I dragged my heavy steps back to the house we had shared for seven years.
When I took off my wedding dress, it felt as if I were tearing away the last layer of my obsession.
Just when I thought the night would end in nothing but collapse and silence, the door lock suddenly clicked.
I froze.
Cassian came back.
The moment he pushed the door open, my entire body stiffened. I even forgot how to breathe.
Following closely behind him were Thalia and her son.
In that instant, a loud ringing filled my ears, as if someone had violently torn down my final line of defense.
The three of them stood at the entrance. It was a warm, intimate picture, yet it stabbed my eyes until they burned.
I stared at them for a long time. My throat felt stuffed with cotton. It took all my strength to force out a sentence.
“Cassian, what do you mean? The wedding just ended and you already can’t wait to bring your woman and child home? What about me? Where do you plan to put me?”
He pushed in the last suitcase, his manner relaxed, as if he were simply moving house, not crushing seven years of my marriage underfoot.
“Melody, don’t overthink it.”
His tone was calm, even carrying a hint of natural justification.
“I just think the place they were renting is too poor. It’s not suitable for a child.”
That single sentence blocked every last trace of hope inside me.
Today, he ran away with another woman at our wedding.
Now, he openly brought her and her child into this house.
I was not even worthy of an explanation.
So it turned out I was even more ridiculous than I had imagined.
My nose stung. Tears spilled out uncontrollably. I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself, but the tremor in my voice refused to stop.
“Cassian, what exactly do you want? If you want me gone, just say it. We can go to the civil office and settle it. But why do you have to humiliate me like this?”
His expression turned cold at once, his words sharp as blades.
“Melody, why are you still not understanding human language? I made it very clear at the wedding today. Thalia is the one I truly want to marry. You are just a substitute. Don’t forget your place. Otherwise, I really will throw you out.”
That sentence was even crueler than the one he said at the wedding, that no one but her would ever do.
At that moment, Thalia carefully hugged the child tighter. Tears clung to her lashes. She looked innocent and wronged.
“Cassian, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t appeared so suddenly, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. I was just afraid your family would use the child to threaten you, so I brought him here. I really never meant to destroy your marriage with Melody.”
She spoke as she lowered her head, wiping her tears.
The next second, Cassian pulled her into his arms with visible pain in his eyes, his movements gentle, as if afraid she might break.
“Silly girl, what are you talking about?”
His voice softened completely as he coaxed the woman in his arms. “Don’t listen to that mad woman. Stay here without worry. There will always be a place for you in this house. The one who was wrong was me. I forced you to leave back then for the sake of family利益. I never should have let you go.”
He gently stroked Thalia’s back, his tone filled with guilt and indulgence.
“Do you remember? That year I lost consciousness while surfing at sea. If you hadn’t jumped in to save me, I would have died long ago.”
I froze.
I stared at Thalia in disbelief.
She was clearly guilty. Her eyes darted around, her fingers gripping the child’s clothes tightly.
I could not help laughing. The sound came out bitter and absurd.
“So, Thalia, the hero Cassian talks about was you? You really are brave. Saving someone at sea like that… and I knew nothing about it.”
My voice was light, but sharp.
Because the person who truly jumped into the sea to save him was me.
And now, the credit had fallen into her hands.
The next second, a sharp pain exploded across my cheek.
