Chapter 3

I stepped into the room to find Alec shirtless, frantically trying to explain himself.

"I was just meeting up with my friend to play video games. What's the problem?"

The police officer scoffed at his response. "You play video games without a shirt on?"

"Alright, now that the complainant is here, we'll need you to come down to the station with us to give a statement."

Alec, not having noticed me yet, bristled. "Which psycho—"

I made my way around the officers.

His eyes met mine as I stood in the doorway.

In that instant, he completely lost his composure, his eyes filled with disbelief. "What... what are you doing here?"

I lit another cigarette, my gaze sweeping over him from head to toe.

Thank goodness, Alec was wearing shorts.

But they were clearly hastily pulled on when he was caught.

After all, they were on backwards.

The pockets were in the front.

I couldn't help but snicker.

Alec fidgeted with his drawstring, quickly regaining his composure after the initial shock.

He hurriedly explained, "Faye, it's Jade's birthday today."

"We had plans with a bunch of friends to celebrate her birthday at the hotel."

"We just got here early, don't get the wrong idea."

As he spoke, he made a point of pulling out his phone to show me the group chat he had with his buddies.

The group was named "Princess Jade's Birthday Bash".Six or seven men, but only one woman - Jade.

"I know you've never really liked Jade, so I didn't dare tell you. I arranged the meetup in the next city over."

I calmly finished my last drag of the cigarette, extinguished it, and said coolly:

"Alec, do you remember what day it was yesterday?"

A flash of confusion crossed his eyes.

Then, suddenly, he began to panic.

He certainly should panic.

Because yesterday was my birthday.

It wasn't until I boarded the high-speed train to the neighboring city and happened to glance at the calendar that I suddenly remembered.

Yesterday was my birthday.

It had already passed.

I didn't remember it myself, and Alec forgot too.

Before I turned thirty-five, for every one of my birthdays,

Alec would thoughtfully prepare a gift for me.

From small things like a fountain pen or a bouquet of flowers, to big presents like a diamond ring or a wedding dress.

At thirty-six, there was nothing left.

Only the despised "old person smell" all over me remained.

I laughed at myself sarcastically, suddenly realizing that when I thought of those three words again, it no longer hurt so much that I could barely breathe.

This is probably the benefit of dating an older sister.

All emotions are processed internally.

But, you won't get away with taking advantage for free.

It's just a relationship after all. I can play the game, and I can lose it too."I've been so busy lately, I really forgot..."

When Alec urgently stepped forward, attempting to explain, I gently brushed his hand away.

With a contemptuous tone, I said:

"Alec, you've booked hotels using my VIP status over a dozen times. Must have saved quite a bit of money, huh?"

"After the divorce, remember to transfer that money back to my card."