Chapter 4

The truth was, Geoffrey never managed to comfort me in the right way.

All he ever did was buy flowers and gifts, and all he ever said was, "Baby, don't be angry."

He would never know, and never cared, what had actually made me angry.

Every single time, I comforted myself and then put on a smile for him.

After all, I loved him, and I had no reason to demand he do the things he couldn't.

But now he wasn't even willing to do that much—not even those basics.

Because he had found someone he'd rather comfort instead.

The car was very new, so someone reached out to me quickly.

I arranged to meet that person on Friday to look at it.

Staring at the night outside the window, I felt an aching sense of loss.

The next morning, Geoffrey knocked on my door before leaving for work.

"I'm heading to work now."

"Don't be angry. I bought you your favorite soup dumplings from downstairs."

"Even if you won't eat, the baby has to."

I didn't answer.

Only when I heard the lock click on the door did I get up.

The soup dumplings on the table were still warm, but I had no appetite at all.

Geoffrey didn't know that this time, I couldn't comfort myself.

"Hello? Is this the moving company?"

"Yes, this morning. Harborview Unit 908."

I had just set down my phone when the doorbell rang.

The moment I opened the door, I saw Alexandra standing there.

"Leo, are you still angry?"

"You never answered my messages yesterday. I was so worried..."

The dark circles under Alexandra's eyes confirmed that she really hadn't slept all night.

"There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm not going to die."

"If you're looking for Geoffrey, he's already left."

Alexandra grabbed my hand, crying hard. "Just because of what happened yesterday, are you going to throw away twenty years of friendship?"

My heart twisted into a knot in my chest.

One a decade, the other twenty years—together they had taken up my entire life.

And now they'd turned all thirty of those years into a joke.

"Alexandra, when you were carrying on with Geoffrey, did you ever think of me?"

"Did you ever care about the twenty years between us?"

Alexandra froze for a moment, but she didn't deny it.

She sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Leo."

"I'm the one who wronged you. I never should have fallen for Geoffrey..."

And with that, she knelt down in front of me.

I stood there expressionless, until Geoffrey's voice came from behind me.

"Leonora, did you really have to make Alexandra kneel to you?"

"What is wrong with you?"

After cursing me out without any regard for the truth, Geoffrey pulled Alexandra to her feet.

"It was me. I chose to kneel on my own..."

"Leo, if you're upset, just hit me. I swear I won't fight back..."

"Can't you forgive me this once?"

Watching Alexandra weep so prettily only made me look all the more cruel in that moment.

"Alexandra, get up!"

"Leonora, she's your best friend!"

Geoffrey, beside himself with rage, jabbed a finger at me and let loose, hurling every ugly word he could think of.

I let out a helpless laugh. "Geoffrey, do you even know what she wants me to forgive her for?"

Before Geoffrey could say anything, Alexandra cried even louder.

A moment later, she fainted in Geoffrey's arms.

After cursing a few more times, Geoffrey scooped up the woman in his arms and left.

In that moment, I almost wanted to laugh.

Twenty years, and I'd had no idea Alexandra's acting was so masterful.

Ten years, and I'd had no idea Geoffrey was so utterly blind.

Not long after they left, the moving company arrived.

I packed up everything of mine and took it all with me; from every couple's photo, I tore away my half.

Looking at the apartment in front of me, my tears kept falling.

This was our marriage home. I had decorated every corner of it with care.

I had once dreamed about our life after the wedding, but now all of it had stopped right here.

Looking at the six-seat luxury SUV in the underground garage, I called that person.

"Come right now. Half price."

The moment he heard that, the man rushed straight over.

Because the car was still registered in my name after the trade-in, the transfer went through smoothly.

My phone kept buzzing in my pocket.

It was Geoffrey.

Leonora, you sold my car?

Leonora, what the hell has gotten into you!

Leonora, you moved out?

Leonora, where are you?

Leonora, I'm sorry, I was wrong...

Leonora, I don't want to break up...

I didn't reply with a single word.

I opened the wedding-planning group chat between Geoffrey and me, the one with both sets of parents and our closer relatives in it.

Alexandra was in there too.

I opened the message box. Geoffrey cheated on me.

The wedding is off.

The group chat blew up.