Chapter 2

Perhaps due to exhaustion and catching a chill, I slept restlessly throughout the night.

My mind kept replaying scenes of my past interactions with Grace.

Garrison was her first love.

They broke up because he was leaving for opportunities abroad.

I was her junior in the lab, assigned to her by our professor to learn about various reagents.

Back then, Grace always had a furrowed brow, staring at her phone, her eyes filled with an undissolvable melancholy.

For some inexplicable reason, I reached out to smooth her forehead.

Grace looked up, surprised to meet my gaze, then offered a warm smile.

After that day, I relentlessly pursued her, and she eventually agreed to date me, albeit reluctantly.

I thought her accepting my proposal meant she had completely forgotten the past.

It turns out she was still trapped in her history, and I was caught in a love tinged with sympathy.

The sound of the keypad lock being opened echoed from outside.

My daughter, usually a late riser, suddenly burst out of her room, and I followed, throwing on a shirt as I went.

The first person I saw was Garrison, followed by Grace, who was cheerfully carrying an armload of items.

My daughter's face lit up with a huge smile as she took a toy car from Grace's hands: "Thank you, Uncle Grey! You're so handsome and kind-hearted!""He's the best person in the world!"

Grace didn't even glance at me, smiling approvingly at her daughter Melody.

They looked like a real family of three, while I was the outsider, isolated from their circle.

Garrison noticed me then, raising an eyebrow with a meaningful smirk. "Little bro, why so worked up? Did you rush out in your pajamas when you heard Grace was back?"

"Women need to be kept in check. If you're this submissive to her, you'll end up in trouble sooner or later."

As he finished speaking, he stroked Grace's palm right in front of me.

The blush on Grace's cheeks betrayed her excitement.

Noticing my gaze, she instinctively frowned and scolded, "Don't get any ideas. Garrison has no family here, and he brought us New Year's gifts, so I invited him back."

I said nothing and went to my own room alone.

Ever since Melody was born, Grace and I had been sleeping in separate rooms.

She said she was a light sleeper and couldn't stand hearing the baby cry.

Little did she know that I had been suffering from neurasthenia for a long time, and insomnia was a common occurrence for me.

Back in my room, I thought about calling my brother Jaxon.

He had opened a studio two years ago and was in dire need of help.At that time, I offered to help, but Grace looked at me with a frown, not understanding.

"Isn't our family more important than an outsider?"

Because I was the one who proposed, I always had an inferiority complex, worried about losing her.

I was afraid she would ask for a divorce, afraid she would leave.

So I refused to help my buddy who had been with me from elementary to high school, and focused on taking care of my family at home and helping out at her studio.

When Grace went out to shoot documentaries, I shuttled between home and the studio, even recording various orders late into the night.

Grace said the studio employees were just subordinates, and there was no need to tell them we were married.

It wasn't until yesterday, from that girl's post, that I learned I was only known as the studio's accountant to them.

Garrison was the one they considered the boss's husband.

I was the outsider!

Taking a deep breath, I wiped the tears from my face and nervously dialed the phone.

The call connected quickly, and Jaxon was startled when he saw me, then hurriedly softened his voice to comfort me: "Bro, what's wrong? Don't cry. Did that Grace woman bully you?"

I shook my head, not wanting to trouble him with my problems, and choked back the lump in my throat: "Jaxon, can I work at your studio?"Jaxon's eyes widened with delight as he replied, "Of course, you'll start after the New Year! I don't exploit my employees during the holidays!"

I laughed, and as I continued laughing, tears and snot began to flow.

Jaxon truly lived up to being my lifelong friend.

He said, "The courthouse only closes for a few days during the New Year. Once you've made up your mind, let's go."