Roxanne shook her head, a look of sorrow in her eyes.

"I'm fine. I just tripped over something," she murmured, casting a quick glance in my direction.

It didn't take Christopher long to piece things together. He looked up at me, his gaze sharp with accusation. "Quit the dirty tricks, Willow."

I pressed my hand against my aching ear and fixed him with a cold stare.

After a beat, Christopher seemed to sense something was wrong. "What happened to your—"

"Deal with the matter I brought up today quickly, Christopher," I cut him off, my expression neutral. "You were right about one thing, though—Roxanne's tactics are dirty."

Without hesitation, I turned on my heel and walked away.

Back in my room, I ran cold water over my ear. Fortunately, it was just a small scrape. When I checked my phone, I noticed a string of WhatsApp messages from Professor Tate.

"Have you made a decision yet? Are you interested in joining this project?

"It's a rare opportunity that could greatly benefit your academic career and future prospects."

He was talking about the research project he was leading—one that wasn't typically open to graduate students. After recognizing my potential, he made an exception and extended me the offer.

The downside was that the project would last two years, and I wouldn't be able to go anywhere else in the meantime.

Back then, I'd turned him down without a second thought. I had just married Christopher, and there was still much to do. I needed time.

Professor Tate wasn't bothered by my refusal and asked me to reconsider. Now, he'd messaged me again.

I knew exactly what to reply. "I've made my decision, Professor Tate. I'll join the project once my break ends."

It had been four years. It was time to move forward. The moment I hit "send", a knock sounded at the door.

Christopher's voice followed. "Willow, it's me."

I didn't want to see him, not now.

"What do you need?" I asked through the door.

"I brought some ointment for your burn," he said.

I couldn't be bothered to argue, so I simply said, "I don't need it. Please go."

But he opened the door and stepped inside. Before I knew it, he squeezed a dab of ointment onto his finger and gently smoothed it over my burned skin.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

I frowned, brushing past his concern, and cut to the chase. "Let's set a date and go to the courthouse, Christopher."

He pulled me into an embrace. His voice came out muffled, with a hint of hurt. "I told you I'd handle this."

I shoved him back, giving him a mocking stare. "Are you trying to fool me or yourself? If you truly wanted to handle this, you'd stand by me, get rid of Roxanne for my sake. Instead, you're making empty promises and putting all the blame on me."

Christopher avoided my gaze and said nothing. It didn't take long before Roxanne called for him, and he left without a word.

I let out a bitter laugh. I should've seen this coming from the start.

That night, I began packing my belongings, determined to move out within two days. I avoided them as much as possible, but Roxanne still came to me.

She approached with a sneer, her eyes brimming with disdain. "You've got quite the knack for playing the innocent houseguest, haven't you? Staying over for a while? Please. It's obvious you're angling to take over my place.

"Sadly, Christopher will never have feelings for you. Quit going after someone else's guy, or you'll end up hurting yourself and others."

I held Roxanne's gaze, suddenly struck by a sense of pity for her.

"Have you ever thought you might be the other woman here, Roxanne? And that Christopher doesn't love you nearly as much as you think he does?" I asked.

She slapped me out of nowhere, her voice rose to a shrill pitch as she snarled, "You shameless woman! What nonsense are you spewing? Do you want me to throw you out right now?"

My cheek stung sharply. I sneered and struck her in return, the force of it knocking her off balance and onto the floor.

I loomed over her, my voice icy. "Why are you so afraid, Roxanne? Is it because you know I'm right? Well, congratulations—you figured it out. Christopher and I got married months ago. So, guess what that makes you now? A homewrecker."

Getting those words out brought an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

Roxanne froze. Before I knew it, she lunged at me, her nails aiming straight at my face. "You lying snake! Christopher's been in love with me for ten years! There's no way he'd marry you! I'll shred that filthy mouth of yours!"

She moved too fast for me to stop her completely. Her nails raked down my face, leaving fiery trails in their wake. That was when Christopher stormed into the room.

"What are you doing, Roxanne?" he snapped, wasting no time pulling her off me.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, and her face reflected a deep sense of hurt. "Throw her out, Chris! She's spreading lies about being married to you. That's ridiculous!"

Christopher turned to me, his eyes filled with discontent, reproach, and a touch of surprise as if he hadn't expected me to spill the truth.

"Willow Sweeney," he said, his voice low and laced with warning.

I knew exactly what he was trying to convey, but I was unwilling to comply. I smiled as I replied, "What? Did I lie about something?"

The atmosphere was tense, and Roxanne seemed to realize something. She cautiously grabbed his sleeve, asking, "Christopher, is any of what she said true?"

He remained silent; his eyes stayed fixed on me. After what felt like an eternity, he exhaled slowly, his disappointment sinking into his words.

"I told you I needed time to handle this properly, Willow. You don't have to take it this far. You don't really want a divorce. You're just trying to get under Roxy's skin, don't you? You've been holding onto me for four years. You wouldn't just let go now."

A wave of regret crashed over me, sharp and unrelenting. I wasted four years of my life on Christopher, who didn't deserve any of it.

I covered the scratches on my cheek and locked eyes with him as I bit out each word. "Stop flattering yourself, Christopher. I stopped caring about you a long time ago."

But my words seemed to roll off him like water on stone.

"Don't push your luck, Willow," he said. "You're the one who provoked Roxanne first, but I'm willing to let it slide. Stay here for a few days and take some time to think about your actions."

With that, he scooped Roxanne into his arms and walked out.

I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. It baffled me how he'd decided I was to blame so easily. Maybe I'd always come second to her in his eyes. Still, it didn't matter anymore.

After Christopher was gone, I moved out of the villa and settled into an affordable hotel.