Chapter 3
Ryan claimed he’d played games all night and hadn’t slept well, so he wanted to catch up on some sleep. He tried to pull me towards the bedroom.
If I hadn’t caught a glimpse of the hickey on his collarbone, I might have almost believed his pathetic lies.
“Alice?! What is this?”
“Are you doing this just to piss me off? Where are our wedding photos?”
He pointed furiously at the empty spot on the wall, his eyes bloodshot.
“Threw them out.”
Ryan’s body stiffened for a moment, his fingers trembling. “I’m already so tired, why do you keep making trouble? I’m sorry, I’ll apologize, okay? Just put the photos back.”
“I don’t have feelings for her. I’m just purely helping her complete her wish list.”
In the beginning, I, too, naively believed that Ryan was just doing Chloe Miller a favor.
When she had a stomach ache, he personally cooked porridge and fed it to her.
When the power went out, he stayed with her all night.
He took her to the amusement park that I had always wanted to go to.
He even went to the lingerie store with her and personally helped her pick out her underwear.
Every single one of these things was on Chloe’s thirty-three-item wish list.
She had personally sent it to me, neatly arranged, one scandalous wish after another.
She sent it to me, then quickly unsent it.
Claiming she had accidentally tapped the wrong person.
That was the moment I finally understood how utterly stupid I had been.
There was nothing innocent about their relationship anymore.
“The cleaning lady took them away to dispose of them.”
Ryan’s expression instantly shattered.
I chuckled again. “We can take new ones later.”
With Chloe.
His warm hand gently placed itself on my shoulder. “Good. We’ll take even better ones in the future.”
Just then, a sudden phone ring broke the awkward silence.
It was the real estate agent for secondhand homes.
She was asking if I was truly serious about selling the house.
Because I was putting it on the market for almost half its value.
All these properties Ryan had transferred to my name when he proposed.
A large riverside penthouse, a suburban villa, and two four-bedroom apartments in prime downtown locations.
“Yes, I’m really selling. The contract’s already signed. Please find a buyer as soon as possible; I need the money urgently.”
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Ryan’s grip tightened on my wrist.
I gasped, sucking in a sharp breath of pain.
He seemed not to notice, his voice urgent as he questioned me. “Who was that on the phone?”
“The agent.”
“You’re selling houses? Which ones?”
Seeing the panic on his face, I felt a secret thrill.
I had originally intended to tell him, but now I just wanted to watch Ryan squirm, completely in the dark.
“Someone asked me to inquire about them.”
A faint trace of color returned to his pale lips.
“That’s good.”
“Alice, all my time belongs to you now. I won’t let Chloe bother us again.”
I raised an eyebrow, but before I could voice my doubts, Ryan took another call.
A few minutes later, he rushed out the door in a panic, not even bothering to change his slippers.
I waved dismissively.
And continued to pack my luggage.
It wasn’t until I was almost done that Ryan called, attempting to explain himself.
“Alice, Chloe’s depression has flared up again. I’m afraid she’ll do something stupid, you know she has suicidal tendencies.”
I scoffed. “You don’t need to tell me. I don’t want to know.”
From the other end of the line, Chloe’s sobbing voice drifted through.
“Alice, I’m so sorry, I can’t control myself. I just want to end it all…”
“That way, you can be with Ryan forever…”
“Yeah, then die. Honestly, nobody really cares.”
I held the phone, marveling at how well Chloe could act.
My psychologist had clearly told me that Chloe was perfectly healthy.
A sudden burst of noise came from the other end.
Then, Chloe’s heart-wrenching sobs mingled with Ryan’s enraged roar.
“Alice, you are truly evil! I wish I could rip you open and see if your heart is made of iron!”
“You are the root cause of Chloe’s depression!”
“If you hadn’t constantly misunderstood her, why would she have become like this?! Do you only find happiness by driving her to her death?!”
I said, “Yes.”
“You’re amazing,” he said through gritted teeth.
Slam! The phone went dead.
Ryan had probably thrown his phone.
But that wasn’t my concern.
There were still four days until our wedding, and I had finished packing all my belongings.
Only a few minor things were left to handle.
Soon, I would say goodbye to Ryan completely.
I had moved some of my luggage out, waiting for the moving company to arrive.
But Ryan got there even faster.
His face was ashen, contorted into a terrifying mask of rage.
He looked at my luggage, then scanned the empty, echoing room, his voice trembling.
“Where are you going? Alice, tell me you’re not leaving me, right?”