Chapter 2

When I saw that face again, I could no longer lie to myself.

I stared straight into her eyes, waiting for her to offer even one explanation.

Ethan seemed to sense the strange tension and spoke up.

"Sweetheart, do you two know each other?"

She gave me a cold glance, then coyly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Babe, what are you talking about? Have you ever seen another man beside me?"

I stared at her in disbelief, just about to say something.

My phone vibrated.

It was a message from her.

"Whatever it is, let's talk about it at home."

I remembered that I was still working part-time through the delivery platform, and I was afraid that if I got reported, I wouldn't be able to accept any more jobs.

My father was still in the hospital and needed money for surgery.

Numbly, I turned toward the door and did as she said.

"Mr. Carter, your order has been completed. Please give me a five-star review."

When I got home, I pulled out our old marriage certificate as if I were deliberately torturing myself.

A thousand questions raced through my mind.

He was her husband?

Then what did that make me?

I opened my phone and searched for information about the divorce process.

A divorce forum popped up.

There were countless people on it who had gotten divorced, and the process differed from one state to another.

Possessed by some strange impulse, I uploaded a picture of my marriage certificate with the personal information blurred out.

The comments exploded almost immediately.

"Dude, I didn't think anyone could have it worse than me. It's bad enough that your wife doesn't love you, but even your marriage certificate is fake."

"Exactly, man. You're definitely this year's undisputed champion of getting cheated on."

I stared at the screen, my fingers clenched until my knuckles turned white.

It felt as if someone had grabbed my heart, and even my breathing stopped for a moment.

I didn't want to believe it, but my trembling fingers still typed in the number printed on the marriage certificate.

The moment the search results appeared, the world spun around me.

Just as they had said, even this marriage certificate was fake.

I sat on the couch clutching the fake certificate and waited for her.

At two in the morning, the lock finally turned.

"Why are you still awake? You're not in good health, yet you're drinking."

Claire walked over, her voice carrying the perfect amount of concern.

My whole body trembled uncontrollably as I slowly stood up and looked at her.

"Do you need to explain what happened today?"

Her eyes flicked toward the marriage certificate lying on the floor.

She poured herself a glass of water and sat down calmly on the couch.

"What do I need to explain? It's exactly what you saw. Back then, my family was pressuring me to get married, so I casually registered a marriage with you to appease them. That's all."

That's all.

I stared at her face.

Suddenly, I remembered the social-media posts I had seen from Ethan earlier that day.

The day I was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer, they were watching the ocean in Miami.

The day my credit-card company hounded me until I could afford nothing but bread, she was planning a lavish wedding for him.

And now she stood in front of me and said, as if it meant nothing,

"That's all."

I had endured it for so long, but in the end, I still forced those words out.

"Let's separate."

She whipped around.

A rare flash of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly returned to her usual calm expression.

"Have you really thought this through? You were the one who chased after me back then. You know my circumstances now. If you stay with me, you'll never have to worry about anything again. Hmm?"

I said nothing.

It was true that I had pursued her back then.

But I had loved the innocent and kind Claire.

Not this stranger whose mouth was full of lies.

She thought I had given in again.

She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around me, and rose onto her toes to kiss me.

But the front door was suddenly shoved open.

Ethan stood in the doorway, his eyes filled with hatred.

"What are you two doing?"

He turned and ran out.

Claire's expression changed instantly.

She grabbed my wrist.

The woman who couldn't even twist open a bottle cap now possessed shocking strength.

"Go explain it to Ethan! He's young. He can't handle this kind of shock!"

She dragged me out onto the street.

In the distance, Ethan stood by the roadside, his shoulders trembling slightly.

She hurriedly tried to run toward him.

At that exact moment, a car suddenly lost control and came racing toward us.

She shoved my hand away and threw herself at Ethan without hesitation.

She used her body to shield him.

With a deafening crash, I was sent flying and slammed heavily onto the ground.

Every bone in my body felt as if it had been crushed.

I struggled to open my eyes.

At the edge of my vision, Claire was holding Ethan tightly.

Her entire body trembled, and her face was full of relief at having survived the disaster.

I lay in a pool of blood.

She didn't even glance at me.