Chapter 3

Right before I slipped into unconsciousness, I clearly heard Julian’s panicked voice.

"Let's get out of here!"

"He brought this on himself, it has nothing to do with us!"

The comforting hand I hoped for never came. Serena murmured an agreement, and their footsteps faded away.

Under the haze of the painkillers at the hospital, memories rushed through my mind like a flood.

I still vividly remembered that summer when Serena wore a white sundress, her long hair draped over her shoulders.

Blushing, she accepted my confession, whispering that she loved me too.

Yet it had been years since I last heard her say "I love you" with any sincerity.

All she ever gave me were dismissive platitudes.

That winter, her hands were freezing.

Just as I reached out to warm them, she mischievously slipped her freezing fingers onto the back of my neck.

Seeing me shiver, she burst out laughing, calling me a sweet, silly idiot.

Now, she recoiled whenever I tried to hold her hand, snapping that she stayed warmer on her own.

A bitter, helpless laugh escaped my lips, accompanied by silent tears.

When exactly did everything change?

It seemed to start the moment her sister Chloe vanished.

From then on, Julian became the center of Serena's entire universe.

Back then, she constantly pleaded with me,

"He’s struggling on his own, Logan. Please be understanding."

"I'm only doing this for Chloe."

Seeing my mother-in-law Martha’s grief, I swallowed my doubts and agreed.

I looked out for Julian in every way possible.

I helped him land a great job and paid the rent for his apartment.

Whenever I had something good, I shared it with him.

Neighbors even praised us for being as close as brothers.

Given an inch, Serena took a mile.

She started staying out overnight, claiming she was sleeping on Julian’s couch to help with chores.

She even disappeared for days on end without a single explanation.

Whenever I reached my breaking point and demanded answers, she brushed me off coldly: "You're just being paranoid. I don't have the energy to deal with your drama."

Gradually, she pushed me away completely.

She stopped sharing a bed with me.

Even an accidental brush of my arm made her cringe in disgust.

Whenever I said she had changed, she would just sigh heavily and mutter,

"I'm just tired."

When I opened my eyes, an IV drip was running into my vein.

The nurse walked over and checked my chart.

"You're suffering from extreme physical exhaustion. Your head wound isn't fatal, but you need strict rest. Nothing is worth destroying your health over."

I nodded slowly.

Once, someone was worth it. Not anymore.

All my devotion had been nothing more than a pathetic joke.

Once my head cleared, I had my lawyer draft the divorce papers, sent them to Serena, and texted her:

"Whenever you're free, let's go sign the papers."

After being discharged, I went to another apartment under my name.

I began unpacking my suitcase.

As I shook out a suit jacket, an old phone fell out from an inner pocket.

It was a classic burner phone with a physical keypad.

I didn't recall ever using it, let alone packing it.

Out of curiosity, I plugged it in and booted it up. The screen flickered to life.

The interface was clean—just calls and text messages.

I randomly clicked open the messages and froze.

There were thousands of texts.

They weren't just messages; they were passionate love letters.

Every line was dripping with intimate flirting, dirty talk, and longing.

The phone numbers belonged to two people I knew intimately well.

Serena and Julian.

I scrolled all the way to the very beginning.

The earliest message dated back fourteen years.