Chapter 3

Exhausted, I fell asleep on the sofa until Declan came home and woke me up. He was reeking of alcohol, staggering as he walked.

“Honey, I’m back…”

he said with a smile.

“Sorry, I had a business dinner tonight, so I came back late.” I smiled bitterly, the smile not reaching my eyes, yet I still fulfilled my duty as a wife.

I went to help him, undoing his tightly buttoned tie and loosening the collar.

“Thank you, honey, you’re so good.”

I gazed at Declan, realizing his gratitude was very perfunctory.

If he paid a bit more attention, he would have noticed the redness and swelling in my eyes. Perhaps pretending to deal with me has become a habit for him.

I helped Declan to the bed, undressed him, and prepared to clean his face and body.

Drunk, Declan’s willpower slackened, as if he let down his guard, revealing his true feelings with weary vulnerability.

“Cora…”

I flinched, thinking I was hallucinating. I stared at Declan, my nails digging into my palms. “Cora.” The cruel reminder echoed again.

In a self-destructive manner, I subconsciously imitated Cora’s tone.

“Declan.” Declan suddenly grabbed my hand tightly, his drunken eyes filled with tenderness and affection. “Cora, as long as you’re happy, everything I do is worth it.”

A short sentence fixed me once again in the cage of deception. I felt breathless, everything before me becoming bizarre, and I fled from the bedroom in a mix of running and hiding.

It turns out the love I chose without hesitation was a joke from start to finish.