In the end, he didn't so much as glance at me.

I knew I wasn't pretty. A face that ran a little round, still soft with baby fat, awkward no matter how I looked at it.

Once my hair was dyed forest green, the stylist laughed.

"Hey, gorgeous, I have to say, this color really suits you. Like a witch of the woods."

My smile came out worse than crying. "Does it? Maybe… this is the real me."

Not like Doris Swanson, who just had to stand there and the whole air around her went delicate and soft and lovely.

I went to the mall next door and bought a comfortable set of casual clothes.

When the salesgirl asked what to do with the dress, I said, "Throw it out."

It was just one of the things I'd bought guessing at what Kenneth might like. He didn't like it, and I didn't either. No use keeping it.

Back home, I emptied out more than half my closet—what could be given away, given away; what should be tossed, tossed.

I was still at it past six in the evening when Kenneth came back from the office.

He looked a little surprised to see me carrying bags out to throw away.

"It's the middle of the evening. What are you doing? I thought you loved that dress."

I kept my head down. "I don't anymore. So I'm throwing it out."

"That color on your hair…"

"It suits the mood."

"…"

He didn't press.

Coming in, he saw the dining table was bare.

"You…"

That was when I remembered I hadn't cooked.

"Sorry, I'm a little tired today. Let me order you some delivery."

His eyes settled on me.

"Don't bother. I'm not hungry."

He turned and went into the guest room.

As we passed each other, a faint scent of gardenia drifted off him.

That was Doris Swanson's scent.

Warm water came down from the showerhead.

Kenneth leaned against the bathroom wall, his head full of the image of Lorraine straddling his lap the night before.

He admitted there'd been a reaction. Those ten ginseng tonic pills hadn't been for nothing.

But what bothered him more was that he kept going back to that kiss.

Shameful, and somehow restless with it.

He soaped himself absently, one ear on the sounds outside the whole time.

Half an hour passed, and Lorraine never came in.

He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and decided he must be losing his mind.

How could he be hoping she'd come in and kiss him again.

It wasn't as if he even liked her.

He rinsed off the suds, pulled on a robe, and walked out.

A little thirsty, he told himself. He just wanted a glass of water from the kitchen.

But in the living room the lights were all off.

That was when he saw that Lorraine had already gone to sleep.

Something about it left him uneasy, and he turned and went back to the bedroom.

That night, he dreamed of the study, of Lorraine straddling his lap—and he didn't push her away…

The next morning when I woke, there was breakfast on the table.

Kenneth had cooked, which he rarely did. Seeing me, he smiled faintly. "You're up? You'd had some wine yesterday, so I made you a bowl of warm oatmeal to settle your stomach."

I gave a quiet hum.

Just as my heart started to ease a little, I saw the text again.

【Damn, what's going on? Mr. Farley actually made breakfast for the ex-wife?】

【No way—it's because he heard yesterday that our precious Doris has a bad stomach, and he wants to learn how to make soothing porridge. He's just practicing on the ex-wife.】

【I'm telling you, she looks like she's about to cry. She's not going to misread this as him liking her again, is she?】

【So shameless. Looking like that, no self-awareness at all, and still throwing herself at him.】

The more they cursed me, the colder I went inside.

I drank the porridge in silence.

Kenneth ate his sandwich, watching me from the corner of his eye. "Is it good?"

I hummed. "It's good."

When he makes it for Doris Swanson later, she'll probably like it.

I picked up the bowl and chopsticks and went into the kitchen, never noticing that behind me, Kenneth's gaze stayed fixed on me the whole time.

As he was heading out, he suddenly bent down, wanting to kiss me.

It startled me, and I leaned back out of his reach.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." He cleared his throat and explained awkwardly, "It's just, we're married. This is normal."

I gave a wry smile and waved him off. "No, no need. You don't have to do that anymore, ever."

You don't have to force yourself to accept me against your own feelings. Go do what you actually want to do.

I looked at Kenneth's handsome face and quietly drew a period at the end of this relationship.

Kenneth's face darkened, and he left for the office.

Now that the heroine had appeared, I figured our marriage would probably be over soon.

After that I'd be on my own, with no idea what to do.

I wanted someone to talk it through with, so I took a cab to my mother's place.

She was there, holding my little brother in the sun.

When she saw me, displeasure flickered in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

I explained awkwardly, "Nothing, I just wanted to see you. Mom, there's something I want to talk to you about—"

Right then, my little brother took a tumble.

She rushed over and scooped him up in a panic. "If there's something, just text me. His dad's coming back soon, and he doesn't like you, so hurry up and go."

So I sheepishly went looking for my father, only to find the gate locked tight.

I called him. On the other end I could hear waves, and a woman calling out to him with a laugh in her voice.

"I'm on vacation abroad. Don't call me unless it's important."

"Dad, there's something—"

"If there's something, tell your mother. Stop always coming to me for money! You're not only my child!"

And with a sharp click, he hung up.

I stood at the intersection, my mind a blank.

Right then, the floating text came through again.

【Yes! Yes! Our girl brought soothing chicken soup to Mr. Farley, and the two of them had a sweet little meal together all afternoon.】

【So sweet, so sweet. When does the ex-wife go offline? I want to see Mr. Farley burn for love.】

【Soon, soon. By the plot, in about two more months Mr. Farley should be proposing to our girl. Before that, the ex-wife will definitely get dealt with.】

I wanted to cry and couldn't, breaking down inside.

Even if I'm just a side character, shouldn't I get a little something sweet too?

Forget it. From the moment my parents divorced and neither of them wanted me, I've been used to this feeling, the one where the good things never come around to me.

I crouched by the side of the road and cried for a while before getting up to leave.

Right then, a black Mercedes slowed to a stop beside me.

The window rolled down, revealing a gentle face.

"Lorraine Barnes? What are you doing here?"

I looked up, and to my surprise, I recognized him.

"Caspar Lawson... Lawson?"

Caspar nodded. "Yeah, just got out of the lab. You looked familiar, so I came over to check."

He'd been Kenneth's startup partner back in college. Later they disagreed on direction, so he sold his stake and went out on his own, building his own medical company.

Apart from that brief glimpse at the wedding, we'd never seen each other again.

I hadn't expected him to still remember me, let alone get out of the car and hand me a pack of tissues.

For some reason I felt embarrassed. "Thank you..."

Caspar smiled. "What's wrong? Crying like this. Did Kenneth do something to you?"

The peanut gallery started up.

【Oh, this is Mr. Lawson, right? That big shot, rich, good-looking, and a man with heart!】

【I heard this guy's stayed single all along, focused on his career. Totally clean.】

【If you ask me, the ex-wife's just unlucky. If she'd caught Mr. Lawson's eye, she'd at least have a life of comfort and wealth, no worrying about him falling for someone else.】

【Hahaha, you're right. Mr. Lawson loves no one, only his career. Being with a man like that, honestly, is so damn convenient.】

Caspar... convenient?

Could it really happen?

I thought it over seriously, and then laughed at myself.

How many times do you have to fall flat before you stop spinning wild little fantasies?

That night, back home, I remembered what the floating system text had said. In two months, Kenneth would propose to Doris.

Going by that timeline, we'd be filing for divorce soon.

Before then, I needed to get my things in order, fast.

I was in the middle of sorting my clothes when I heard movement in the living room.

I stepped out to look. Kenneth was home.

And behind him, in pink, was Doris Swanson.

It was the first time I'd really looked at the so-called heroine.

She was beautiful. Genuinely.

These past days under Kenneth's care must have suited her. Doris had on a touch of light makeup, and she smelled sweet.

When she saw me, she was neither timid nor presumptuous.

"Hello, Lorraine."

I started to say, "I—"

But before I could get a word out, she went on.

"I'm only here to help Mr. Farley pack for his business trip. Please don't misunderstand."

I didn't misunderstand. This whole house is going to be yours someday.

I gave a loaded, awkward little smile and glanced at Kenneth, who was drinking a glass of water.

He met my eyes. "Pack me a few changes of clothes. I leave for San Francisco the day after tomorrow to close a project."

I had no choice but to agree.

I was about to get up when I saw the system text scolding me for sticking my nose in where it didn't belong, so I sat back down.

I smiled warmly at Doris. "Mr. Farley's bedroom is the master on the left, upstairs. Why don't you go pack for him?"

"You're his assistant. You know better than I do what he should wear for which occasion."

Surprise and a flash of excitement crossed Doris's face.

She tamped it down, lowered her voice. "Oh, I couldn't possibly."

"It's nothing. Go on."

After she went upstairs, Kenneth walked over, his face dark.

"Lorraine."

"Mm?"

"How could you let someone into my bedroom?"

"Why not? You don't even like me going into your bedroom."

Not just dislike. Letting me get anywhere near him looked like it would cost him his life.

Kenneth opened his mouth, then stopped, and tugged irritably at his tie.

He was about to say something when Doris came back downstairs.

I smiled gently. "All right. Aren't you supposed to be heading out for the trip? You two should get going."

Then I turned and went back to the guest room.

I figured I'd been perfectly gracious, that I'd done everything within my power.

My one hope was that, when the divorce came, he'd give me a little more in support.

Just like the system text said. I'd already lost the man. Walking away with some money wasn't a bad outcome.

Lying in bed, swallowing the hurt, I went to scroll through some videos.

Right then, a message came in from Caspar Lawson.

He said he'd just wrapped up some company business and asked if I was free to grab dinner.

I told him Kenneth was away on a trip and I was home alone.

He sent a photo of a table laid out with good food. "If you don't mind, come on over. We can talk about that recommendation letter you mentioned last time."

Staying home only meant stewing in my own head anyway, so without a second thought I caught a cab to the restaurant Caspar had booked.

Set aside all the tangled history, and Caspar really was a good friend.

He spoke in an unhurried way and always managed to be considerate of how I felt.

When he noticed I didn't eat cilantro, he thoughtfully swapped out a few dishes and replaced them with the red wine beef stew I liked.

The meal was nice, so I went ahead and took a picture.

I posted it on social media: 【Thank you, Mr. Lawson, for the dinner. Heart～】

I figured Kenneth never looked at my posts while he was traveling, so I didn't hide it from anyone.

What I didn't expect was that, just after eleven that night, a wild storm broke outside.

I'd just finished my shower and was about to sleep when I heard the keypad lock click open at the door.

Thinking the wind had knocked something over, I grabbed a light and went to check.

Instead, I found someone standing in the doorway, soaked through, his face grim and ugly.

When he saw me, Kenneth crossed the room in a few strides.

He pinned me against the wall, his eyes shot through with red.

"You went running to Caspar Lawson just because I wouldn't let you touch me the other day?"