Sarah stormed toward me, slapping me.
“Are you blind? If you weren’t seducing him,
why would he force himself on you?”
“Your fiancé is dead; if you’re horny, go get a prostitute!”
“You’re wandering around in your nightgown
at midnight. Don’t think I don’t know what you
were thinking.
She used all her strength. My left cheek
burned. I tasted blood.
I looked at her, my raised hand falling back
down. This slap was repayment for her five
years of help.
I lifted my eyelids, looking at Liam with
mockery.
“Aren’t you going to comfort your wife?”
He looked at me, then at Sarah, his eyes dark
and unreadable. He said calmly,
“Let’s go home; I’ll explain.”
Sarah’s face was grim. “What explanation
could make me forgive your double betrayal?”
“You’re the one I love; she’s my best friend.”
<
“When you did this behind my back, did you
think of today?”
I chuckled softly.
“Double betrayal?”
“Wasn’t I doubly betrayed?”
No. It was different. I was deceived, hidden
from, and treated like a fool for five years
without knowing.
Liam frowned, as if afraid I’d say something
else, and pulled Sarah away.
The tense atmosphere eased.
I wasn’t wrong; I’d suffered enough. But why
was I always the unlucky one?
After they left, Sarah and I never contacted
each other again. I packed her things and
mailed them. I stopped looking for news
about Liam and didn’t know how he explained
things to Sarah.
Jackson, however, did. I simply told him what
happened. He made me brush my teeth for
<
three hours until my gums bled. I could barely
taste my food.
I protested, but he remained silent,
continuously squeezing toothpaste onto my
brush.
“Brush it clean; I can’t stand his scent on
you.”
“Not even a trace.”
I reluctantly obeyed.
Jackson and I moved in together.
On moving day, I saw Liam downstairs. I
hadn’t seen him since he left with Sarah.
Strangely, after five years of not forgetting
him, I hadn’t thought about him once that
week.
His eyes were slightly red, a mixture of
resentment and helplessness.
Liam’s voice was hoarse, “I came back three
years ago and looked for you, but Jackson
answered your phone.”
<
“Lily, I hated you at that moment.‘
“I only disappeared for two years, and you
had a new boyfriend. So I left.”
‘Seeing you at the wedding, I felt a sense of
revenge.
“So I married Sarah.”
I lowered my eyes, softly saying,
“You want to know why Jackson answered my
phone three years ago?”
He stared at me, his throat tight, waiting for
my answer.
I looked at him, saying each word clearly.
“I had depression. I tried to kill myself.”
“I couldn’t find you, so I cut my wrists in the
bathtub. I wanted to join you.”
“Jackson sent me to the hospital. I was there
for ten days.‘
Liam stared at me, disbelief etched on his
face. He trembled slightly.
After a long while, he opened his mouth, his
く
voice trembling.
“Lily, will you wait for me again?”
“Sarah’s pregnant. She saved me. I can’t
leave her now. After the baby is born, I’ll
divorce her and make it up to you. Okay?”
I shook my head, smiling sadly.
“Liam, it’s over between us.”
“I’m moving on, and I hope you never appear
in front of me again.”
Liam, it’s too late. If you had looked at me,
asked how I was at the wedding, I would have
waited.
But now, no.
Liam left, never appearing again.
Jackson said the apartment had bad feng
shui and insisted on moving to his villa. I
asked him why. He’d just thrown my
medication in the trash.
He smirked, his expression playful.
“It’s too dark; it’s not good for you.‘
<
“Lily, with me, you don’t need those useless
things.
Seeing his faint smile, I pretended not to
notice.
“What if I have a relapse?”
Jackson smirked. “A mental breakdown?”
My eyes softened; warmth filled my heart. To
him, I was just a normal person.
Sarah contacted me when she was three
