I didn't say a word. The whole thing was almost laughable.
What kind of cab driver wore a designer suit fresh off a department store rack?
I moved toward the bedroom, but a bolt of pain shot through my knee. My leg buckled, and I nearly hit the floor.
Edmund caught me and guided me to the couch. He looked at my swollen, bruised knee with what was meant to pass for concern.
"How did it get this bad? Did that manager give you trouble again?"
He set a container of cheap takeout in front of me, his expression heavy with guilt.
"I'm sorry, Louisa. This is all my fault."
"You never let yourself splurge on this place. Think of it as my anniversary gift to you. Once I've paid off the debt, I'll make it up to you properly."
He wasn't wrong.
Over the years, every dollar I earned either went to Edmund to "pay off his debts" or got spent on Felix—new clothes, tutoring classes, nutritional supplements.
I never spent a cent on myself.
But that morning, after checking the security footage, I discovered something. All those times I dropped Felix off at his tutoring center, Edmund and Audrey would pick him up the moment I left. The three of them would go out for fancy dinners and shopping sprees.
There was even a time Edmund told me he was taking Felix back to visit his hometown. In reality, he'd taken Audrey on a vacation overseas.
For Audrey's birthday, Edmund could casually gift her a luxury penthouse worth millions.
And all I got was a twenty-dollar cup of cheap takeout.
Maybe that's all I was to him. Cheap and convenient.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me.
"Edmund, I think we should sep—"
Before I could finish, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and shot to his feet, his whole body tense.
"Louisa, just rub some ointment on it yourself. Something came up. I have to go."
Not long after, Audrey's social media updated with a new photo.
Edmund had his head bowed, his large hands gently massaging her stomach. The look on his face was one of tenderness I had never seen before.
"Hehe, I just ate too much for breakfast and got a little stomachache, and this man rushed all the way home in a panic to give me a massage."
She posted another picture—a certificate made of gold leaf and diamonds.
It read: To the most precious little darling in the world.
Nausea surged through me without warning. I ran to the bathroom and dry-heaved over the sink.
My phone rang. It was the school.