Part 3The Stolen Comfort

A flicker of anger crossed Liam's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "Grace, I think you've lost your mind! You'd better stop this, don't keep acting out!"

With that, he took Lily and walked out of the house without looking back.

But if he’d had even a sliver of concern for me,

he would have noticed the bloodstain spreading on the sofa where I sat.

I endured the cramping pain in my lower abdomen, trembling as I stood up.

The tears I'd been holding back in my eyes silently streamed down my face.

The habit of stocking up on pads was something Liam had taught me.

The year we first got together,

he was away on a business trip, and my period started unexpectedly.

I sat alone in the bathroom, remembering the days my mom would make me use toilet paper because she couldn't afford pads.

I had no choice but to improvise with paper again.

That time, I got a serious infection.

When Liam found out, he was both angry and heartbroken. His eyes red, he told me, "Next time something like this happens, you have to tell me. Grace, you're not alone anymore, you have me."

From then on, even if I forgot to keep some at home, he would regularly buy them for me.

I hadn't understood before.

Why, after Lily came back, everything changed.

Now, I finally understood.

In his heart, I would always be second to Lily.

After Liam left,

he had nowhere else to go.

So he stayed at Lily's place.

That night, lying in bed, I was about to tell my best friend about breaking up with Liam,

when I accidentally clicked on Lily's social media.

She had updated her status three minutes ago.

The photo showed Liam, wearing a Pikachu apron, busy in her kitchen.

I couldn't hear what she said, but he turned and smiled in response.

His gentle, relaxed smile was captured perfectly by the camera.

The caption read: "Look at the apron my big brother is wearing! Doesn't it suit him? He didn't want to wear it at first, but I coaxed him, and he agreed! I can't believe how easy he is to win over!"

Neighbors who were also friends with me commented below:

"Oh, Lily, if a man doesn't truly care about you, no amount of coaxing will work! The easier he is to win over, the more he loves you!"

"Exactly! My husband was like that when he was young. I'd say one thing and he'd be hooked. Now love has turned into kinship; I could be hanging myself and he'd think I was just exercising."

Reading those comments, I couldn't help but recall my first argument with Liam.

It was raining heavily, just like today.

He had promised to pick me up from work.

But I stood outside the company for two whole hours, and he never showed up.

Later I found out,

on the day he stood me up,

he was with Lily, watching a movie.

When I found out, I threw a huge fit.

Liam angrily stormed out and didn't come back for a week.

I didn't want to lose him, so I swallowed my pride and apologized.

It took a week of coaxing before he finally agreed to come home.

Compared to my desperation back then,

Lily's words made all my genuine efforts in the past seem like a ridiculous joke.

I silently exited her social media and got up to pack Liam's belongings.

The apartment we were living in now was rented by me.

I've always been sensitive and insecure since childhood. I didn't want to use Liam's money, nor did I want to live in his house.

So when he suggested moving into his place, I flat-out refused him.

Looking back now, my choice then was the right one.

Otherwise, I can't imagine how embarrassingly I would have had to move out of his house.

I put all his things into cardboard boxes.

Then, meticulously, I wiped away every trace he had left in this home.

Once I finished, I went to bed, finally content.