Nathan's POV

Cassandra casually picked up a bottle of wine before answering, “Nathan and I are basically an old married couple already. He doesn’t care about this kind of stuff. But Daniel is different. He’s alone in another city, with no one around him. He needs a little extra warmth.”

As I listened to them, I stood outside the door, my chest turning cold.

Most of my paycheck went straight into Cassandra’s hands every month, and the furniture in our wedding home had been collected piece by piece after I scoured every discount store in the city.

I still remembered one time, I had my eyes on a sofa worth over two thousand yuan, but she immediately pulled a face.

“Two thousand? For a sofa? Can’t you just sit on the floor?”

In the end, she picked another one. But when she paid, she looked annoyed, although the receipt only read over two hundred.

Turned out, she could be this generous, just never with me.

On the drive home, I rolled the windows down all the way, and the wind whipped across my face, stinging like knives.

Three years.

I couldn't believe I’d been a fool for three whole years.

When I first told her I wanted to design our home myself, she wrapped her arms around my neck and said yes.

At that moment, I really believed she had me in her heart.

She remembered, she had to remember.

That day when the street punk came at her with a knife, I didn’t hesitate and stepped in front of her. While the blade missed my heart by just one centimeter, I was in a coma for three days and nights. She cried at my bedside back then, swearing she’d love me forever.

But she hadn’t kept that in her heart.

Or maybe, to her, that scar was just a reason to live recklessly, knowing I’d never stop protecting her.

The doctor once warned me that too much stress could tug at the nerves around that old wound. So I tilted my head back, trying to swallow down the bitterness, but my chest still felt unbearably heavy.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was Cassandra with loud rock music blasting in the background.

“Nathan, the girls are throwing me a ‘single-life farewell’ party tonight. Go to bed early, don’t wait up.”

I paused for two seconds before noting, “Alright.”

By three in the morning, I still couldn’t sleep, so I scrolled through social media.

There, I saw Rachel had posted a photo set with the caption: [Cheers to my bestie’s last night of freedom!]

The center photo in the collage showed Daniel, grinning smugly, holding his car keys just high enough to show off the Ferrari logo like a lighter’s spark.

Meanwhile, Cassandra was practically hanging off him, her body pressed to his side. His other hand rested firmly on her waist.

The comments section was blown up.

[Damn, isn’t that the Ferrari SF90? That’s insane!]

]These two look perfect together. What a shame.]

[@Cassandra girl, better be careful. Don’t let Nathan see this!]

Cassandra herself chimed in.

[Nathan isn’t that petty. If he’s going to throw a fit over this, then maybe we shouldn’t get married at all.]

After reading her reply, I shut off my phone, expressionless.

She knew exactly how far she could push me. She knew I’d swallow the pain when she sold our house. She knew I’d keep quiet when she bought Daniel a car worth half a million. She knew I’d accept every excuse of ‘we’re just friends.’

But this time, the scar in my chest didn’t ache anymore.

Because I was done.

I didn’t want to endure it any longer.

The next day, I went to the hospital for a check-up alone.

“How many times have I told you? On rainy days, the wound aches. You need someone with you to hold the bandage, to make sure you apply the medicine properly.”

The doctor scolded me helplessly, but I could only force a smile. “I’m a grown man. I’ll manage.”

Not long after I left the hospital, the skies split open with a downpour.

Quickly, I ducked into a small corner bistro to get out of the rain. But when I looked up, I froze.

There was Daniel, leaning forward, smiling ear to ear, holding out a spoon.

And right then, Cassandra leaned across the table and took a bite of the cheesy corn he fed her.

Nathan's POV

The distinctive car key was also on the table, glinting.

And the watch on Daniel’s wrist was the same one Cassandra told me last week she had “bought for an important client.”

Seeing that scene, I let out a bitter laugh, turned up my collar, and walked home in the pounding rain.

By the time she came back, I had just stepped out of the shower, water still dripping from my hair.

She froze for a second when she saw me. “Why do you look like a drowned rat?”

“I went to the hospital,” I said flatly.

Her expression stiffened at once. “Why’d you go to the hospital today?”

I chuckled softly. “I’ve told you more than once.”

Irritated, Cassandra ran a hand through her hair and snapped, “I’ve been busy, alright? I forgot. Anyway, your wound’s healed by now. Missing one check-up won’t kill you.”

I held her gaze and relayed what the doctor had said. “The doctor said if I don’t take care of it, it could relapse.”

That shut her up for a moment. But when she looked back up, there was a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. “You’re not trying to use that scar to guilt-trip me again, are you?”

So that was what it was to her. My reminder wasn’t about my health. It was me playing for credit.

Seeing me just staring at her, her anger flared up. “Why are you giving me that dead look again? I was just unable to go with you! Is that worth sulking over?”

But my eyes flicked to her collar, and I emotionlessly said, “You didn’t wipe the cheese off your shirt.”

She instinctively reached for her neckline, but then froze mid-motion.

“You…”

I added slowly, “Also, Daniel’s watch looks good on him.”

Her face flushed dark red. She jabbed her finger at me, shaking with rage. “You were following me? Nathan, what’s wrong with you! So what if I had dinner with him? What’s the big deal? He’s out there alone, struggling, no family, no support. Don’t you think that’s pitiful? You really have to be this petty? What’s the point?”

I laughed, but it came out harshly. “Funny thing, I was at the hospital alone today, too. But I didn’t see you feeling sorry for me.”

Caught in a corner, she tried to reason, “How can you compare yourself to him? And don’t you dare say I never cared about you, 'cause I have! Just not the way you demand, okay?”

But before she could finish, her phone rang, and it was Daniel again.

Swiftly, she snatched it up and answered it.

“Cassandra, I think I caught a fever in the rain. My head’s spinning,” the man said in a weak voice.

Panicked, she immediately replied, “Stay home. I’ll be right there!”

Afterward, she quickly hung up and grabbed her bag without so much as a glance at me.

Only when she was at the door did she turn back and say, “Stay here and think about what you’ve done. Tomorrow you’re coming with me to pick out the flowers for the wedding party. And stop with these cheap tricks, like spying on me. It’s pathetic.”

Then she was gone.

Her words buzzed in my ears long after the door shut.

Pathetic.

She was right.

But why had it taken me so long to see?

It seemed my heart had been blind for years.

The next day, we drove to the florist, and the air inside the car felt suffocating.

So at a red light, I put on my headphones and turned my face toward the window.

Meanwhile, Cassandra pulled out a big powder puff, reapplying her makeup nonstop.

“Those apartments on the south side are pretty nice. It's a good location and the transportation is convenient,” she suddenly started and sneaked a glance at me, waiting for a response.

But I said nothing.

Thinking I might not have heard her, she cleared her throat and raised her voice. “They say it’s a new development, better environment. Lots of young couples love renting there. Why don’t we check it out?”

Still, I didn’t even open my eyes, just let out a low grunt through my nose.

This time, her brows furrowed tight, and her tone sharpened. “Nathan, I’m talking to you!”

Nathan's POV

Slowly, I opened my eyes. “I’m listening. So what’s your point?”

Cassandra instantly deflated, like a balloon pricked with a pin.

“Hmph, talking to you is like playing music to a cow. Forget it, I was just making small talk.”

The breeze from the open car window cleared my head a little.

“Cassandra, about the house, don’t you have something you should tell me?”

I studied her profile as this was her last chance to confess her sin.

But she dodged my eyes and muttered, dry and flat, “Nope. Didn’t I already go along with you on everything?”

My gaze dropped, and with it, my heart sank all the way down.

Until the very end, she was still pretending, still too stingy to give me even one honest word.

If she just told me the truth now, maybe... no. Who was I kidding? Not anymore.

My fists clenched tight. So this was what all my sacrifices had bought me, her reckless, unrestrained betrayal.

Sensing my silence, she twisted strands of hair around her finger, uneasy.

Next to the florist was the furniture store where I ordered a walnut dining set. I walked straight in and spotted my order, now finally completed.

I was about to pay when a shrill, effeminate voice rang behind me.

“Cassandra? Weren’t you supposed to help me pick out a crystal chandelier today?”

Him again.

When Daniel spotted me, he made a show of covering his mouth. “Oh, Nathan? My bad, didn’t see you standing there.”

He glanced around theatrically and amusedly commented, “Oh, wow, you two are here shopping too? This place has the most gorgeous chandeliers, perfect for a big loft! Cassandra even said last time she wanted to put one in my new place!”

My fingers curled one by one into a fist.

So she had already planned his “new home,” while I was still standing guard over a hollow shell she had sold off, still waiting for some kind of explanation.

Daniel picked up a brochure and waved it in my face. “Here, Nathan, look at this one. Flown in from Italy. Imagine it in the entryway. Wouldn’t it look amazing?”

I waved him off, pushing the brochure back. “No thanks. I’ve already made my choice. You two take your time.”

Daniel blinked, then lifted his wrist in a limp flourish, feigning deep injury. “Ohhh, what’s this? You don’t want me here? Should I leave?”

But before he could take a step, Cassandra grabbed his hand tightly. “Why are you leaving?”

She swung her head back at me, eyes blazing. “Nathan, Daniel is family now. Can’t you treat him with some respect? Don’t bring your bad temper from outside back into our home!”

Her words stopped me cold.

Family? Since when? And how come I, the so-called man of the house, was the last to know?

But then again, what did it matter? She could sell our home without asking me. Why would she need my approval for anything else?

Having that thought, I laughed bitterly and remarked, “This little sissy only looks good in your eyes. If he wants to leave, let him leave. What’s with all the whining?”

Both of them froze, caught off guard by my bluntness.

“Who are you calling a sissy?” Daniel snapped. “Watch your mouth!”

He huffed and puffed like he was storming out. “Fine! I’ll leave, no need to insult me!”

But Cassandra tightened her grip on his hand. “Nathan, we’re about to get married. Can you act like a grown man for once? From the engagement until now, you’ve never treated me kindly. And now you’re dragging Daniel into it?”

Daniel tugged on her arm, though his body pressed even closer to hers. “Cassandra, don’t. Just drop it.”

But Cassandra’s temper finally snapped. “No, I won’t drop it! I’ve had enough! Nathan, keep pushing! Go ahead and make a scene! And when your wound splits open again because of your tantrums, don’t you dare turn around and blame me for not warning you!”