Just a few days ago.
They even registered a real estate company in her name.
In five days, the grand opening would take place.
My hands trembled as I opened Elijah’s social media feed.
I scrolled. My heart turned ice-cold.
For five years, Scarlett had been living in luxury abroad, funded by my family.
She dressed in designer brands under the Harrison Group. The villa she lived in? One of the company’s overseas properties.
And Elijah? He had been by her side all along, using “business trips” as an excuse to fly over.
Even my own parents were in the photos, smiling as if they belonged there.
At that moment, I understood.
They were the real family.
Swallowing back the stinging tears, I took screenshots of the evidence and switched back to his main account.
I finally noticed Elijah had changed his status message.
It had always been the same, a single word. [Wait.]
When I once asked him what it meant, he smiled and said he was waiting for my legs to heal.
But now, it had changed. [Home.]
And at last, I understood.
Wait had never been for me. He had been waiting for Scarlett. Home meant she was finally back.
I placed his phone back on the nightstand and stepped onto the balcony, my fingers tightening around my own.
"Hello, I’d like to book a plane ticket. Departure in five days."
Five days, just enough to bury five years of lies.
That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
The next day, during lunch, my phone lit up.
Elijah’s gaze flicked to it from the corner of his eye. His expression darkened.
"Wife, why are you applying to cancel your bank card?"
I shut off the screen, my voice calm. "My card is expiring. I scheduled a renewal."
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but then his phone rang.
"Wife, something came up at work. I have to handle it. I won’t be able to have lunch with you."
I nodded, watching as my parents followed him out the door.
And just like that, I was left alone in this house.
Just as I was about to step out, a friend request popped up on my phone.
[Azalea, you heard everything at the hospital yesterday, didn’t you?]
It was Scarlett.
[Your husband and I have a son.]
[Even your biological parents, when they heard from the doctor that your injuries had left you unable to bear children, immediately chose me instead. They told Elijah to be with me, to have a child with me.]
[We’re the real couple. You? You’re nothing but a joke.]