Chapter 2

Under the playful cheers of her friends, Erin perched herself on Blaine's lap while sipping from a glass of wine.

"Kiss. Kiss."

The atmosphere was lively and happy. Blaine usually detested the noise.

But he was different from before. He didn't look cold at that time. Instead, his eyes were filled with tenderness as his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He did not push Erin away. In fact, he rather savored the moment.

Dawn paused with her hand on the door, and her feet felt as heavy as lead.

She never expected that she would hear Blaine talk about her as his houseguest.

The rain poured down and isolated her in its cold embrace. She couldn't know her face was covered by tears or raindrops.

Yet, the young man didn't hold an umbrella for her anymore.

Her arm ached faintly. It was a reminder of the injury she sustained weeks ago while she shielded Blaine from a falling clothes rack. But it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

Blaine hadn't come home for several nights. Dawn struggled to console herself.

"Every guy likes bold and sexy women. It's my own fault for not having a good figure to win his heart," she said to herself.

So when Blaine lay beside her again, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned in for a kiss. She was trying to please him.

Their breaths intertwined. Soon they became passionate, and Dawn thought everything would be fine.

But when Blaine buried his face against her chest, he suddenly frowned. "You have a fish smell. Did you not shower?"

The words left Dawn stunned. She couldn't deceive herself any longer.

They lay in silence and no longer had the passion they had had at eighteen.

As they neared their late twenties, with their wedding looming, they lay in their house. But they had different dreams.

Dawn clutched her pillow, wide awake until dawn.

She scrubbed herself repeatedly with body wash and yearned for a single apology from Blaine.

But he received a call from Erin and left with the soup, which she had just cooked, without sparing her a glance.

Dawn didn't receive an apology from Blaine, but Erin asked her to have a talk.

Erin was arrogant and overwhelming. "Blaine told me about you. You stood by him through tough times and became his fiancée later. But he said seeing you reminds him of his parents' suffering. Besides, you're just a seafood seller, and you can't support his future. I'm different. My family has wealth and power, and I can help him showcase his talents on a grander stage. If you're willing to leave him, I'll provide the life-saving medication your grandmother needs for free."

Erin's head was held high, and her every gesture dripped with disdain.

Dawn's hand trembled slightly. She gripped her coffee cup and stared at the ripples in it silently for a whole afternoon.

She wished she could stand up and pour the hot coffee over Erin. She wished she could confront Blaine and ask why he had broken his word.

But then she felt tired when she remembered Maya lying in pain on a hospital bed.

She remembered Blaine was increasingly cold to her and finally thought it through.

Perhaps she truly had no future with Blaine.

She took a sip of the bitter coffee and finally said, "Fine. I'll do as you said. I will leave him. But in addition to the conditions you mentioned, please help me stage a death before I go."