Chapter 2

Vivienne was staring straight ahead, as if completely oblivious to my presence.

I had told her so many times before that no matter what happened outside, she was not to bring anyone back to our home.

Especially not to bring other men back.

I had even specifically named Wylie as someone she shouldn't bring home.

She just thought I was being unreasonable, responding with visible irritation, "Isn't it normal to have guests over? Your jealousy should have its limits."

She took down the custom couple's frame I had placed by the door, tossing it into the trash without hesitation.

"We're secretly married now. Are you so afraid people won't know we're married that you have to do such childish things?"

...

I turned my head away, refusing to look at the two standing in front of our bedroom door.

By now, I had lost count of how many times she had brought Wylie back to this home.

Wylie came up to me, placing his hand on my shoulder with a puzzled expression.

"Bro Archer, I've always respected you in both work and life. Why do you specifically dislike me and go out of your way to make things difficult for me?"

He said these baffling words out of nowhere. Any normal person would see through his ulterior motives.

But Vivienne just ate it all up.Her eyes were visibly dark with displeasure as she impatiently glanced at me. "Even if he freezes to death out here today, it won't be our problem. Come inside with me and warm up. Don't bring bad luck by lingering at the doorway!"

The door was yanked open abruptly, then slammed shut just as quickly. For a fleeting moment, the warm air from inside washed over me, feeling like a gift of mercy.

With nowhere else to go, I turned back and headed to the office.

By the time I stumbled back to the company, trembling, my entire body had gone numb from the cold.

The weather outside was exceptionally gloomy and frigid. As dusk approached, it even started to sleet.

In the past, whenever we had weather like this, I always worried excessively about Vivienne, fearing she might suffer even the slightest discomfort.

But now, catching sight of my own pathetic reflection in the office's display mirror, the irony was beyond bitter.

As I gradually adjusted to the indoor temperature, I anxiously pulled out my phone, clinging to a faint glimmer of hope in my heart.

All I found was Vivienne's rarely updated social media feed. She had posted something new today.

"Snowy day, sweetheart, hot pot, pure bliss."

The accompanying photo showed Wylie sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the snowy scene outside. Behind him was a table laden with steaming hot pot dishes.The company's gossip group chat instantly erupted into a flurry of excitement. After some bold colleagues took the lead in tagging the main characters, Vivienne and Wylie's names began to appear frequently.

"This open secret that everyone knows is finally going to be made public. No more sneaking around to get our sugar fix!"

"Nothing more to say, let's congratulate our old friend!"

Vivienne was also in this large company group chat. She never missed a single message in this group.

But despite her colleagues' repeated misunderstandings, and even multiple face-to-face congratulations, she never offered any explanations.

Instead, she thoroughly enjoyed this kind of flattery.

Her repeated tacit acceptance only served to confirm everyone's assumptions.

I had brought this matter up with her more than once, exploding in frustration time and again. At most, she would furrow her brow.

"I'm already working so hard every day. Do you expect me to control the heavens, the earth, and their mouths too?"

"Besides, they're just kids having fun. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? When they're having fun, they're more invested in their work. Do you really want the company to be as dead as a morgue before you're satisfied?"

She's right. I shouldn't have bothered with them from the start.There wasn't much left to dwell on.

I resolutely exited all company-related group chats.

As dawn was breaking, I got up to head home, and happened to run into Vivienne at the elevator, just as she was arriving for work.