New House, New Dinner Guest, New Divorce

Axel flashed me a goofy smile and carefully put the perfume away as he said, "That's because I hadn't found the right scent before. I get all kinds of passengers in my car. Some of the smells aren't exactly pleasant. Honestly, if I don't spray a bit of perfume, I can't stand it."

However, he had once said, "Why would I bother with perfume? You don't like it. On top of that, you get carsick. The smell inside the car is bad enough. If I spray perfume, you definitely won't be able to take the scent."

I bit the tender flesh inside my mouth and said nothing.

After buying everything, we returned home. Several of his friends had already arrived and were waiting for him downstairs. I followed him to greet them and took a quick glance around.

Lindsay Brun had a slender figure, and she was much thinner than I was.

We were both married with children, but because I had been on long-term medication due to an illness and hadn't controlled my food intake, I had gained quite a bit of weight.

Inside the elevator, I stood close to her. I realized that I was about half a head taller than her.

A faint fragrance drifted from her, and I knew that scent well. It was the same smell as the one in Axel's car.

Suddenly, I remembered that about half a year after he started driving, he had said to me out of nowhere, "Why do I feel like you've gotten taller?"

When he held me, he would sniff lightly and suddenly say, "I think it'd be better if you wore a bit of perfume."

Lindsay was shorter than I was, and she liked wearing perfume.

The stifling feeling in my chest intensified with that realization. Still, I didn't want to jump to conclusions. As soon as we entered our apartment, Axel went straight into the kitchen and got busy.

I didn't know how to cook, so I sat on the couch and scrolled idly on my phone. His driver friends had all heard that I was somewhat introverted. So, after they toured around, they started chatting among themselves.

It was our housewarming, so I had come over at 5:00 am and started tidying up since then. I hadn't slept at all last night because I was excited. After spending the entire day at our new place, I was now so sleepy that my head felt dizzy.

As the conversation went on, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that one person was missing. I looked over and saw that Lindsay was now in the kitchen and helping Axel with the food preparations.

The two of them were chatting and laughing happily, while I observed them quietly.

Sensing my gaze, Axel wiped his hands on his apron and walked over. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the room.

In a hushed voice, he instructed with concern, "Don't bring up Lindsay's divorce. She told me not to tell you. Since this is our housewarming, she said it wouldn't be nice if the others found out she was getting a divorce. It would dampen the mood."

I blurted, "Wouldn't be nice? If she were so thoughtful, then why did she insist on coming to our new home to celebrate then?"

Axel choked on his words for a moment. "She just wanted to come over and enjoy the lively atmosphere as a friend."

I took a deep breath. "She's a guest, so it's not appropriate for her to be in the kitchen."

He shrugged it off with a smile. "That's it. She's just a friend. And since she knows how to cook, she came in to help out. It's fine."

After saying that, Axel hurried back into the kitchen.

Because of what I had said, he drove Lindsay out of the kitchen. "You're a guest. Don't stay in the kitchen. Go relax for a bit."

Lindsay glanced at me and smiled. "It's fine, we're all friends. Susanna doesn't cook. I can help out instead since I know how to do so. It's no trouble."

It was an ordinary, off-handed remark. Yet, it sounded especially grating to my ears.

Only after Axel repeatedly urged her did she sit down on the couch. She leaned closer to me and flashed me a friendly smile.

She said, "Hi, Susanna. You must be really busy after just moving. If you need any help, just let me know. I'm so happy that you and Axel gave me that 250-dollar perfume to cheer me up. I don't know how to thank you enough for that."

My mind buzzed and went completely blank in an instant.