Chapter 2The Last Waltz

In the dead of night, Sophia came home, propping up a drunken Bryan.

The blankets were ripped off me, and a blast of cold air hit my skin. I opened my eyes to see Sophia's face, arrogant and demanding, hovering above me.

"You're sleeping on the couch," she ordered. "Bryan's taking the bed."

She had always treated me this way, with a casual, high-handed authority. After seven years, she was used to me being her servant.

I didn't move. "Doesn't he have his own home?"

"Can't you see he's drunk? I have to take care of him." Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if Bryan were her rightful partner.

How considerate. I remembered the time I drank myself sick to land a deal for her company. I called her to pick me up, but she said it was too cold to go out. I had to drag myself home, collapsing the moment I walked through the door. I spent the night on the freezing floor and woke up with a raging fever. I had to call the ambulance myself.

She didn't visit me once in the hospital.

"Ah, I almost forgot," I said, my voice flat. "He's the father of your child."

Sophia took my words as agreement. "Exactly. So are you going to move, or not?"

"Bill, I know you're angry," she said, her voice softening slightly, "but I can't let my child call another man 'daddy'."

What a noble mother. But who created this mess?

I looked at her, truly looked at her, and for the first time, she utterly disgusted me.

I started to get up, but she stopped me.

Her expression was a mix of conflict and resolution. Finally, she let out a breath. "The person I love is Bryan. The baby and I... we can't be without him." She paused, as if offering me a grand concession. "So, here's the plan. The three of us will live together. You'll keep managing the company, and you'll get your share. I won't cheat you."

A laugh bubbled up inside me. The sheer audacity of it. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too. Make her grand public declaration with Bryan, and keep me around as her free labor and glorified butler.

"No, thank you," I said. "Since you chose him, I wish you both the best."

Sophia looked at me as if I'd told the funniest joke in the world.

"Can you stop being so dramatic? Without me, how would you even survive? I've been supporting you all these years." She waved a dismissive hand. "Just stay put. The three of us can make it work. It was Bryan's idea, too."

Just then, Bryan made a retching sound. Sophia immediately rushed to his side, all concern and worry.

I went to the study to sleep.

It wasn't long before the study door was being pounded on, the noise shaking the frame.

"Get up and make breakfast! Bryan and I are hungry. We want noodles, hurry up!"

I pulled the covers over my head, pretending not to hear.

After a while, the knocking stopped.

My sleep was ruined anyway. When I finally got up, they were both gone.

Perfect. Time to pack.

The stench of stale alcohol in the master bedroom was overwhelming. She could really tolerate anything for Bryan's sake. I opened the closet. My clothes were just a few items, all of which I'd bought myself before moving in.

After a moment's thought, I gathered them all and threw them in the trash.

If I was letting go, I was letting go of everything.

Besides the clothes, I also threw out the matching couple's toothbrushes, slippers, and dishes I had bought. As I cleared things out, it dawned on me: the only person invested in our "couple" status had been me. Sophia's set of everything was still in its original packaging, untouched.

As I was clearing out the shoe rack, I found something tucked away in a corner. A pair of men's underwear.

Not my size.

The blood in my veins turned to ice. I looked around the apartment, our home, and a sickening montage played in my mind: Bryan and Sophia, laughing, touching, living in every corner of this place, while I remained completely in the dark.

Thank God I was finally awake.