Thomas enthusiastically ordered me around and Crystal did nothing to stop him.

I couldn’t help but recall how, on several occasions, I’d asked to move into the master bedroom. Crystal always refused, she said couples needed their own space.

Only during moments of passion, did she occasionally let me stay next to her. If I accidentally left something behind, she would coldly remind me to respect boundaries.

I used to think it was just her disciplined and reserved nature. However, I had seen the truth that she had never considered me the master of this home.

Crystal suddenly motioned her phone at me. Then I looked down to see a text she had just sent. When I looked down, I saw a message on the chat box.

It said, "Baby, Thomas and I are only getting married in name. It’s just for the sake of the company’s partnership. Don’t misunderstand.”

I couldn’t hold back a bitter laugh. Crystal still thought I was naïve enough to fall for her lies.

It was fine by me. If she says her marriage was fake, so be it.

I turned to the guest room to finish packing my things, only to see Thomas headed quickly to the guest room.

"Mr. Davis, Crystal is clinging so much to me. So, I think it's not right for you to stay here from now on. You should move out and find another place to stay," he advised.

“Oh? You’ve already started packing? And wow, your style is so similar to mine! What a coincidence!”

A cold chill crept through my heart.

Crystal's favorite activity was buying me clothes and watches on weekdays. I used to think it was proof of her affection and love for me. Even, then, as I looked at the closet full of clothing and accessories that were completely different from my taste, I could see that those clothes were perfectly suitable for Thomas who was standing in front of me.

I was never the owner of these things. I was just the cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest.

I didn’t bother asking any more questions, but Crystal pulled my hand with a sullen face and asked anxiously, "Why are you packing up without any reason? Answer me!”

I averted my face, unwilling to reply. Just then, Thomas extended his hand to grab my music box.

“Don’t touch that!”

With a loud crash, the music box fell to the floor, its lid and tiny figurines scatted into pieces on the floor.

“Oh … I’m so sorry, Mr. Davis. I didn’t mean to.…” Thomas held up his hand. It had scratched on it and he cried out, “Crystal, my hand … it hurts so much…”

Crystal immediately rushed to check his injury. Then, with a dark expression, she stomped on the broken remains of my music box.

She glared viciously at me, her voice filled with venom, “It’s just a stupid trinket! Tom, was it really necessary to make a scene?”

“Clean up this junk and get rid of this pile of shit away. I don’t want to see it in this house again!

After she said that sentence, she ground the fragments beneath her heel to emphasize her words before helping Thomas out of the room without a backward glance.

Tears fell onto the shattered remnants of the music box as sharp edges cut into my fingers, but I felt no pain.

I was sixteen when my parents were going through a messy divorce.

Lost and overwhelmed, I ran to my best friend Rick Lancaster’s house. He wasn’t home, but I ran into his sister, Crystal, who had just returned from shopping with her friends.

“Kid, you’re Rick's friend, right? Why are you crying? Tell me what’s wrong," she said.

I tried to leave, my eyes red and swollen, but Crystal stopped me. She shooed away her friends who were pestering her to play video games and made me sit down.

She asked me to wait there and disappeared into the pouring rain. She came back soaked but she was holding the best desserts from the city and piled them in front of me.

As she gently ruffled my hair, she comforted me. Then, with a mysterious smile, she pulled out a music box from behind her back.

The soft melody played as the tiny figurines of a prince and princess twirled in slow circles.

"Don't be afraid, Kid. No matter how others treat you, I, your wild older sister, will always protect you. Let this music box be the proof," she stated.

Her way of comforting me was so pure and straightforward that it shattered my helplessness. At that moment, I fell for Crystal completely for the whole ten years.

I still remember the promise she made at that time, but the person who swore it has long forgotten.

I held the broken pieces of the music box in my palms, stared at them one last time and tossed them into the trash.

If that was how it was, then the promise that I had with Crystal, I did not need it anymore. Never again.

Crystal did not come home that night.

The next morning, after shipping my belongings back to my family’s house, I went to the office to print my resignation letter and planned to deliver it to her personally.

On my way there, Crystal sent me a message. It said, "Baby, I spoke too harshly yesterday. I went back to the company to work until late so I crashed in the office. I just woke up and I'll be home soon."

I looked at her empty office and placed my resignation letter on her desk. I did not reply to her messages. Instead, I exited the chat box and removed her from my favorite contacts.

Moments later, a friend request popped up. It was from Thomas. As soon as I accepted, a message appeared in my dialog box.

“Crystal, don’t forget to grab more condoms when you’re back from the convenience store! We ran out of it last night. You were just too wild.…”

The text ended with a string of suggestive emojis.

Two minutes later, he retracted the message and wrote a message inside, "Ahh … Mr. Davis … I had accidentally sent the wrong messages. You didn’t see anything, right?”

A wave of bitterness washed over me. I did not bother playing along with his act, but instinctively clicked into his social media profile.

Photo after photo scrolled past, each post played out like a film before my eyes.

Turned out, he had been back in the city for a month. In that month, Crystal had taken the opportunity to accompany him to various destinations.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, Mount Fuji in Tokyo.…

All the places I had begged her to visit with me over the years.

She would always hug me and promise, “Sure, sure, once work calms down, I’ll take you there.”

I had waited for eight years for her to make time but she never got free time for me.

However, in just one month Thomas came back here and she suddenly was not busy anymore.

Every place the two of them visited, she would pose for countless photos with him.

In all our years together, she had never once allowed me to point my camera at her.

“If my brother finds out I stole his best friend, that brat will probably curse me to death.”

“Baby, you’re my secretary. Office romances attract gossip and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

But when you truly love someone, how could you hide it?

I was a fool. For eight years, Crystal had kept our relationship a secret. I should have known a long time ago that she never loved me at all!

I was about to exit the app when Thomas’s latest post popped up.

It was a photo. Its background was a large bed. Thomas was topless. He was pinning a woman beneath him and their fingers intertwined.

It was a short video and when I clicked on it, a familiar voice filled the room.

"Thom …."

The same breathy sound that Crystal had whipped countless times in my ears, "Tom."

Tom and Thom sounded the same.

So, all this time, the one she had been calling out to was never me.

Tears finally spilled unstoppable from my eyes and landed squarely on Thomas’s caption.

“Last night’s sweet memories. She told me that a counterfeit will always be a counterfeit, it can’t compare to the real thing, not even a little.’”

I wiped my tears, casually gave the post a like and walked out of the office.

I turned around, and on my way out, I ran into my good friend, Rick. He came here to run an errand. Without thinking, I told him, “I’m heading to New Boonville soon. I’m getting married.”

Over the years, I had kept my relationship with Crystal a secret at her insistence. Every time Rick brought up relationships, I’d deliberately change the topic.

Now that I was leaving, I owed him a proper goodbye.

He stared at me in shock. “So sudden? Does this mean we’ll barely see each other from now on?”

I nodded reluctantly. Before I could explain further, he grabbed my arm firmly.

“Tom, you’ve always said work keeps you busy and I’ve never had the chance to introduce you properly to my mom. But now that you’re leaving, you have to come to tonight’s family dinner!”

Just like that, he dragged me to attend the family banquet that his family was organizing in the evening.

For years, I avoided his invitations because Crystal insisted that we should wait until she could formally disclose our relationship and bring me to the Lancaster Family as their future son-in-law, then introduced me to her mother.

After all these years we had been together, she never brought me to meet her parents.

Ironically, now that I was leaving, the opportunity had finally come.

After getting ready, Rick and I arrived at the Lancaster Family's home halfway through the dinner.

There, standing beside his parents, was Crystal. She linked her arm with Thomas’s. Around them, guests from all circles took turns congratulating them on their engagement.

So, tonight’s dinner was actually an official announcement of their engagement.

Crystal did not even try to hide her eagerness to proclaim to the world that she was marrying Thomas.

I instinctively wanted to leave, but Rick had already pulled me toward them.

“Mom! Dad! I finally brought my best friend to meet you!" he called out.

Crystal froze the moment she saw me. She loosened her hold on Thomas’s arm ever so slightly.

As soon as Lancaster's matriarch saw me, her face lighted up with joy.

“I’ve heard so much about you from my son," she said. "He told me how hardworking and upright you are. When I meet you in person, you truly have such a kind and handsome face!”

I offered a stiff smile and shook my head politely.

Watching her warm and affectionate demeanor left a hollow ache in my heart. We could have been a pair of harmonious mother-in-law and son-in-law.

“By the way, Mr. Davis,” she added, “Rick told me you’ve been so focused on work all these years so you haven’t had time for a girlfriend. There are many lovely young women at tonight’s dinner. Would you like Auntie to introduce you to someone?”

Before I could decline, Crystal let out a cold laugh, "He doesn't need that."

Of course, I did not. After all, I was going to back to my mother and marry out of obligation anyway.

Rick added, "Mom, Tom really doesn’t need your help. My dear friend here is getting married soon in New Boonville! Who knows how many times I’ll get to see him in a year after this ....”

Crystal’s smug expression froze when she heard Rick's words Her eyes darkened as she stared at me, her emotions unreadable.

Halfway through the dinner, I stepped away to use the restroom. When I returned to the dining room, Crystal was waiting for me. Looking up, she pouted slightly, her tone tinged with playful reproach,

She grabbed my arm and pulled herself into my embrace, then leaned lazily against me. “Baby, stop making up stories about marrying someone else. Hearing it makes me jealous, you know.”