Chapter 2

He paused for a few seconds after hearing my words. Then, in a tired and indifferent tone, he said, "Lena, we were too young back then. We mistook youthful passion for love. But now we're both thirty. It wasn't until I met Lily that I truly understood what love is."

Hearing this, I thought I would lose control—at the very least, I'd grab Xavier by the collar and scream at him, hit him. But instead, I was strangely calm. Though tears welled up in my eyes, I couldn't help but let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

Suddenly, Xavier's phone on the nightstand rang. The bright screen cut sharply through the darkness. In the silence, I heard a sweet and pitiful voice on the other end: "Xavier, I know I shouldn't call you when you're home... but it's thundering outside, and I'm really scared..."

A suffocating feeling spread from my chest, making it hard to breathe. Xavier, however, softened his voice and comforted her: "It's okay. I've already told Lena everything. Be a good girl and get under the covers. I'll come to you tonight."

At 2 a.m., I sat in Xavier's study. He always backed up his chat history, afraid of losing important client conversations. Thankfully, his password hadn't changed—it was still Ivy's birthday. I scrolled through his dense chat logs with Lily. There were a staggering 26,893 messages.

Last week, Lily texted Xavier: [Xavier, I cooked several dishes tonight. It's my first time cooking—I learned it just for you. Praise me!]

Xavier replied instantly: [Lily, you don't have to go out of your way to please me. You're already perfect just as you are. I love you exactly like this—pure and beautiful.]

Lily sent a tearful emoji and wrote: [Xavier, you're going to spoil me like this!]

[What's wrong with spoiling my own woman?]

My hands trembling, I kept scrolling. Last month—on the very day of our seventh wedding anniversary—he had slept with Lily that afternoon. Even on his way home, he couldn't resist messaging her: [It still looks a little red. Remember to apply the ointment again tonight, okay?]

Lily replied with a shy emoji: [Got it~ you little worrywart. It's all your fault—I never want to do it from behind again! But Xavier, can you promise me something? Don't touch her anymore... Just thinking about you kissing her makes my heart ache like it's going to shatter.]

[Silly, we did it eight times this afternoon. I'm not made of iron.]

I scrolled for what felt like forever. Finally, I found their chat logs from two years ago, right after their first time. Back then, Lily didn't call him "Xavier" yet: [Mr. Xavier, what happened last night was my choice. You don't need to take responsibility. I know you only held me and kissed me because you were drunk—I understand. Just having you once is enough for me. But I still want you to know... you were my first man.]

It was clear Xavier was conflicted. He didn't reply until the early hours: [That little bit of alcohol wasn't enough to make me drunk. I kissed you... because I couldn't help myself.]

I felt sick. I couldn't read any more. After backing up all their chat logs onto a USB drive, I hugged myself tightly and curled up in the chair. Muffled sobs escaped my throat—I wanted to cry out loud but had to hold it in, afraid of waking Ivy asleep in the next room. My heart felt like it was being shredded into a thousand pieces.

After all these years, I had grown so used to having Xavier by my side. Suddenly having to let go... pretending it didn't hurt was impossible.