Chapter 4

That afternoon, by unspoken agreement, neither of us brought up my parents' restaurant again.

He went back to the study to work.

I stayed in the bedroom, packing.

But when I came out, the study was empty.

All that was left was the message Marlin had sent to my phone.

"Working late at the office tonight. Not coming home."

I went downstairs to take out the trash and looked over at the office tower in the distance.

Not a single light was on.

I didn't care to find out why he'd lied, or where he'd gone.

From the moment he coldly shut down my parents' shop.

I had stopped feeling anything for him at all.

It wasn't the first time he'd lied to me, after all.

That night, I barely slept.

Because Chelsea couldn't wait to share her joy with me.

In the photo, a man lay beside Chelsea's bed.

Eyes softly closed, cheeks flushed.

He'd been drinking.

"Marlin drank so much to cover for me, he almost threw up blood. I felt so bad for him."

"Tonight was a dinner with our friends. There's a reason Marlin didn't invite you, and you should know what it means. You'll never fit into our circle."

I read the messages, and the cold crept back in.

Marlin never used to touch a drop of alcohol.

Not even the first time we met each other's parents, not even on my birthday, when my friends asked him to at least have a token sip.

He'd just hold a cup of warm water and give an awkward smile.

"I can't drink. One sip and my stomach hurts."

I always understood.

Marlin had said it too.

On our wedding day, he'd finally drink his fill with my relatives.

Because that would be the most important moment of our lives.

So it turned out he was only strict about it with me.

For Chelsea, his tolerance had no limit at all.

The day I was leaving, Marlin came home reeking of alcohol.

I saw the kiss mark he'd deliberately hidden under his collar.

"You were drinking last night."

He tugged at his collar without thinking.

His tone flat.

"Company dinner. Couldn't get out of it."

His eyes caught the suitcase beside me.

"Where are you going?"

"To visit relatives."

I said.

He nodded and went into the bathroom to splash water on his face.

He pulled out a hand towel and gave his face a careless wipe.

"I've got a business trip next door too."

"Afternoon flight."

The last message Chelsea had sent the night before was a travel itinerary.

"Marlin promised to take me to see the ocean. Tomorrow."

I shook my head and stopped dredging up those things.

After he finished, Marlin went back to the room to pack.

He didn't bring a single work thing. His suitcase was stuffed with beach clothes.

"Marlin, I'm leaving."

His hand froze on the zipper, and his eyes came up to me.

"Go on, then. It's not like you're not coming back."

"You're making it sound like we'll never see each other again."

I turned and opened the door.

Marlin called out to me from behind.

"Right. The company says the shop can reopen the day after tomorrow."

"Remember to tell your mother."

I gripped the handle of my suitcase.

I didn't answer. I dragged the case out the door.

At the airport terminal, my parents came hurrying up too, loaded down with bags.

There was still an hour before boarding.

Marlin and Chelsea appeared in the waiting area.

The awkwardness on his face was impossible to hide.

"We just ran into each other."

"Don't get the wrong idea."

I smiled.

"Marlin, I know everything. There was no overtime, no business trip. You were taking Chelsea to see the ocean."

"You didn't need to hide it from me."

"Because the two of us were over a long time ago......"