Chapter 2

Julian insisted on making it up to me.

He booked a fancy restaurant, bought a massive bouquet of flowers, and even went out of his way to cook breakfast.

It was as if the ugliness from the night before had never happened.

I ate my breakfast in silence, listening to him plan out our day.

"We’ll check out that new art museum this morning, lunch is already reserved, and this afternoon..."

His phone rang, cutting him off.

He glanced at the screen, then shot me a guilty, flickering look.

"Let me take this."

He stood up and stepped out onto the balcony.

Through the glass door, I couldn't hear the exact words, but I could see his brows knit together into a deep scowl as he nodded repeatedly.

"Okay, don't panic. I'm on my way."

He hung up, walked back inside, and wore a sheepish look.

"Scarlett, something happened with Chloe..."

"What is it this time?" I put down my fork, interrupting him.

"A pipe burst in her rented apartment. The whole place is flooded, her landlord is out of town, and she has no idea what to do."

"So she needs you to go over." I completed his thought.

He fell silent for a second, then reached out to take my hand.

"I'll handle it quickly and come right back. We can still do everything this afternoon."

I glared at him, my gaze freezing over.

"Julian, do you honestly think I have no backbone?"

"You were the one who insisted on making it up to me."

He stood frozen.

"Scarlett, stop being unreasonable. She’s a helpless girl dealing with a crisis. How can I just ignore it?"

"Ha." A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"Unreasonable? If she has the time to call you, she has the time to call a plumber."

"Or building management. Or an emergency line. Literally anyone would be more useful than you!"

"She said she was terrified!" Julian raised his voice.

"Ever since her dad died, she’s had no sense of security! She clings to me like family!"

"Scarlett, show some compassion!"

Always this.

Every single time, he hid behind gratitude and her vulnerability.

Looking at his frantic face, a wave of sheer exhaustion washed over me.

"Just go," I said.

Relief washed over him like a pardon from the governor. He grabbed his coat and hurried toward the door.

"I'll be back as fast as I can!"

The door clicked shut.

I looked down at the cold breakfast on the table, then at the carefully arranged bouquet of flowers.

I dragged the trash can over.

Item by item, I swept it all into the garbage.

That afternoon, I met up with my best friend, Rachel, for coffee.

She looked surprised to see me alone.

"Where’s Julian? Weren't you two supposed to be making up for your anniversary?"

I gave her a brief rundown of what happened that morning.

Rachel frowned deeply.

"That Chloe Vance again? Scarlett, you need to wake up. This isn't just 'looking out for someone' anymore."

She hesitated for a beat before adding,

"Last week at the mall, I saw Julian helping her shop for clothes. They looked... way too close."

My heart felt like it had been pierced by a cold needle.

"He told me he was just helping her pick outfits because she didn't know how to style herself," Rachel mocked, imitating how Julian would likely defend himself.

I kept my head down, stirring my black coffee without saying a word.

Rachel reached across the table and gripped my hand.

"Scarlett, you can't keep stepping back. A marriage belongs to two people."

I understood the logic.

I just didn't know what else to do.

Forbid him from seeing Chloe?

He would brand me as heartless, cruel, and ungrateful.

Keep enduring it? I wasn't a saint.

When I got home, Julian wasn't back yet.

I opened my laptop and instinctively searched for news about the accident involving Chloe’s father.

Information was scarce. All the reports mentioned was a workplace accident on a construction site due to safety violations, followed by vague summaries.

Julian rarely spoke of the specifics. He only ever said that the man had been his closest coworker and had taken a fatal hit to shield him.

That debt of gratitude was like a mountain, crushing our marriage into dust.