[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260313014099-51":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},51,3,"Chapter 3: The Shattered Hope","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Darling, I miss you...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Tomorrow, okay? It's late... What if she gets suspicious?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Then wait for me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer ended the call and saw me standing by the glass door.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His face went stiff. I played along, acting like I just woke up, pushed open the patio door, and walked into his arms as if nothing was wrong.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why didn't you wake me when you got back?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I yawned, rubbing my eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seeing my act, Archer visibly relaxed. \"Didn't want to disturb you,\" he said.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then he noticed my bare feet. \"Why aren't you wearing slippers? You'll catch a cold!\" he fussed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His concern caught in my throat, but my heart felt like ice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back in bed, after I lay down, Archer came to my side. He crouched down, touched my face, then rested his hand on my stomach.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I felt the warmth I used to cherish and looked into his eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer flinched, his gaze darting away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What's wrong?\" I asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He feigned a complaint. \"Got an urgent call from the office. They need me back. I don't want to go, though. I'd rather stay home with you and the baby.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Looking at his fake concern, I felt sick.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But I forced a smile. \"Work comes first. You should go.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I heard the front door close. A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. I stumbled to the bathroom and threw up again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sitting on the bed, dazed, my phone buzzed twice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I picked it up and saw the photos I'd received.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They were from the private investigator.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just as I'd suspected, Archer hadn't gone to the office.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">One photo showed his car parked outside an apartment building.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A woman stood by it, seemingly waiting for him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Under the streetlight, Archer took off his jacket, draping it over her slender shoulders.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Scrolling down, I saw them go upstairs together.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I returned to the chat window, typed a quick reply, tossed the phone aside, and lay back down.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The result was, as expected, exactly what I'd feared.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The figures in the photos weren't crystal clear, but I recognized the woman.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was Lilith Bishop, my best friend since middle school.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lilith and I had met in middle school.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I was always the quiet type, often spending P.E. classes reading under a tree.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">No one really bothered me back then.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, one day, Lilith just barged into my quiet little world.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was super bubbly and outgoing, yet she insisted on sticking by me, the quiet, reserved me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And so, we'd been inseparable for years.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">These two people I knew best – when did they start seeing each other behind my back?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Even though I should have accepted it the moment I saw the messages on Archer's phone, a tiny sliver of hope had clung on.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Until I saw the photos, the undeniable intimacy, and that last shred of hope shattered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Feeling dizzy, I thought maybe this was all just a really bad dream.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In my dream, I was back in high school, walking to and from school with Archer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seventeen-year-old Archer in his school blazer, shyly confessing his feelings.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer on the basketball court, turning to wave at me after sinking a three-pointer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer, flustered and blushing, fetching hot water for me when he found out I had my period, making me herbal tea.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">All these were memories from when we were seventeen.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Later in the dream, the mood shifted drastically.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I saw, in a corner I'd never noticed before, that when Archer waved on the basketball court, he wasn't just waving at me. He was also waving at Lilith, who was smiling behind me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The herbal tea? He'd borrowed it from Lilith. She'd teased him until he blushed, he shot her a glance, and walked away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And finally, our graduation prom. Archer proposed to me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With tears in my eyes, I watched him slip the ring onto my finger, our friends cheering.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer leaned in to kiss me, but his eyes never left Lilith's. A silent, unwavering gaze passed between them over my shoulder.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272931294]