Chapter 2

2.

I went straight to the company dormitory.

A coworker who lived there saw me and ribbed me.

"Ervin, why aren't you with that pretty girlfriend of yours? What are you doing here? I heard you two are getting married soon."

I smiled a little.

"Work's not done. Came back to put in some overtime."

"Real workaholic."

He gave up and wandered off.

I said nothing more and stepped into my room.

Closed the door.

Then I pulled up the home security feed.

After the engagement, I'd moved Mary into the wedding home I'd set up for us.

Sure enough, before long, Mary and Kerry walked into the room.

Then the two of them couldn't wait, wrapping around each other and kissing hard.

Half their clothes were off, one step short of setting the whole thing on fire.

But then Mary made a coy little noise of protest and pushed him off.

"Look how impatient you are. Careful of the baby."

Kerry gave her a rough pinch and got up, still not satisfied.

"Not being able to touch you is killing me."

"Once the baby's born, you're going to make it up to me."

Mary slowly pulled her clothes back on and poked him in the chest.

"I'm yours. However you want me to make it up to you, I will."

At that, Kerry grabbed her and held her again.

They tangled together a while longer before they finally broke apart.

Kerry lit a cigarette, looked around the room, and sneered.

"Heh. That loser Ervin's got some luck, living in a place this nice."

Mary burrowed into his arms.

"Kerry, all of it's going to be ours soon."

Watching this.

My eyes went cold.

After a moment I saved the footage and slowly closed my phone.

Then I headed home.

I threw the door open and caught the two of them leaning into each other.

Mary shoved Kerry away on instinct.

"Ervin, you... why are you back?"

Kerry let out a dry laugh.

"Ervin, didn't you say you had overtime..."

I gave a cold laugh.

"Overtime's done. Can't I come home?"

"What about you two? What were you just doing?"

Mary looked a little guilty.

"What could Kerry and I be doing? He just dropped me off. I only asked him to sit down for a bit."

I smiled coldly.

"Somehow I doubt it was as simple as sitting for a bit."

She flared up at once.

"Ervin, what nonsense are you spouting!"

"Kerry and I grew up together. If there were ever going to be anything, it wouldn't be your place to say!"

Kerry chimed in from the side.

"Ervin, Mary nearly tripped just now. I only steadied her, don't read into it."

"I've brought her home now, so I'll be going."

With that, he headed for the door.

Mary shot me a vicious glare and hurried out after him.

"We'll settle this later!"

They left.

Years ago, my parents bought some property back in our hometown.

Later it was slated for redevelopment, and our family was allotted a good number of units.

My parents didn't like managing it, so they handed it all to me.

At first, Mary had no idea about my family's situation.

I chased her for three years without ever letting up.

Whenever she needed me, at any hour, I'd be at her side in an instant.

Whatever she wanted, I'd find a way to buy it for her.

She was never satisfied. She even made a fool of me in front of her friends once.

Only later did it dawn on me that she just kept me around like a lapdog at her heel.

I was about to give up when she suddenly agreed to be with me.

Looking back, that was right around the time she stumbled onto the fact that I held several properties in my name.

After that came the tenderness, then the talk of marriage.

And finally, getting her name added to the property deeds.

Only once I'd sobered up did I see it.

From the very start, she'd probably been after something.

Before long, Mary came back.

The red thread over her head was so thick it stung to look at.

And the one tied to me, by comparison, had faded almost to nothing.