As I set the bowl of soup beside her, I spoke softly.
"Darling, we’re living in an age where new media is booming. I’m thinking about setting up an account to document our sweet life together. You know me, I can’t sit still—I want to show off my amazing husband."
"And about that twenty thousand... I bought a bag."
"Aren’t you the one who doesn’t like branded bags?"
"Tobias," I said, staring down at the soup swirling in my bowl with the spoon.
"Before I met you, I never went anywhere without my Chanel or LV bags."
Tobias didn’t come from a wealthy family, and after we started living together, I took on the responsibility of funding his doctoral studies, covering all his living expenses. Even his first car, after he started his job, was a gift from me.
No matter how much I had to cut back on my own spending, I never let him feel the slightest pinch.
Though my parents had passed away when I was young, their insurance payout had been enough to support me for most of my life. And once I started working, I was able to make a decent income on my own.
"Gwen, how did you become so materialistic?"
He seemed so confused. Why was she suddenly using TikTok? Would she post something online that I wouldn’t want her to?
It was only after I heard the sound of a table being overturned and him storming out of the house that I started laughing—laughing hysterically.
This was the first time I hadn’t followed his wishes, the first time we had parted ways without compromise.
In the past, I had always believed that if I stayed by his side, supported him, and helped him make every decision, we’d live a good life.
But it turned out, that "good life" was only for him.
I pinched every penny, gave up on my own dreams, and lost myself in the process.
And what did I get in return? He began seeing me as cheap, unworthy of the best, thinking I was just an ordinary woman with a low education and plain looks.
Tobias wasn’t like this before.
When my family situation changed abruptly, I moved in with my grandmother, and we ended up in this community.
Everyone disliked me for being shy and short, but it was Tobias who stood in front of me, protecting me when others bullied me.
I didn’t have parents anymore, and that was the first time I had ever felt kindness from someone outside my family.
But losing my parents at such a young age made me even more self-conscious, and throughout middle school, I was often bullied.
It was Tobias from the high school department who rushed over and pulled me out when I was cornered in the girls' bathroom.
"This is my sister. Anyone who has a problem with her has a problem with me."
Slowly, my feelings for him evolved from gratitude to admiration, and eventually, every time we met, my heart would race and my face would flush.
I knew—I had fallen for him.
But in the end, time only left me behind.
I wasn’t sure how long I had cried in silence, but as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, a sudden jolt made me sit up straight.
The room was empty—there was no sense of home.
The soft murmur I spoke to myself felt like a stone shattering the illusion I’d held onto for six years.
"Tobias, I hate you."
In the next two months, I wasn’t sure if it was for the camera or out of guilt, but Tobias started treating me better.
On camera, he would show extreme tenderness—gentle kisses, soft hugs. He’d prepare a box of my favorite strawberries every day.
He’d even bring me an adorable water bottle every day, knowing I didn’t like drinking water.
When he was busy with work, he’d make sure to prepare all my snacks, drinks, fruit, and even TV shows, so I could relax with everything served to me on the bed.
When I lost my appetite, he would dash out in the middle of the night to buy me something, just to see me smile.
He even brought me cream cakes, fresh flowers, and more.
The comments section was filled with people believing in our "love," all admiring how lucky I was to have such a wonderful husband.
Of course, there were also those who thought I, with my regular undergraduate degree, didn’t deserve someone like Tobias—someone with top-tier education and credentials.
I saw one comment that said:
"Do you want this happiness?"
The thing is, this marriage, which appeared so blissful to everyone, was full of cracks and holes beneath the surface. It was like a decaying bug in a sewer.
This was the 10,086th time I’d told Tobias, in my mind, that I wanted to sever ties with Meredith.
As I watched him hold me, lost in thought, I held back the growing frustration inside me, reminding myself that now wasn’t the right time.
