[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260313014099-53":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},53,5,"Chapter 5: The Final Goodbye","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Maybe another day. It's her birthday today, and I need to head back and spend time with her.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lilith’s voice, a siren's song, was surprisingly clear, each word a dagger twist to my heart.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Don't be like that. You've been buzzing around her birthday party for days. What’s the big deal about going back? Come see me tonight, I’ll help you de-stress…\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Being with her is pointless. So, how exactly are you going to help me de-stress…\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer's voice trailed off, replaced by the suggestive sounds from the room.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Through the sliver of the door, I saw their entwined bodies.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My hand, pressed against the wall, barely held me upright.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After the party wrapped up, I watched my parents make their exit, and then Archer and I headed home.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I sank onto the sofa, watching Archer in the kitchen pour me a steaming mug of coffee.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Honestly, after witnessing Archer's betrayal firsthand, I felt no anger, no pain.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Instead, a strange calm washed over me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I even found myself calmly replaying his kindnesses from our younger days, those moments that once felt like my bedrock.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I tried to pull the Archer of my memories apart from the man in front of me, piece by piece.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Searching for any lingering proof that he still loved me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But reality hit hard: people change.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer was no longer the boy from my memories who adored me most.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His phone, discarded on the sofa, buzzed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I glanced at it. A familiar number. Lilith, naturally.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Casually, I flipped Archer's phone over on the sofa for him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The sudden noise made Archer hurry out of the kitchen, heading outside to take the call.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When he returned, that same reluctant mask was back on his face as he looked at me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I was done playing along. I stayed silent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer, assuming I was just exhausted, cut to the chase.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Honey, there's a work emergency at the company. I gotta go handle it. Drink your coffee and get some rest, don't wait up for me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Watching his back as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, I felt a surge of wanting to do something.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Not for love, but for our marriage, for our child.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Finally, as he was slipping on his shoes by the entrance, I called out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I walked over and straightened his suit jacket.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Taking his hand, I guided it to my abdomen, whispering softly.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Archer, the baby and I will miss you like crazy. Please, can you just stay home tonight?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer froze, clearly taken aback, hesitating.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then his phone rang again. He gave me a contrite hug.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And then, he walked out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Not long after, a new message pinged on my phone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This photo was even clearer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Perhaps it was the late hour, the empty streets, but Archer and Lilith were locked in a passionate kiss under a streetlamp.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The picture even caught them ducking into a brownstone, their bodies still pressed together.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I dabbed at the corner of my eye. I felt like I’d been crying, but there were no tears.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then it hit me: when the pain is truly bone-deep, tears just… don't come.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I couldn’t quite label this feeling. Maybe it was a heart that had finally gone numb.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I sat there until dawn. Archer never came home.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next day, Archer rolled in late again, as usual.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I’d deliberately waited for him, sitting in the exact same spot where I’d watched him leave.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When he entered through the door and saw me on the sofa, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then he casually walked over, pulled me into a hug, and stroked my hair, his touch surprisingly gentle.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why are you waiting here? You’re not even wearing a sweater. You’ve got to be super careful not to catch a chill when you're pregnant.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I pushed him away and pointed to the seat opposite me, motioning for him to sit.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We need to talk, Archer Edwards.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His move to sit down halted mid-air.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It had been ages since I’d called him by his full name.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer looked flustered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Sweetheart, did I do something wrong? Did I upset you? Was it because I came home too late…\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272931457]