Chapter 2

Lena had a very long dream that night. In her dream, she relived the first time she met Micah. She was 18 years old that year and was accompanying her father to a banquet hosted by the Shaw family. Micah stood by the piano in a sharp black suit and was holding a glass of champagne in his hand. His features were striking and refined. It was love at first sight for Lena. Later on, she worked up the courage to steal a kiss from him. Micah was slightly stunned. Then, he let out a low chuckle. "Little girl, that's not how you kiss." After that, he cupped the back of her head and showed her what a real kiss was. The kiss lasted so long that Lena could barely breathe. It was a beautiful and surreal dream. When she woke up, her pillow was soaked in tears. By then, the sun had risen. Lena sat in silence for a while before finally picking up her phone and dialing her father's number. "Dad, I'm getting a divorce." Her voice was hoarse. "I'll go meet you guys once I get the divorce certificate." "Did Micah do something?" Her father raised his voice. "No." Lena looked out at the slowly brightening sky. "We just don't love each other anymore." The truth was, Micah didn't love her. Lena herself would never love him again either. She didn't say that aloud though. It would be like swallowing a shard of glass that would cut her up inside as it settled. After hanging up the phone, Lena received a message from an unfamiliar number on WhatsApp. She opened it without thinking much. Immediately, she saw the video that was sent. Micah was dozing on a couch in the video. His brows were slightly furrowed as he murmured a name in his sleep, "Lissy…" Then came a long string of text messages. "I'm Laris, Micah's first love. I never imagined that he still hadn't gotten over me after all these years, even after getting married. Today, I even found out that he still has my nickname tattooed on the inner side of his wrist. "He kept all our photos, even the diary entries he wrote back then. Look, he's still calling my name in his sleep. He must be dreaming about our past. After all, that time in his life was unforgettable." Lena felt her chest tighten with a numb pain as she read the message. She replied with just one message, "What do you want?" It took a long time before Laris responded, "Nothing. I'm just reclaiming what's mine. He's about to wake up. Do you want to bet that he'll stay by my side for the next five days and won't contact you even once if I say I had a nightmare?" Lena didn't reply. Ten minutes later, Micah's message came in. "Baby, an urgent project just came up. I'll be on a five-day business trip. My secretary's available if you need anything. Take care of yourself and the baby." Lena stared at the screen and suddenly laughed. Tears splashed down onto her phone as she did. … Micah indeed disappeared over the next five days. Meanwhile, Laris's messages came nonstop. She sent photos of Micah walking along the beach with her, watching sunsets atop hills, driving her through the countryside… Just then, she sent another message. "These were our favourite places back when we were dating." Lena read every message and suddenly remembered that Micah had also taken her to all those same places in the photos. She had thought that Micah was just being romantic back then. But now, she realized that he was simply revisiting old memories and seeing another woman's shadow through her. … Lena began packing on the fifth day after Micah left. The jewelry, the bags, and the clothes he had bought her—everything that had anything to do with him—went into boxes and were thrown into the storage room. When Micah wearily rushed home, he saw a half-empty closet. He was clearly stunned for a moment. "Baby, what are you doing?" Lena didn't even look up. "Nothing. I'm just throwing out some useless things." He didn't think much of it and only handed her a gift. It was a limited edition illustrated book set. Lena had offhandedly mentioned wanting it last month. She didn't expect him to remember. "Baby." Micah pulled her into his arms and rested his hands on her lower abdomen. "Is your morning sickness still bad? Your prenatal checkup's tomorrow. I'll go with you." "You don't have to." Lena pulled away from him. "You don't have to anymore." Only then did he sense that something was amiss. "What do you mean? Have you not been feeling well lately?" A household staff then chimed in from the side, "Mrs. Shaw hasn't had much of an appetite these days. She's barely eaten." Micah immediately loosened his tie. "I'll go get groceries and cook your favourite dishes for you. Be good and just eat a little, alright?" He then turned around and called back over his shoulder, "Take good care of Mrs. Shaw. Don't let her bump into anything." The household staff whispered among themselves with admiration, "Mr. Shaw is so good to Mrs. Shaw…" "You should find someone older who knows how to truly care for you if you're looking for a husband…" Lena quietly listened to their chatter as a flicker of bitter amusement crossed her eyes. She used to think that she had found the most wonderful love in the world. Only now did she realize that it had been a carefully staged performance, and she was a stand-in for someone else.