Chapter 3
After sorting out my thoughts, I returned to Theodore's and my house. I had personally decorated the place, and we had planned to move in here after the wedding.
I had just opened the door when I saw Gwen, wearing a beautiful new dress, eating fruit on the couch.
My favorite flowers had been thrown in the trash, and my favorite ceramic mug was now in pieces, also lying at the bottom of the bin.
Even the throw pillows and rugs that I had chosen had now all been replaced with ones that Gwen liked.
"You're home, Joy? I just had surgery for a fracture, and I need to recuperate. Theodore had me move in, saying that it was more comfortable at home than in a hotel," she said, her smile smug.
"As you know, I'm allergic to pollen, so I had no choice but to throw the flowers away. And I accidentally broke the mug when I was getting some water to drink."
The ceramic mug had a small puppy painted on it, and it was the first present Theodore had ever gotten me. I hadn't had the heart to use it at all, yet it lay in pieces now.
When Gwen noticed my anger, she smiled and said, "Come on now. It's just a mug."
I rushed forward, wanting to dig through the bin to find all the shards. Perhaps I could glue them back together.
I hadn't even done anything else when Gwen suddenly stumbled and pretended to fall.
Right at that moment, Alvin and Theodore walked through the door.
Alvin was furious. "Are you bullying Gwen again, Joy? I was the one who asked Gwen to live here, so how can you take your anger out on her?"
Theodore also shot me a glare, then walked over to help Gwen up.
"Joy, you're being childish. How can you push Gwen when she's still recovering? She doesn't have any family, so it's easier to take care of her when we all live together."
How could a person's attitude change so drastically?
When Alvin and Theodore had gifted me this house, they had said that this place would forever be my home.
Previously, Gwen moved in for a while. She said she had just graduated and couldn't afford to rent anywhere else. I took pity on her and let her stay.
She, however, had stolen my money and jewelry, and had even pretended to be drunk so she could fling herself at Theodore and try to sleep with him.
When I found out, I slapped her hard across the face, but Theodore just brushed it off, saying Gwen was drunk and I shouldn't take offense at an intoxicated person.
He also said that Gwen was an orphan and had no one to care for her, so I should love her as I would a younger sister.
Now, Gwen was back here again, once more trying to push me out so she could have Alvin and Theodore for herself.
When I remained silent, Theodore spoke up in defense of Gwen.
"Joy, I've spoiled you rotten since we were kids, causing you to be arrogant, unreasonable, and lacking in empathy. If you hadn't driven her out of the country, her illness wouldn't have gotten worse!
"I'm telling you, I was the one who asked Gwen to move in. If you have a problem with that, you can move out. I was the one who bought this house anyway! Also, you've been unreasonable lately with all your constant tantrums. If you continue to behave this way, we might as well completely cancel our wedding…"
I felt so wronged that my tears wouldn't stop falling. I hadn't driven her away, nor had I known about her illness—that was the truth. Yet, they refused to listen to my explanation.
I stared at the two men who had once loved me the most, and it was like I was looking at complete strangers.
If this were before, I might've felt sad and tried to defend myself. But now, I was only left with utter hopelessness.
I figured I might as well leave since they no longer liked me. I turned around, ignored them, and went to pack my things.
The stuff I had chosen for our marital house had all been destroyed, but all Theodore said was, "So what if they're broken? We can always buy new ones in the future."
In the future? There was no future for us anymore, Theodore. This was goodbye.
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