Luka’s voice carried a touch of gentle affection. “I just like cooking for you.”
Ten years ago, Luka had taken a culinary class just to please me. He once told me that if he could win over my stomach, I would never leave him.
But the person who said those words no longer existed.
I stepped out with a cold expression. The moment they saw me, both fell silent, their voices cut off.
At the dinner table, none of the dishes Luka used to prepare especially for me appeared.
It was clear now that he only cooked what Quincy liked.
“Talia, there’s a gathering with friends tonight. Come with us. They’re all our old friends, and it’ll be a good chance to let everyone know you’re back.”
I gave a quiet nod.
As night fell, I covered my pale face with makeup. Since none of my clothes remained in the house, the former mistress could only borrow Quincy’s to wear. Even so, it was still better than returning to that hell.
Luka came to take Quincy and me to the gathering. Out of habit, I reached for the passenger door, but the sticker there caught my eye and stung.
Quincy’s exclusive seat. That spot had once belonged to me.
I pulled my hand back and slipped into the back seat instead.
“Quincy, come on.”
Luka’s affectionate call guided her straight to the passenger side.
The entire ride felt like endless torment.
When we arrived, most of the faces were childhood friends Luka and I had once shared. The moment they spotted Luka and Quincy together, they rushed over.
“I swear, do you two have to be this lovey-dovey?”
“You’re not even married yet, and already stuck together.”
Their teasing was so familiar it felt like I’d been thrown back ten years, only the heroine had changed.
Luka cleared his throat gently, hinting for them to look behind him.
When their eyes landed on me, the laughter died at once. They glanced at Luka, their expressions saying without words: She’s back, then what about Quincy?
The air turned heavy with awkward silence.
At the table, the conversations drifted over topics I could no longer keep up with, and I realized I no longer belonged in what used to be my own circle.
All those once-close friends now gathered around Quincy, the very same person I had brought into this circle back then.
The suffocation became too much, so I stood and slipped away to the restroom. I stayed hidden there for a long time before I finally gathered the courage to come out.
But just as I reached for the door, voices floated in from outside.
“Luka, now that the two of them aren’t here, tell us honestly, your old lover is back. What’s going through your head? Don’t tell me you’re planning to start things up again?”
Luka let out a sharp click of his tongue.
“How could that be? The hospital report says she already has two children. Rekindle? What, you expect me to play the fool?”
One friend sounded doubtful.
“But when she went missing, you were the one who panicked most. You acted like you couldn’t live without her. And now you’re saying you feel nothing?”
Luka stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking.
“I don’t even know myself. But now, whenever I see her, I can’t stop imagining that she’s been touched by someone else. I do feel sorry for her, but she’s not the same as before. Now she’s just… secondhand, isn’t she?”
I leaned weakly against the wall, my legs barely holding me up.
“So you’ve chosen to embrace a new life with Quincy? In stories, this is the part where the man hurts the one who once shone like heaven, clings to his first love, but in the end still chooses the one from above.”
Luka’s voice hardened. “I won’t hurt Quincy. As for Talia, as long as she doesn’t cause trouble or do anything against Quincy, I can let her stay by my side.”
His friend sounded puzzled. “Then why not just send Talia away?”
Luka didn’t even pause. “No, she can’t leave. Even if I marry Quincy, I still have old ties with her. She has nothing now, not even her parents. How could I just throw her out? Besides… she only has me left.”
