"Yes, my heart is dirty. You are decent, so I don't deserve you."

　　"That's great. Without me, you can find someone who is worthy of you."

　　Her eyes were dark and cold as if she was trying her best to suppress the anger in her heart. She let out a sigh. "Alden, let's go back. My parents are still waiting for you at home for dinner."

　　Thinking of her parents, I felt a little guilty.

　　Lacey's parents had different personalities from hers.

　　Her father was kind and talkative, and her mother was gentle and beautiful.

　　They always treated me well. Sometimes, they even treated me better than Lacey.

　　Perhaps, they thought that people would be good to each other.

　　Now that they were good to me, I would be good to Lacey.

　　Just as they had expected, I was tolerant of Lacey.

　　I never let her worry about me.

　　The first thing I did when I got home every day was to cook for her.

　　I just hoped that she could have a good rest after a long day's work.

　　But I didn't expect that she didn't take me seriously even though I had tolerated her.

　　We had to make things clear.

　　So, I didn't reject her.

　　However, I didn't take her car. Instead, I drove there myself.

　　She looked bad, but she did not say anything.

　　I followed her to her parents' house.

　　Before I even entered the house, I heard her mother say, "We don't have any fruit at home. Go buy something Alden likes."

　　"Okay, I'll go now."

　　Her father came to the door and saw us. He paused for a moment, and then a kind smile appeared on his face. "You're back. Come in. I'm going to buy some fruit. I'll be back soon."

　　I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to say.

　　On the way here, I had already imagined how her parents would scold me and blame me.

　　Never would I have imagined that not only did they not scold me, but they were smiling at me instead.

　　In the past, whenever I saw them, I would greet them enthusiastically, hoping to leave a good impression on them.

　　But now, I couldn't say anything.

　　Lacey took out my slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them on the ground.

　　I pursed my lips and put them on. "Thank you."

　　She paused and looked at me with a complicated expression.

　　I deliberately avoided her gaze and walked in with familiarity.

　　Mrs. Cantrell was busy in the kitchen. Hearing our voices, she hurried out. "Alden, you're here. Take a rest on the sofa. Dinner will be ready soon."

　　She and Mr. Cantrell smiled brightly as if I had never run away from the wedding.

　　Seeing the smile on her face, I felt even more guilty.

　　But that didn't shake my determination to break up with Lacey.

　　I sat on the sofa and looked at the turned-off TV.

　　Lacey poured me a glass of water and put it in front of me. "It's not the first time you've been here. Why are you so nervous?"

　　I looked steadily forward and indifferently replied, "Because this is not my home."

　　As I spoke, I added indifferently, "It's not the first time, but the last time."

　　Lacey clenched the cup in her hand, and her fingertips turned white.

　　She pursed her lips as if she was restraining something.

　　At the same time, the doorbell rang.

　　She got up and opened the door. The clear voice of her childhood sweetheart, Wayne Lawrence, came from outside the door.

　　"Lacey, what are you cooking at home? It smells so good."

　　As soon as he finished speaking, he changed his shoes and walked in.

　　He was even carrying a gift he specially brought.

　　When he saw me, he paused for a moment and forced a smile. "Alden, you're here too."

　　I glanced at him coldly. When I saw the slippers he was wearing, I froze.

　　His slippers were blue and cute with bear patterns.

　　It was a match to the pink ones Lacey was wearing.

　　The corners of my lips curled up into a self-deprecating smile and I swallowed my words.

　　Soon, it was time for dinner.

　　Mrs. Cantrell cared about my mood as usual. She was afraid that I would be reserved, so she asked Lacey to help me pick the food.

　　Lacey frowned and resisted it.

　　She always felt that it was dirty to pick food for each other. It was like we were drooling at each other.

　　I had the same experience when I came here before. At that time, she was full of confusion and asked, "Why do we have to pick up food for each other? Don't you feel sick?"

　　At that time, I was nervous. When I heard this, I instantly lost my desire to help and changed the topic.

　　Even now, she had not changed her mind, and her eyes were filled with disgust.

　　I smiled faintly and shook my head. "Don't bother, Mrs. Cantrell. I can pick food myself."

　　The smile on Mrs. Cantrell's face gradually froze. She glared at Lacey unhappily and then asked me to eat more with a smile.

　　Wayne raised his eyebrows, picked up a piece of meat in front of him, and put it in her bowl.

　　Lacey's eyebrows twitched slightly, but she didn't refuse.

　　She ate the meat with a calm expression.

　　Looking at the scene in front of me, I suddenly wanted to laugh.

　　She looked down on my physical contact, but she accepted all of Wayne's flattery.

　　If her parents hadn't been here, I would have heard so many harsh words.

　　Mrs. Cantrell's expression abruptly changed. Covering her mouth, she coughed. "Don't favor Wayne over Alden. You should take care of him."

　　Lacey glanced at me and reluctantly picked up a shrimp and put it in my bowl.

　　I was allergic to seafood.

　　We had been together for so long, but she still didn't know that.

　　From this moment on, I had no appetite.

　　I didn't touch the shrimp she put in my bowl.

　　After the meal, the shrimp was still in the bowl, which was particularly eye-catching.

　　I turned a blind eye and said with a faint smile, "Thank you for your meal, Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell."

　　"But there are still some things that I have to make clear. I've broken up with Lacey. I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell. I've let you down."

　　Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell froze on the spot. Lacey clenched her fists tightly and stared at me in silence.

　　On the contrary, Wayne became anxious. "Alden, what are you talking about? Why did you break up with Lacey for no reason? Aren't you treating your marriage as a joke?"

　　He asked while knowing why.

　　I just felt sick.

　　I smiled faintly and asked, "Don't you know the reason?"

　　"Alden!" Lacey interrupted me. Her face was gloomy and full of displeasure. "I told you, I only treat Wayne as my big brother. Don't be unreasonable."

　　Wayne's expression changed and he couldn't smile.

　　I looked at Lacey indifferently and suddenly felt a little tired.

　　I slowly stood up and said to Lacey's stunned parents in a low voice, "Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell, thank you for your hospitality. I'll treat you to dinner next time. I suddenly remembered that I have something to deal with, so I'll leave."

　　Mrs. Cantrell was a sensible person and could tell that there was something wrong with the atmosphere. She stood up reluctantly and said, "Okay, you're welcome to come here at any time."

　　That was impossible.

　　I nodded perfunctorily.

　　After leaving Lacey's place, I went straight to my friend's house.

　　Because of the marriage, he arranged a wedding car for me.

　　I had to take care of this.

　　When Damion saw me, he invited me in.

　　Then, he took out popcorn and sat cross-legged on the sofa.

　　"Tell me, what's going on with you."

　　"We don't get along well with each other and have different values, so we broke up."

　　I said it casually, but I felt particularly depressed.

　　None of us had expected such a thing to happen before the wedding.

　　I didn't tell Damion the truth because I wanted to save face for each other.

　　"You've been dating for so long, but you feel that you have different views of the world only now? What's going on?"

　　I looked at him and smiled without saying a word.

　　As a man, he could guess what was going on.

　　Damion gasped. "Don't tell me that you've been cuckolded just like I expected."

　　I pursed my lips and did not respond.

　　It was a silent agreement of his guess.

　　"Damn, I thought she was not sincere before, and I was right! She is tired of you and wants to be with another stupid guy!"

　　"Don't be so harsh. Everyone has their own choice."

　　Damion snorted and said straightforwardly, "It's okay. Cheer up. There are so many women in the world. You will find a suitable one sooner or later."

　　I chatted with him for a while.

　　After dealing with the wedding car...

　　I was in a much better mood.

　　I figured it out.

　　I was not bad. There was no need to humiliate myself for someone unrelated.

　　After adjusting my mood, I went back to work.

　　Colleagues who knew about my marriage all expressed their blessings.

　　I looked at their happy smiles.

　　I felt warm in my heart. After happiness, I felt a wave of melancholy.

　　Who would have thought that before they ate my wedding candies, I became single again?

　　"Alden, are you and your wife going to have a baby? At that time, you will ask for leave to be with her. Everyone knows that you will be the manager. If you choose your family, the loss will outweigh the gain."

　　The colleague next door moved his chair and sat next to me, whispering during lunch break.

　　I did have this problem before. I was reluctant to give up the opportunity to get promoted, but I was also reluctant to abandon the family that I had built.

　　But now, my worries were resolved.

　　"Don't worry. I won't have such plans in the next few years."

　　"What? Won't your family urge you to have a baby?"

　　I smiled faintly. "No one has the right to interfere in my affairs. No matter what, let nature take its course."

　　The colleague was stunned for a moment, then gave me a thumbs-up and praised me, "You're clear-headed. But you're right. It's your life. No one has the right to judge you."

　　Bitterness welled up in my heart. If I had been clear-headed, I wouldn't have turned back only now.

　　Next, I focused on my work and deliberately avoided everything related to Lacey.

　　Only then did I realize that it was so easy to avoid a her.

　　For five days in a row, I didn't see Lacey.

　　Just when I thought that she had given up on me, she came to me.