Chapter 2
737 Words
James looked like he was finally ready to change his ways.
For example, he came home unusually early that day.
For the past two years, he had almost always returned long after midnight. Even on the rare nights when he came home earlier, a single call from Yvonne was enough to make him leave again.
Seeing him appear at that hour felt so unfamiliar that I almost didn't know how to react.
He stood by the entrance, staring at the empty white wall for a long time.
Then he frowned in confusion. "Where did all the photos go?"
That wall used to be covered with pictures I had carefully arranged. Every photo was a memory from our relationship.
Those pictures had been gone for an entire year before he finally noticed.
I walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water, heading back to my room, and casually replied, "You don't know why?"
James froze.
He looked completely caught off guard.
The housekeeper, Lily, who had been standing nearby and holding back her words for a long time, finally couldn't stay silent.
"Sir, last year, you agreed to let Miss Lane bring her production crew here to film. You also told her she could redecorate however she wanted.
"Miss Lane said she was worried that if Mrs. Victor's belongings appeared on camera, people would misunderstand. So she had all the photos removed."
Back then, Yvonne had convinced James to let her film a lifestyle reality show at our house.
Since she was pretending to be the lady of the house for the cameras, none of my belongings could appear in the footage.
She erased every trace of me from the shared spaces as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
After that, there wasn't a single thing of mine left in the living room.
The photos on the walls were replaced with pictures of her and James.
The paintings were the ones she liked. The flowers in the vases were her favorites. The throw pillows and rug were all chosen by her.
After the episode aired, Yvonne became the woman everyone believed truly belonged by James's side.
James's frown deepened as he searched through his memories, trying to recall something he had long forgotten.
A few seconds later, guilt flashed across his face.
"Where are the photos now? Take them out and put them back exactly where they were."
Lily glanced at him, her voice calm.
"Miss Lane said she was afraid the paparazzi would find them and create trouble she couldn't explain. So she had them burned."
"Burned?"
Looking at the complicated expression on James's face, I let out a cold laugh.
Everything Yvonne had done had happened with his silent approval and endless tolerance.
I had no interest in hearing anymore.
I turned around and walked back to my room. The door clicked shut behind me.
I was already drifting off to sleep when someone lay down beside me.
A strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me tightly into his embrace.
"Rory, Yvonne is just inexperienced. She doesn't always think things through. Don't be angry with her, okay? As for those photos, we can take new ones. Anywhere you want."
I didn't answer.
When Yvonne burned those photos, Lily had felt sorry for me and gone to tell James.
At the time, he had been busy arranging career opportunities for Yvonne.
He had dismissed it without hesitation.
"They're just a few photos. It's not a big deal if they're gone."
Over the past two years, he and Yvonne had constantly dealt with paparazzi trying to dig into every detail of their lives.
There were countless things Yvonne needed James to cooperate with.
This house had stopped feeling like my home a long time ago.
Whether those photos existed or not, whose face was displayed on the walls, or whose flowers filled the vases in the living room...
None of it mattered to me anymore.
I only lived here, confined to this one room, like a piece of luggage someone had forgotten to remove.
"Rory."
James held me even tighter.
His warm breath brushed against my neck, and his intentions were obvious.
My entire body stiffened.
I pushed him away, uncomfortable, and grabbed the first excuse that came to mind.
"I'm on my period today."
He stopped immediately.
In the end, he only sighed softly and didn't press any further.
- Writer
