Starting Over Without Him

When I got home, my clothes were already soaked through from the rain.

Baron and Michelle were sitting on the couch watching a drama on the big TV, chatting and laughing as they followed the plot. Michelle's daughter, Sandy Chandler, was nearby, playing with his toys.

They had not even taken off their shoes. Dark, muddy water stains spread across the sofa cushions.

Seeing me standing at the door, drenched and disheveled, Baron panicked a little. He quickly got up, grabbed a dry towel from the bathroom, and came over to wipe me down.

I took a step back.

His hand hung awkwardly in the air for a second before he softened his tone, trying to comfort me.

"Why didn't you wait for me to pick you up in the rain? I was just telling Michelle that if you didn't come back soon, I was going to go look for you."

"Yeah, Valerie," Michelle chimed in, her voice laced with barely hidden pride.

"Sandy and I were stuck at work earlier. If Baron hadn't shown up in time, we'd have ended up just like you."

Of course.

The moment the storm hit, the first person my husband thought to pick up was her. It was as if I did not even exist.

No wonder she looked so pleased with herself.

I lifted my head, forcing back the sting in my eyes, and took the towel from him, casually drying myself.

"It's fine. It only started raining halfway through my walk. There wasn't anywhere to call you from."

My calmness seemed to catch Baron off guard. He studied me carefully, then frowned.

"Are you angry?"

"Valerie, I only picked Michelle and Sandy up because it was on the way. Can you not make a fuss out of nothing?

"Besides, you owe Michelle to begin with. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be raising a child on her own at such a young age. She's your sister, so of course we should help when we can."

Owe her?

I let out a cold laugh.

Back then, Michelle was the one who cried and insisted on marrying Hayden. Since she became a widow, was that somehow my fault too?

Did they really think that as long as they used that excuse, I would just keep backing down forever?

I glanced at Michelle, who still looked smug, and replied calmly.

"Back then, our parents wanted to find you someone better. You were the one who insisted on marrying Hayden. You even drugged him and threw away your own reputation. Otherwise, why would he have applied to be transferred to such a remote place?

"Now that things turned out the way they did, are you blaming me for making you a widow?

"You getting lost had nothing to do with me either. The moment you came back, I moved into the school dorms. I honestly don't understand. What exactly do I owe you?

"Let's not forget that Baron gives you his entire salary every month. Even the apartment allocated by his workplace is for you to live in. I've never once complained, have I?"

Michelle's expression froze. She clearly had not expected me to lay everything out so bluntly.

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at me, then turned to Baron, lips trembling as she spoke.

"I didn't cause Hayden's death…"

The moment she started crying, Baron instinctively moved toward her. However, when he saw me standing there, watching him coldly, he stopped himself midway.

Still, seeing how wronged Michelle looked, his heart seemed to ache for her. He turned back to me, anger flashing across his face.

"I never thought you could be this vicious! No one wanted what happened to Hayden. Michelle is a victim too. How can you blame her?"

I actually laughed out loud.

Had Baron already forgotten what he had just said?

He was the one who pushed the blame onto me first. After I simply stated the truth, neither of them could handle it.

Michelle's eyes were red.

"Forget it, Baron… I shouldn't have come back in the first place. Otherwise, it would've been my sister and Hayden getting married…"

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. She bit her lip, scooped up the still-confused Sandy, and turned to leave.

"Michelle!"

Baron called out urgently, grabbing her arm.

Then, he shot me a reproachful look. "Can't you just say less? It's pouring outside. Where do you expect her to go?"

I smiled faintly. "Didn't I just make it back the same way?"