Chapter 3
When I got out of the shower, I saw Scott sitting on the bed. He was smoking a cigarette with a complicated look on his face.
When he saw me, he quickly stubbed out the cigarette. "I'm sorry about the cake. Don't be mad, okay?" he said sincerely.
Saying nothing, I walked past him and went to the vanity to dry my hair.
"Let me help you."
Like a kid who'd done something wrong, he was desperately trying to make things up to me.
"There's no need for that," I said coldly. My eyebrows were pulled together in a frown.
Pursing his lips, Scott retreated to a corner, not daring to say a word.
Through the mirror, I could see how helpless he looked. Yet, it didn't trigger a flicker of emotion within me.
"Jennie, I feel like you've changed a lot. In the past, whenever I unfriended you, you would always add me back. But this time, not only did you not add me back, but you won't even accept my friend request."
Feeling the awkward tension in the air, he decided to change the subject.
I paused for a moment, suddenly feeling tears prick my eyes.
It was true. For the past ten years, I'd been the one to back down first in every argument. All Scott had ever done was wait for me to beg him for forgiveness.
I thought that so long as my love was sincere enough, I'd be able to melt his stone-cold heart one day.
I only realized how laughable I was when Margot appeared.
It wasn't that Scott never backed down; he just never backed down to me.
If Margot was ever upset about something, Scott would take the blame and think of ways to cheer her up.
When I didn't respond, Scott took my phone and keyed in a familiar PIN. However, he failed to unlock it.
"Did you change your password? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted some personal space, so I changed it," I replied indifferently.
I saw how Scott's expression turned panicked when he heard that. Frowning, he continued, "We're going to be husband and wife soon; is there really a need for personal space between us?
"I won't allow this. Change your password back now."
I chuckled. Wasn't he the first one to bring up having personal space?
Worried that I'd secretly read his chats with Margot, he had purposely changed his password without telling me.
He'd tried to play it off by saying, "We're adults now. What's wrong with having some personal space?"
So how could he get upset when I did the same thing?
I was too tired to deal with him any longer. I took my phone back and lay down on the bed.
"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."
Truly exhausted, I fell asleep within minutes.
As I drifted between sleep and consciousness, I felt someone hug me from behind.
A familiar voice reached my ears. "Jennie, I really like you. Don't leave me, alright?"
Frowning uncomfortably, I freed myself from his embrace.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Scott didn't leave for work early like he usually did. Instead, he made me breakfast.
"I made your favorite—coffee and toast. Have some before you go to work."
Nodding, I sat down. Just as I picked up the toast, Scott's phone rang.
"Scott, I didn't have breakfast today. I'm starving, and I'm worried that the baby won't get enough nutrition."
In the next second, the toast that I'd just picked up was snatched out of my hands. Then, Scott said anxiously, "Go buy something else to eat. I can't let Margot's baby go hungry."
With that, he packed up the toast and coffee before taking off.
Gazing at his retreating back, I snorted coldly.
As I expected, to Scott, Margot would always be the first priority.
In the past, I'd feel jealous or sad because of this. I was the one who'd stayed by Scott's side during tough times, so why did he devote all his affection to her instead?
Yet, I didn't feel anything at this moment because I didn't love him anymore.
It didn't matter who he made breakfast for or who he had feelings for.
Turning on my laptop, I submitted the letter of resignation that I'd written last night to HR.
I was afraid that HR would ask a lot of questions because Scott was my boss, so I added a note saying, "Mr. Lakin has approved this."
By the time I finished packing up my desk, the work day was over. Thus, I purchased a train ticket to my hometown.
Just as I was about to get into my Uber, I heard Scott coolly call my name from behind me. "Jennie."
I turned to find a black sedan parked in front of me. The windows rolled down, revealing Scott's face.
"Get in. I'll take you to see our marital home."
I'd been asking Scott about getting a marital home for three months, but he'd always reject the idea irritably.
"A home is a home so long as we can live in it. Our current place can also be our marital home, so why waste time finding a new one? If you have so much free time, why don't you go deal with all the admin tasks at work?"
We had bought our current place with the first commission Scott had gotten when he started his business. It was too small for two people to live comfortably in it, so of course it couldn't be a marital home.
However, he hadn't thought that there was a need to move. He'd grown attached to this home.
And I had believed him. That was until I'd accidentally found out that he had lied to me about going on a half-month-long business trip. Instead, he had used that time to find a proper place for Margot.
He'd been worried about things like location and safety. Not only that, but he'd also been concerned that the formaldehyde levels in the house would bring harm to Margot.
He'd practically viewed every single house in the city before finally purchasing a multi-million-dollar home complete with a sea view for Margot's pregnancy.
Before I could say anything, a familiar voice came from the passenger seat. "Jen, sorry for bothering you and Scott these days. My husband is always out having fun and is never home, so I have no other choice but to turn to Scott.
"But my husband has turned over a new leaf now. Now that he is ready to settle down properly, I'll be leaving very soon."
Glancing at Margot's small baby bump, I frowned. "I see. You two go ahead. I'll take a cab."
With that, I paid no mind to Scott's reaction and got into the Uber.
I didn't go to the address that Scott gave me. Instead, I went straight to the train station.
On the way there, I saw Margot upload a picture to her Instagram story.
It was a photo of her lying on silk sheets covered in rose petals. Both her hands were wrapped around a man's arm.
The caption read, "My childhood sweetheart is so sweet. He actually allowed me to be the first one to test out his marital bed. Haha!"
I quickly unfollowed her and blocked her without hesitation. Then, I boarded the train to go see my mother.
Meanwhile, Scott was waiting for me. When I never arrived, he began getting antsy and called me.
However, the line wouldn't connect. Helpless, he could only rush home.
On the way back, Margot found an exquisite box sitting on the passenger seat. She opened it to find a sparkling diamond ring inside.
"This is so beautiful. I love it."
Her eyes lit up. Margot took out the ring so that she could slide it onto her finger. However, Scott immediately seized it out of her hands.
"This is for Jennie."
I had always talked about how much I liked the rings from this particular store. He even had to use his connections to buy it.
He'd thought to himself, "Jennie would love this."
Margot's expression froze, and she awkwardly put the ring back into its box.
When Scott got home, he hid the ring behind his back, feeling nervous. He knocked on the door.
There was no response.
Realizing that something was amiss, he opened the door, only to realize that a lot of things were missing.
Taking a closer look, he discovered that all my things were gone.