novelnext Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Not long after, my parents called, asking me to come over for dinner. I didn't hesitate to agree. But when I arrived at their place, I ran into Jack right at the door. He looked a little awkward seeing me, but quickly tried to brush it off.
"Shall we go in together?" he asked, forcing a smile.
I didn't refuse, just nodded, and we went inside.
The dinner was incredibly uncomfortable. My parents were still clearly upset about what happened on the wedding day, so they weren't exactly warm toward Jack. In the past, I might've tried to smooth things over, but this time, I just let Jack squirm.
After dinner, I was about to grab a cab home when Jack pulled up in his car. I barely got in before noticing a sticker on the passenger seat that said, "Lily's Seat."
Jack cleared his throat, trying to explain. "Lily insisted on putting that there. You don't sit here much anyway."
I barely glanced at it, replying flatly, "Mm, young girls, right?"
Jack frowned, clearly about to say something, when my phone buzzed. I ignored him and started replying to the message. By the time I finished, we were parked outside a villa. As soon as I stepped out of the car, Lily came rushing toward Jack and practically threw herself into his arms.
"Jack, I missed you so much!" she cooed.
Jack looked uncomfortable, probably because I was standing there, and quickly stopped her from kissing his cheek. "Come on, aren't you a little old for this?" he said, stepping back.
Lily just shot me a smug look before pouting at Jack. "What's age got to do with it? I'm always your little sister, right?"
I didn't feel like watching their performance, so I walked inside without a word.
As soon as I entered, I saw several photos flashing on a screen. All of them were of Lily and Jack, together at sunrise, having dinner, and, in the final shot, kissing passionately. I barely had time to react before Jack rushed over to explain.
"Rose, those photos are fake. Please, don't get upset. It's not good for the baby," he said, his voice anxious.
I turned toward him, catching the guilt in his eyes before he hid it behind a nervous smile. I nodded, my expression neutral. "Mm, nice photos."
Jack looked at me, clearly worried. "Aren't you angry?"
I shrugged. "No, why would I be?"
Right then, my phone rang. It was the doctor calling to discuss my hospital admission the next day. I stepped away to take the call, ignoring Jack's nervous glances.
When I returned, Jack was yelling at someone else. Apparently, someone had spilled wine on Lily's dress, and Jack was demanding an apology. Watching him lose his temper, I was suddenly hit with a flashback from a few years ago. We were at a similar party when Lily deliberately shoved me into a champagne tower. I lost my balance, sending it crashing to the floor, wine and glass shattering everywhere.
I looked to Jack for help, but instead, he ripped into me in front of everyone.
"Can't you watch where you're going? How could you not see that tower?" he'd shouted. "Look at the mess you made! Do you even know how important this event is? You're a total waste of space! I don't know why you're even alive, if I were you, I'd just bash my head in and die right here!"
Shaking the memory off, I found the whole scene laughable. Without another word, I turned and walked out.
Jack didn't come home that night, but I wasn't surprised, it wasn't the first time.
The next morning, as I was getting ready, I saw Jack walk in with breakfast, Lily tagging along behind him. He set the food down on the table and, to my surprise, tried to explain.
"We were out late last night, and Lily didn't want to be alone, so I took her home. It was already past midnight, so I stayed at her place."
Lily clung to Jack's arm with a smile. "Yep, that's right, sis. You're not mad, are you?"
I just nodded without saying a word.
Jack seemed to pick up on my coldness and, trying to make up for it, said softly, "You wanted to see that new movie, right? I've got some free time today. I'll take you."
That movie had gotten rave reviews when it came out, and I'd asked Jack to go with me several times, but he always made excuses about being busy with work. But now, just days later, I'd seen a post from Lily on SnapChat, captioned: "The best movie deserves the best company." The photo didn't show their faces, but I recognized Jack's hand intertwined with hers.
And I noticed an unfamiliar perfume on him as he spoke.
I declined without hesitation. "No need. I've got plans today."
Jack looked uncomfortable, about to say something when Lily, sprawled out on the couch, jumped in.
"Sis, when you say you've got plans, do you mean meeting your college classmate?" she asked innocently.
I shot her a confused look. Only I and my lawyer knew about my divorce plans, and Lily had no way of knowing about it, let alone that my lawyer was a college classmate.
Lily, sensing my confusion, shot a helpless glance at Jack. "Jack, don't get mad. I heard from a friend the other day that they saw Rose with a college classmate at a café and... well, they looked really close."
She paused, drawing out the drama, then added, "But it could've been a mistake. After all, Rose loves you so much, Jack. There's no way she would cheat on you, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jack's face darkened. He slammed his fist on the table, shattering a vase, and shot me a furious glare.