Gareth's POV

Everyone in the city knew that Marjorie and Silas were sworn enemies.

Every time they crossed paths, it turned into a fight.

Back in school, it was brutal. Silas once laced her lunch with poison, and Marjorie had someone throw a sack over his head and beat him half to death.

Eventually, they made a truce that as long as neither crossed the line, they’d stay out of each other’s way.

And yet, that same man, whom she hated most, walked in today, humiliated me in front of everyone, and still, somehow, she turned on me.

“Gareth,” she said, her face tight with anger. “You went too far this time. Silas was just joking. Don’t make it look like we can’t take a little fun. Apologize to him.”

I almost laughed. But the ache in my chest made it bitter. With a shaky voice, I asked, “Did you forget everything he’s done to you? To us?”

“I broke his collarbone for you, and that scar’s still on his chest. What more do you want?” Her expression was one of disbelief, like I was the unreasonable one.

And for a moment, I forgot why I’d even risked my life pulling her from the wreckage that day when he rammed her family’s car.

Back then, her body was covered in blood, too weak to stand, but she clung to my waist with everything she had. She whispered that she hated him and that she was lucky she still had me.

Back then, I believed her.

But now, I just felt exhausted.

As such, I stood, phone in hand, ready to walk out.

But her grip clamped down on my arm, sharp and painful.

I wrenched free and slapped her.

The crack echoed through the room, making everyone freeze except Silas.

A red mark bloomed across her cheek.

While she didn’t say a word, the look in her eyes said she was truly angry this time.

But why? Why was she allowed to be angry when I was the one betrayed?

My hand throbbed from the strike. Yet, I still grabbed my bag and left the private room.

Behind me, I could still hear them talking.

Silas, toweling his hair dry, clapped her on the shoulder and sneered. “Doesn’t look like the man you once nearly killed me for is worth much after all.”

Then he chuckled, “But hey, seeing how pathetic you look now, I’ll make it easy for you. Go run after him before he leaves. Don’t wait until he’s gone for good and you have to break my collarbone all over again.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the redness in his eyes. Just a trace. But it was enough to make Marjorie frown.

Paying no further attention to it, I closed the door behind me and silently counted one to three.

I was foolish enough to believe she still remembered that I told her once that no matter how angry I was, no matter how much I wanted to leave, I would always wait for her three seconds.

But then, I heard her say, “Silas, I’m sorry for what happened back then.”

I froze.

I thought Marjorie would never, in her lifetime, say those words to him.

After all, Silas killed her father in that crash and tied me up, forcing her to sign a settlement agreement.

Back then, he gave her two choices. Either sign the paper and he’d let me go, or kill him.

Her eyes were bloodshot back then as she chose a third way. She grabbed a knife, hacked through his collarbone, and shattered his knee with a kick.

Then she signed and told him coldly, “If you survive today, consider it your luck. But I won’t ever show you mercy again. A madman like you doesn’t deserve a prison cell. It’d just be a waste of resources. One day, I’ll make you kneel and beg forgiveness.”

With his hateful glare burning into her, she had walked me out that night.

It was the first time I ever saw her cry. She whispered “sorry” over and over, clinging to me like I was her only anchor.

But tonight, on the cab ride home, my phone stayed silent. Not a single call from her.

Instead, I saw through her friends’ posts online that she was laughing, bantering, and even drinking with Silas.

It turned out their atmosphere didn't even tense up even after I left.

Gareth's POV

Maybe they’d already made peace a long time ago. Maybe I was the only one still holding grudges, clinging to old wounds like a fool.

That night, I called up my childhood friend, Derek Lawson, a lawyer, and asked him to draft up divorce papers.

After hearing my request, he was stunned. “You’re divorcing Marjorie? What happened? Did she beat you?”

“No,” I said quickly. “She treats me well.”

Then, I explained, just briefly, about her forgiving her so-called sworn enemy.

Filled in, he let out a sharp laugh, half angry, half bitter. “Unbelievable.”

He then promised me he’d handle the divorce quickly.

It was still our batch reunion, but when I walked home from the noisy event place, the silence inside was suffocating.

At four in the morning, Marjorie finally stumbled back, reeking of alcohol. She climbed into bed and pulled me tight against her. Her lips brushed over mine, hot and insistent.

After three years of marriage, I knew what she wanted.

She pressed her body against me, one hand fumbling at the nightstand.

Heat flooded through me under her kiss until I heard a crisp sound of plastic.

Like ice water, my desire froze.

“Honey,” she whispered, “put on a condom first, then we’ll keep going.”

Clenching my jaw, I firmly refused.

And without warning, Silas’s words from earlier replayed in my head. "We even made a deal that until the scar on my collarbone healed, she wouldn’t give you a child."

My stomach churned after remembering that. I shoved her away, together with the condom she had forced into my hand.

Using a condom had never been a problem with me before, but somehow my eyes stung with tears now.

Turning away, I whispered, “Let’s get divorced.”

But when I looked back, she was already asleep.

Just then, her wedding ring slipped from her pocket, clinking softly to the floor.

She must’ve taken it off tonight, probably afraid of scratching Silas during whatever “game” they played.

I stared at it for a long time before slipping off my own ring and placing it in the nightstand drawer.

The next morning, Derek messaged me that the divorce agreement was ready.

Following that was another notification about the amusement park tickets.

Last week was my birthday, yet she skipped it, saying she had to work late, and booked the tickets as compensation.

Normally, after drinking, she would’ve slept until noon. But today, she was up early, fixing herself up in the new clothes I’d bought her just days ago.

Watching her in front of the mirror with a face mask on, my feelings twisted.

“Marjorie,” I said carefully, “I’ve got something to take care of today. The amusement park—”

“You go by yourself,” she interrupted, eyes on her phone. “I’ve got a client meeting. I’ll cancel it and just reschedule it for next week.”

I was stunned upon hearing her flat tone while saying that. It seemed almost rehearsed.

As she was busy fumbling with her phone, she didn’t even notice how gray my face had gone.

But just then, my phone buzzed with two notifications.

[Your amusement park reservation has been canceled.]

[Mrs. Frost, your payment for two adult tickets has been confirmed.]

Seeing my expression, she cupped my face and gave me a quick, half-hearted kiss. “Don’t sulk. You never used to be like this.”

She didn’t even try to coax me further. She just slipped on her shoes and headed for the door.

Choking back the lump in my throat, I asked, “This ‘client,’ is he more important than me?”

She looked back with a forced little smile and replied, “Don’t say that. I’m making money so we can reach financial freedom sooner, that’s all.”

And then she was gone.

But her spare phone lay flashing on the couch. Most of the messages on it were synced with her main one.

I picked it up and discovered that besides me, two group chats were pinned at the top.

At that sight, my palm began sweating.

One was with her friends, which I was also in.

The other also had the same people in it.

The only difference was that the only man in it wasn’t me.

It was Silas.

Gareth's POV

The latest messages in the second group chat stopped last night.

[Seriously, Silas, you show up and don’t even warn us? Don’t you know Gareth was there?]

[Exactly. Don’t let him find out you and Marjorie are getting close again!]

[I don’t get it. What does their feud have to do with some outsider?]

Silas replied to the last message, [Some men are petty. Maybe he thinks if Marjorie and I make up, he has no place anymore.]

Through all of it, Marjorie never defended me. She didn’t say a single word to explain that I hated Silas because the guy had picked on me for three years.

On impulse, I scrolled further back and found that the group chat had been created on our wedding day.

That night, Marjorie told me she couldn’t be touched as she had a difficult client to handle. But instead of working, she’d been chatting all night in that group.

I wiped the tears from my face and called Derek. “I feel like going to the amusement park today. Are you free?”

After the call, I wrapped myself up tight and went.

As soon as we met at the park, he handed me the divorce agreement.

Knowing me well, he bluntly asked, “Are those two inside?”

I nodded.

He ground his teeth with anger. “That idiot Marjorie. She didn’t even care that her father was killed by that bastard. She also knew how badly Silas picked on you just because of her.”

He was right. It all started when I saved her and made our relationship public. After that, I was mysteriously locked in a bathroom and forced to drink disinfectant. If someone hadn’t found me in time, I wouldn’t be here.

Because of me, their feud only got worse.

Despite the size of the park, I found the two of them fast. Silas had his arm around her and was feeding her a double-scoop ice cream.

They were talking softly, but I could hear everything.

“We shouldn’t go out alone anymore,” Silas was saying. “Even if I don’t do anything, your husband will always be hostile. I’m a guy, too. I’ll feel slighted.”

He wiped his eyes and added, “That night three years ago, I was drunk. Let’s just act like nothing happened, and keep pretending to be enemies.”

So that was why, before our wedding night, she was unreachable. It turned out she was busy with him. No wonder she had time to get a beauty mark tattooed on her private part.

Even though I’d braced myself, his words hit me like a bucket of cold water.

But Derek's temper flared. He rolled up his sleeves and lunged forward.

I quickly grabbed him, but a kid holding an ice cream cone bumped into us, and the sticky mess splattered across my shirt.

When I looked up, Marjorie was using her finger to wipe the ice cream from Silas’s lip.

I felt ridiculous, covered in melted ice cream, fumbling to clean my chest but only making it worse.

Her voice then cut through as she said, “I stopped blaming you a long time ago. My dad used to yell at you. So, him getting hit by you was only his karma.” She shrugged. “As for Gareth, without him, maybe you and I could have been together already. I always thought that sometimes hate at its extreme is just another kind of love.”

Silas’s eyes lit up. “Then will you accept if I offer you a wedding?” he asked.

At that moment, my vision blurred, so I couldn’t tell if she nodded or not.

Shortly, Derek quickly covered my eyes, cursing under his breath. “That ungrateful bitch! If you hadn’t dragged her out of that car back then, grass would be six feet high on her grave by now! You helped her unconditionally, and now we'd learn she's been stabbing you in the back for years! Divorce isn’t enough! I’ll make sure she walks away with nothing!”