Chapter 3

In that moment, I saw Levi's body freeze.

He stood motionless, as if he'd lost all his senses. After a brief pause, his eyes suddenly lit up with immense joy.

He was almost desperate to leave.

I grabbed him,

"Where are you going? To find Celeste?"

Levi didn't make a sound.

His silence was an admission.

I suddenly felt like laughing, and the more I laughed, the more tears fell. "What gives you two the right? Are you going to put on some show of rekindled love? Levi, what on earth did I do wrong to deserve such hurt from you?"

"Can you please calm down?" Levi smiled, pressing his lips into a thin line as he held my hand. "I'm just going to check on her."

I stared at him with wide eyes.

I couldn't understand how he could say such a thing so casually.

Just going to check on her?

He probably wants to rekindle their relationship.

"She's back in the country now. Will this become a frequent occurrence, you dropping everything to go find her? Do you want to get back together with her?" I asked hysterically.

Levi fell silent again.

After a long while, I finally heard his voice, "Stop making a fuss. I'm just going to see her once, and besides, I'm already married to you. Isn't that enough?"

My vision went dark.

It was as if lightning had struck me, the shock exploding through my entire body. Then, a massive wave of anger surged within me.He thinks marriage is a favor he's bestowing on me?

I don't want it.

I really don't want it.

Levi irritably pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone laced with reproach,

"I hope you understand, even if we're married, you can't interfere with my normal friendships."

With that, he shook me off without hesitation and strode away.

As soon as Levi left, I received a text from an unknown number:

[I'm back, so you can step aside now.]

I clutched my phone tightly and immediately followed him.

I trailed him all the way to a bar.

Standing at the entrance, I stared dumbfounded at the scene in the private room through the open door.

The lights were bright, the atmosphere lavish.

In the center, like a star surrounded by planets, were Levi and Celeste.

Everyone was egging them on:

"Celeste, you're finally back. You have no idea how much our Levi has missed you."

"Yeah, he even developed severe insomnia. He could only sleep when hypnotized into dreams about you."

Hearing this, Celeste's eyes widened in surprise,

"How can that be? Isn't Levi... married?"

"Don't mention it. His grandma made him do it. Levi doesn't even like her."

"That's right, how could she compare to you?"

I scanned the room.

Everyone there was Levi's friend.Once upon a time, I accompanied him to several of their gatherings, but each time, I was targeted both directly and indirectly.

It turns out, in their hearts,

The only person they truly recognized as Levi's wife was, from beginning to end, Celeste alone.

I stared intently at Levi in the private room.

He didn't say a word.

His gaze was firmly locked on Celeste, not moving for even a moment.

"Levi, is what they're saying true?"

Celeste suddenly spoke up, asking him, "Did you marry her only because of your grandmother, and not because you liked her?"

"Yes."

My head buzzed, and I couldn't help but laugh bitterly at myself.

Back then, I fell in love with Levi at first sight.

When his investments failed and he was on the brink of bankruptcy, I stood by him, using all my savings to help him start over.

During our poorest times, unable to afford rent, we could only live in a dark, damp basement.

When the company first showed signs of improvement, I accompanied him to business dinners, drinking until I had a gastric hemorrhage and passed out.

When I woke up, he was by my bedside, the corners of his eyes tinged with red.

He swore he would never let me down.

Six months later, his grandmother fell seriously ill, and her dying wish was to see us married.

On the day he proposed to me, I asked him,

"Are you marrying me because you love me, or simply for your grandmother's sake?"At that moment, the tenderness in his eyes was almost overflowing.

He said, "If I didn't love you, I wouldn't marry you."