chapter 2

Lydia.

She was the one from Matthew's diary—the girl he could not let go of, the one who had gone abroad.

I took a deep breath, pulled myself together, and pushed open the door.

The second I walked in, the room went completely silent.

My eyes went straight to the man slumped in the corner.

Usually so confident and polished, now Matthew just looked small and wrecked on the couch.

Sitting next to him was a woman with voluminous curls and bold red lips.

She was stunning and self-assured, but the look she gave me was anything but kind.

I recognized her face instantly from Matthew's phone.

She was his lock screen.

I had asked him once who she was and why he used her picture.

He brushed it off and said he found it online.

He had been playing me for a fool the whole time.

"I'm here to take him home."

My voice shook, but I kept it steady enough. Then, I pointed straight at Matthew.

The second he saw me, his expression changed. He glanced at Lydia before looking at me like I was some kind of nuisance.

"Matt, who is she?"

"My assistant," Matthew cut in. "She's just my assistant."

The whole room turned to look at me.

Some looked surprised, others just pitied me. A few clearly wanted to laugh. At that moment, their eyes burned like a thousand tiny needles.

"Matt ... "

The friend who called me stood up, like he wanted to explain something. However, I cut him off.

"Yeah. I'm Matthew's assistant. I'm just here to pick him up."

Matthew rubbed his temples and tossed me his jacket like I was nothing. Then he turned back to Lydia with the softest look on his face.

"Let me take you home. It's late, not safe for a girl to be out by herself."

My grip on the jacket tightened. So he did know it was dangerous for a girl to be out late. Then, why had he made me come get him over and over again?

Because the only girl that ever mattered to him was her. What about me then?

"No need. You forget we're home now? It's way safer here than overseas.

"I know what happened to me a few years ago freaked you out, but it's fine. I can handle myself now."

Lydia glanced at me, her eyes sharp, like she was daring me to react.

So Matthew even knew about her being attacked overseas, huh? He had been keeping tabs on her all this time.

The thought made me laugh bitterly.

"You're Matthew's assistant, right?" Lydia said smoothly. "He's had a bit too much to drink. Take it easy on the way home.

"When he drinks too much, he's a mess at night. Better stay at his place and keep an eye on him."

She spoke like she owned him, acting like I was just some random employee. The people around us shifted uncomfortably.

She did not know the truth, but they did.

Some of them had even attended our wedding.

I clenched my fists, ready to say something. However, before I could get a word out, Matthew grabbed my arm.

"We'll head out first. Lydia, if you need anything, just call me. Same number as always."

Then he pulled me out of the room without waiting for a response.

As we walked away, something inside me broke. My vision blurred, everything turning white around the edges. My mind was spinning, and my whole body felt ice-cold.

After being married to him for so long, of course I knew what he was like when he drank.

Yet, tonight, he was different. The moment we got home, he went straight to the bedroom without saying a word.

If he would just look back, he would have seen how pale I was and how drained I looked.

Yet he did not.

Most nights, I would follow him in and make sure he was okay, but not tonight.

Because every time I saw his face, all I could think about was that dreadful diary.