Chapter 2

I was at the hospital getting checked for appendicitis when Chloe sent me a voice note on Snapchat:

"Bring some mangoes and cherries on your way back."

She sounded completely unfazed, as if she hadn’t kicked me out of the house just two hours ago.

Today was our daughter Lily's birthday. I had gone to the new townhouse early, excited to decorate the place and give her a surprise party tonight.

Instead, when I opened the door, I found Julian and his son, Leo, walking around the living room, pointing and deciding where to put their furniture.

I only asked him what the hell he was doing there.

Chloe immediately lost her temper and screamed at me. Before I could even explain, she gave me that look of utter disgust and pushed me out the door.

"Are you listening to me?" Chloe’s voice came through a second voice note, slightly softer this time.

She was clearly testing the waters.

"Yeah," I replied hoarsely.

Hearing my confirmation, Chloe let out a sigh of relief.

She called me on FaceTime immediately and started nagging. "Make sure you get the mangoes from the organic market downtown. They have to be fresh. Choose the imported ones, the big ones..."

Meanwhile, my Snapchat kept buzzing.

She sent me a dozen links and screenshots. Most of them were articles on how to pick the perfect mango and things to watch out for.

Chloe’s favorite fruit was cherries.

I was severely allergic to mangoes. So she definitely wasn't buying them for me. The answer was obvious.

They were for her newly divorced childhood best friend, Julian.

A sharp, stabbing pain flared up in my abdomen. My vision went blurry for a second.

Gritting my teeth, I leaned against the hospital corridor wall to keep myself upright. I forced my voice to sound normal so she wouldn't notice.

"If you see any fruit you like, grab some for yourself too," Chloe suddenly added.

A faint warmth bloomed in my chest. I actually smiled. Maybe Chloe did care about me, at least a little.

"Okay," I murmured.

I started wondering if I had been too harsh earlier. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Chloe was just trying to help a friend in need.

Maybe I should apologize to Julian.

But before my thoughts could drift any further, Chloe continued:

"But don't buy any papayas. Julian can't stand the smell."

"And no blueberries either. Honestly, just look around. Don't buy anything too expensive for yourself."

Those few words instantly turned my warmth into ice.

Papayas and blueberries were my absolute favorites.

"Chloe, do you even know..."

The words choked in my throat, desperate to pour out. But Chloe cut me off.

"Anyway, it’s not like you have anything important to do. Just hurry up. Julian and Leo are waiting."

With that, she hung up.

We had been married for seven years, and Chloe had no clue what fruits I liked.

Yet, she knew every single detail of another man’s preferences. It was hilarious, really.

I bought the fruits and drove back to the townhouse. When I walked in, Chloe handed me a cheap keychain with a little stuffed bear hanging from it.

"Julian asked me to give this to you. He wanted to apologize," she said.

"You scared him and his kid when you burst in earlier. Go on, go apologize to him."

There was a tiny logo on the back of the keychain. It was from the same luxury brand as the watch Julian had flaunted on Snapchat.

This was obviously a free promotional item.

The stuffed bear was dirty, and one of its arms was torn, with white cotton spilling out.

It looked exactly like our broken, pathetic marriage.

I noticed Chloe’s eyes darting toward the stairs upstairs. I didn’t take the keychain. My voice was dead cold.

"I don't want it."

Chloe’s face darkened instantly. "Ethan, can you grow up for once? Julian didn't do anything wrong, yet you terrified him. He’s trying to be nice and make peace, and you're here acting like a dramatic diva."

"The poor guy just got divorced and is raising his kid alone. Do you have any heart?"

Seeing that I still refused to back down or apologize, Chloe lost her temper and shoved me hard.

She didn't use all her strength, but the sudden impact triggered my acute appendicitis. I collapsed onto the hardwood floor, cold sweat instantly breaking out across my forehead.

"Oh my god, are you okay?"

Chloe panicked. She quickly knelt down to pull me up, her face filled with what looked like guilt. "I'll take you to the ER."

I didn’t refuse. I needed to get back to the hospital for my surgery anyway.

"Fine," I wheezed.

But the moment I climbed into the passenger seat of our car, a suffocating wave of strangeness hit me.

A random men's jacket was tossed carelessly in the back seat. The spot where I usually kept my mints was now occupied by a sleek, masculine water bottle.

I even opened the glove compartment to look for some painkillers and pulled out a freshly opened package of men's underwear.

Seeing this, Chloe stammered, trying to explain.

"Julian needed to borrow the car last week. He probably just left some of his things behind."

"Here, let me throw it away."

She reached out to grab the underwear from my hand.

I pulled back slightly, my expression empty. "Don't bother."

Chloe looked surprised. "You're... not mad?"

I turned my head to look out the window, remaining silent.

After everything she had done, nothing could shock me anymore.

I wasn’t mad. I was just... done.

"Listen, when we get to the hospital—"

Before we could reach the hospital entrance, Chloe’s phone rang.

She glanced at the screen, and a bright smile instantly lit up her face.

While we were waiting at a red light, she picked up the call.

I heard Julian’s voice over the speaker. He merely complained about having a mild headache, and Chloe immediately went into a frenzy of worry, asking him a million questions.

"Ethan, you can walk the rest of the way, right? It’s just a block," Chloe said, not even trying to hide her impatience. She pulled over by the curb and stared at me, practically begging me to get out. "Julian is feeling really sick. I need to take him to the clinic for a full checkup."

I shook my head, clutching my throbbing abdomen. "No."

"I can't. I don't have the strength to walk."

Chloe’s face twisted into disgust.

"Are you seriously playing the victim over a five-minute walk?" She reached over, pushed my door open, and literally shoved me out of the car. "You're a grown man, Ethan. Can you not even navigate a hospital by yourself?"

I stumbled onto the pavement, barely holding myself upright. I watched as Chloe stepped on the gas and drove away without looking back.

The traffic was heavy, and cars sped past, almost brushing against me. Thankfully, a kind stranger saw me struggling and helped me walk into the ER.