Chapter 1
When Victoria got home, I was sitting on the couch watching a movie.
She tossed her car keys onto the entryway table, then bent down to kick off her shoes.
“Nothing to do, yet you didn’t answer your phone?”
Victoria never probed unless she had a guilty conscience.
I didn’t even take my eyes off the TV screen. I casually replied,
“The movie was too good. Didn’t notice my phone.”
“The work dinner dragged on forever, that’s why I’m late. You don’t need to sit here waiting for me every day. Nobody wants to see you making yourself so pathetic.”
Back then, I would’ve painstakingly explained that this was all a display of my love for her.
But today, I suddenly couldn’t be bothered to say anything more.
Victoria sauntered over to me and casually handed me a luxury brand paper bag.
Today was the big premiere of Victoria’s company’s new show.
To celebrate and wish for great ratings, I had, as usual, left work early, cooked a nice meal with good wine, and invited a few mutual friends. We were all waiting for her to come home to watch the premiere together.
But after four episodes of the series aired, my friends ate dinner in an awkward silence and left one by one. Victoria, who had promised to be home early, was nowhere to be seen.
I pretended not to notice Victoria’s continuous ten hours of gaming history, took the shopping bag, and placed it on the carpet.
I had seen this bag once before, not long ago, when Victoria missed our wedding anniversary.
Even the shape and size were identical.
Victoria looked down at me for a moment, her brow furrowing, her voice turning cold:
“Liam, can you stop throwing a fit?”
Buying me gifts was Victoria’s most common way of apologizing.
If I accepted the gift, she’d assume whatever unpleasantness had passed. If I brought it up again, I’d be accused of “dragging things on endlessly.”
Now that I wasn’t making it easy for her, she was clearly annoyed.
“I’ll open it for you.”
Before I could even speak, she ripped open the packaging herself, pulled out a new watch, and handed it to me:
“The sales associate said this watch was really hard to get. You’ll definitely love it.”
I lifted my gaze. Victoria followed my eyes to the watch I had casually taken off and placed on the coffee table while rushing to prepare the big meal – it was identical to the one in her hand.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
“It’s late. Let’s clean up and get to bed. We have work tomorrow.”
I said, neither warm nor cold, and stood up to go to the bedroom.
“Tomorrow, I’ll have my assistant pick you up. You can go pick out a new one.”
Victoria’s tone had a rare hint of caution.
“No need.”
I refused her without even turning my head.
The next morning, perhaps sensing she had indeed gone too far, Victoria uncharacteristically offered to go to the office together.
Still feeling exhausted, I nodded and agreed.
She stood by her car, her face a mix of stifled anger and impatience.
I don’t know when it started, but Victoria had begun constantly finding excuses not to let me ride in her car. She guarded her passenger seat like a treasure, absolutely forbidding me from laying a hand on it, forcing me to buy my own car.
Whenever I asked about it, she’d raise her voice and scold me, saying I was losing my mind from too much internet, constantly causing a fuss over “passenger seat ownership,” and she didn’t have time for my inexplicable possessiveness.
But now, her passenger seat had practically become Finn’s personal throne.
Decorated with all sorts of puppy plush toys, plastered with cute puppy stickers.
The passenger seat itself was custom-made, just to ensure Finn, with his height and long legs, could sit comfortably.
Even the sun visor’s vanity mirror had been modified, just so Finn could check his flawless face anytime.
Victoria glanced at me, then sighed audibly and opened the car door, moving all the various puppy plushies to the back seat.
I watched her back and frowned slightly, saying,
“Don’t bother. I’ll just drive myself to work.”
Victoria buried her head, tidying the endless stream of puppy plushies:
“I promised to go together. Finn’s young, he just likes cute things like these. Don’t take it to heart.”
Even without the plushie decorations, the custom seat still looked garishly bright and clashed completely with the car’s overall style.
Ultimately, I still didn’t get into Victoria’s car.
No other reason, it just made my stomach churn.