instead, he looked at me. "Charlie, are you okay with this?"I ignored him and turned to Madeline. "This is your decision. You don't n

Chapter 5

Madeline didn't say anything.That night, I locked the bedroom door.Around midnight, I heard someone turn the doorknob. It was Madeline. She tried the handle several times before realizing the door was locked. She stood outside for a while, then walked away.I heard her head toward the guest room, but I couldn't tell whether she went inside. I lay awake until dawn.It was the second day since Kenneth had moved in. When I got up that morning, I found a bunch of new toiletries on the bathroom counter. They were all his.I walked over and picked up my face wash. The bottle felt lighter. At least a fifth of it was gone.I carried it out of the bathroom.Kenneth and Madeline were having breakfast, and he had made sandwiches and coffee.Kenneth smiled brightly. "Charlie, you're up? I made breakfast. Come eat with us."I walked over and set the face wash on the table. "Did you use my stuff?"His smile froze. "I couldn't find my face wash, so I borrowed yours. Sorry. I forgot to tel

Chapter 6

Kenneth didn't say anything.…When the weekend came, I hired a locksmith to replace the lock on my bedroom door with one that required both a passcode and a key.Once Madeline came home and saw the brand-new lock, her face darkened. "What are you doing? Are you trying to keep me out?""Yes."She was so angry she couldn't speak.…That evening, Kenneth simmered soup in the kitchen. He said he was making it to help Madeline regain her strength, and the rich aroma of chicken soup soon filled the kitchen.I ignored it and used the electric cooker in my room to make myself a plate of pasta.Kenneth came out carrying a bowl of soup and saw me eating my pasta. "Charlie, I made chicken soup. Have some. It's really nutritious.""No, thanks. I can't stand the smell."Madeline glared at me over her bowl. "You're deliberately ruining the mood."I ignored her, finished my pasta, washed my plate, and went back to my room.…Around midnight, I heard voices coming from the living room a

Chapter 7

Bully him? I laughed."Fine. I'll take it up with you. Then let me ask you something. Do you like him?" I asked.Madeline didn't answer. Kenneth lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.I couldn't tell whether he was crying or smiling. I kept my eyes on Madeline and waited for her answer.After a long silence, she finally spoke. "Yes."That single word felt like a knife stabbing straight into my heart. I'd been prepared for it, but actually hearing her say it still hurt.Madeline looked at me with a trace of guilt in her eyes, but more than anything, she seemed relieved. "I like him. Charlie, do you know how I've felt this past year with you? Suffocated. Stifled. Like I can't breathe."You're good at everything. You can cook, you keep the house clean, you never check up on me, and you never make a scene. But you're just too good. So good that you don't even seem human."Has there ever been any passion between us? Has my heart ever raced because of you? No. We're just

Chapter 8

Kenneth realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly lowered his head, retreating behind Madeline.Madeline set the shopping bags down and looked at me. "Charlie, we need to talk.""About what?""The house." She walked over and sat at the other end of the couch. Her expression was much softer than it had been that morning. "I've thought about it. You're right. I wronged you in this marriage. I'll give you the house. I accept that."I looked at her and waited for her to continue."But..." She paused. "You have to pay me back the 28,000 dollars down payment."I laughed. "Madeline, you really know how to work the numbers. The house goes to me, and you get 28,000 dollars. So basically, I pay you 28,000 dollars and get a house worth 400,000 dollars. Is that what you're saying?"Her expression changed. "Charlie, don't be ungrateful. I could take you to court. My family paid the down payment, and I'm the one paying the mortgage."If the court decides how to divide it, you'd probab

Chapter 9

Life after the divorce was much quieter than I'd expected.I replaced every lock in the house and deleted Madeline's and Kenneth's fingerprints from the smart lock.I cleared out the guest room, threw away all the old sheets and bedding, and bought new ones.I stuffed everything Kenneth had left behind into a large garbage bag and tossed it into the dumpster downstairs.When I took out the trash that day, I happened to run into Jennifer Foster, an older neighbor who lived downstairs.She greeted me with a smile. "Charlie, I haven't seen your wife in a while. Is she away on a business trip?"I smiled. "We got divorced."Jennifer's smile froze. "What? What happened?""We just weren't right for each other."I didn't say anything else. After throwing out the trash, I went back upstairs.…That night, my mother called."Charlie, I heard you got divorced?""Yeah.""You brat. How could you not talk to us about something this serious?" she demanded."Mom, I did talk to you. You

Chapter 10

Madeline stood there, unable to say a word. I turned and walked back into the office."Charlie!" she called after me. "Are you really going to be this heartless?"I didn't look back.Only later did I learn the real reason Madeline and Kenneth had broken up: money.-After they moved out of Charlie's house, they rented a small apartment.Madeline paid three months' rent upfront, along with the security deposit, which cost her more than 2,800 dollars. Combined with the expenses from her divorce with Charlie, the expense had nearly wiped out her savings.She thought Kenneth would help shoulder the burden, but he didn't.During their first week in the apartment, he still made a show of helping out. He cooked a few meals and did some laundry.By the second week, however, he had started complaining that the apartment was too small, the neighborhood was terrible, and his commute to the office was too long.In the third week, he found a new job as a server at an upscale club. The pay

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