Chapter 8

As the sky darkened, Chad wrapped his arms around Willow's waist from behind. His warm breath brushed against her ear as he whispered, "How about I visit your parents with you sometime soon, babe?" She stiffened slightly, turning to look at him in confusion. "Why are you suddenly suggesting a visit home?" "You seem to be in a bad mood recently." Chad's fingers gently brushed past her shoulders as he mumbled, "I thought a trip back home might cheer you up." Willow thought of the neighborhood of villas back in her hometown—the place which held all their memories together. She was lost in thought when Chad continued, "By the way, I heard that your dad hasn't been feeling too well. It's a good time to check in on him." "Dad's sick?" Willow shot up from her seat. "Why wasn't I aware of this?" Chad quickly comforted her, "Don't worry. I happened to hear it from Maria—she said it's nothing serious." He then pulled her back into his arms. "So, let's head back to visit them, okay?" Willow finally let out a relieved sigh and nodded. Although she didn't have any thoughts about it, it struck her as odd how unusually restrained Chad was that night. He just held her, nothing more. His uncharacteristic actions made her realize that he must have had his fill elsewhere. That had to be why he suddenly lost interest in her. Willow gripped the edge of her blankets tightly and forced herself not to overthink it. … Early the next day, it was only the two of them in the car for once. As the car entered the villa neighborhood, Chad pointed at the maple tree by the roadside and chuckled. "Do you still remember how you used to pick up the fallen leaves here to press them into bookmarks? "And over there, you'd always follow me home after school in the past. I wanted to check if you were really following me, so I led you there, and you ended up crying when you couldn't find your way back." Willow's gaze drifted to the spot where he pointed. The tight knots in her stomach loosened slightly. Their long-forgotten childhood memories gradually resurfaced, causing her eyes to sting. "And that fountain, too," Chad continued. "The first time Laurel was here, she insisted on having street tacos—something so unhealthy. She was wearing a white dress with a bow in her hair, whining for the tacos…" His voice cut off mid-sentence, but it was already too late. Only then did Willow realize—every corner that held their memories, Chad could easily tie them all back to Laurel. He could vaguely recall moments with Willow, yet those with Laurel were vividly recounted. They said a wife would outshine a childhood friend, but Willow still lost without a doubt, even when she was both. A shrill ringtone cut through the silence just as the car stopped. Chad's expression changed as soon as he picked up the call. "What? Laurel got into a car accident? I'll be right there!" He didn't even make it past the front gate of the Stanford residence, merely leaving Willow with a hasty "I'll make it up to you next time, babe" before driving off without looking back. She glanced at her phone calendar. Today was the day Laurel's divorce officially took effect. "There's no more next time, Chad," Willow softly murmured before picking up the supplements and walking toward the villa. Her parents, Kevin Stanford and Ellen Porthill, were already waiting at the door. After exchanging pleasantries, Ellen curiously asked, "Is Chad parking the car?" "He went to meet his younger sister," Willow calmly replied. "Isn't that woman no longer…" Ellen hesitated. "That's right. She's no longer part of the Lawson family." Willow decided to come clean about the truth of her marriage. Kevin exploded with anger, and when he learned about Chad and Laurel's affair, the fury hit him so hard he fainted right there and then. With trembling hands, Willow dialed Chad's number. He shouldn't have made it far yet, so bringing Kevin to the hospital with him would be faster than waiting for the ambulance. After what felt like an endless wait, the call dropped on its own. Gritting her teeth, Willow supported Kevin and drove to the hospital herself. Fortunately, his condition wasn't serious. While waiting for the test results, she glanced at her phone, seeing Laurel's latest post right on top of her feed. It was a video of Chad carefully disinfecting a scrape on her knee. The caption that came with the video read: "Thank you for rushing over immediately, Chad. Thankfully, it was just a scrape from the e-scooter!" Willow stared at the insignificant wound and suddenly started laughing. Tears rolled down her cheeks the more she laughed. She finally understood that to Chad, only Laurel's matters would ever count as urgent, while everything about her could only ever be put off until next time.