Chapter 2

“Didn’t you promise to keep me company? Who are you talking to?”

It was Xena.

Her voice was sweet and gentle. She pretended to be upset in that playful way only she could pull off. Hendrick always fell for it.

I opened my social media feed and saw that Xena had posted a new update.

“Some people have company late at night, while others are left gazing at the sea.”

The photo showed the back of a man, tall and well-built, wearing a warm camel-colored wool coat.

Above him was a sky full of stars and beside him was the vast blue sea. There were two slightly overlapping figures, clearly a man and a woman. The image was blurry, yet suggestive.

Beneath the post, her friends’ comments were filled with envy and teasing. It was their private circle.

That coat was a birthday gift I had given him. Just a few days ago, Hendrick wore it to a friend’s birthday party.

Everyone had complimented my taste, saying that Hendrick looked great in it. Even Hendrick himself often wore it.

I stared at Hendrick’s figure in the photo for a long time before giving it a like.

……

It was raining heavily the day I was discharged from the hospital, and Hendrick came to pick me up.

I never thought he would actually show up.

The temperature had dropped today, and Hendrick was wearing that same coat. He looked tall, vibrant, and full of life.

Camel really was his color and he loved it.

Meanwhile, I had lost a lot of weight. My face was pale, my eyes sunken, and the oversized clothes hung off me, only adding to my worn-out appearance.

When Hendrick saw me, there was a brief moment of confusion in his eyes, but it vanished just as quickly.

We sat in the car without speaking. I stared blankly out the window as raindrops trickled down the glass, blurring my view.

It had been raining like this the first time I met Hendrick, too.

I did not realize the car was heading in the opposite direction of home.

When we stopped at “Club Flamingo,” I thought Hendrick had forgotten I was still in the car.

I followed him into a private room filled with flashing lights and blaring music that made my heart ache.

Inside were Hendrick’s friends, and sitting at the center of it all was Xena.

"Chloe, you’re here," they greeted me in a chaotic chorus, not a shred of respect in their tone.

Their eyes swept over me from head to toe.

I was wearing an oversized coat over a plain white T-shirt, and I still had on the slippers I hadn’t had time to change, now muddy from the rain.

“It’s my birthday today. If you really didn’t want to come, you could’ve just said no. You didn’t have to… show up like this.”

All eyes were on me, filled with disdain and contempt. Xena’s eyes welled with tears as she looked at Hendrick, as though she had been deeply wronged.

I turned to Hendrick and softly asked, “Hendrick, what do you want?”

Hendrick completely ignored me standing by the door and walked over to sit beside Xena.

He gently comforted her, “If someone upsets you, just snap back at them. I’ve got your back. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Hendrick, I know you don’t want to see me hurt, but she’s still your wife,” Xena replied.

Realizing she might have said too much, Xena gasped and quickly rushed over to my side, linking arms with me in an overly affectionate, sickeningly sweet gesture.

“Chloe, please don’t be mad at Hendrick. He just can’t stand to see me upset. After all, we...”