Wanting Both Worlds, Getting None

Andy and I were actually really good friends.

At least, that was what I'd always believed.

Back when I was dating Cindy, I didn't know that the person she had always loved was Andy. Even less did I understand the reason she suddenly confessed her feelings and said she wanted to be with me.

It wasn't until the day Andy married her sister, Tracy Kirk, that I suddenly realized with a jolt that Cindy had only been with me to get closer to Andy.

At the wedding, Cindy got completely drunk and threw a drunken fit up on the rooftop. No matter who tried to persuade her, no one could talk her down.

In the end, it was just one casual remark from Andy that made her obediently come back down.

I stood there helplessly watching all of this, while Andy's smug and provocative words rang in my ears.

"Gary, Cindy is your fiancee. If you can't even keep your own fiancee in check, what good are you?"

After that day, Cindy seemed to become a completely different person. She never brought up Andy again and showered me with even more affection. If the topic came up by chance, she would just smile faintly and brush it aside.

"I was young and foolish then. Now, the person I love the most is already right in front of me."

Little did she know, when those words reached my ears, a sweetness surged from deep within me and spilled through every inch of my body.

But after Tracy died unexpectedly, it only dawned on me then that Cindy hadn't changed at all. Instead, she had learned to bury her true feelings even deeper.

Afraid that I would be an eyesore to Andy and Kevin, Cindy couldn't wait to pack me off to the shop.

As soon as I got out of the car, Cindy hugged me from behind and softly apologized.

"I'm sorry, Gary. I was out of line just now, but surely you can understand, right? Don't worry, I don't have any feelings for Andy anymore. After all, he's Tracy's husband.

"But she's gone now, and as her only family, it's my duty to look after them. It's just six years. Once Kevin graduates from elementary school, I'll ask them to move out, and then you can come back home."

As Cindy spoke, I caught a hint of guilt toward me in her expression.

But I knew that deep down, she was secretly thrilled and excited. The wish she had harbored for so many years was finally about to come true, after all.

I pulled away from her embrace. Looking calmly at her, I asked, "What if I don't agree? Cindy, you have to choose—me or Andy?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I couldn't help but laugh. How ridiculous was it that I had to ask my own wife to choose between her brother-in-law and me, her lawfully wedded husband?

And yet, it was precisely this kind of absurd and pitiful question that made Cindy's expression darken like a gathering storm. The tenderness in her eyes just moments ago had already turned into displeasure and resentment.

"Save your petty schemes. If I find out you've done anything, you'll be sorry!" she warned, her gaze sharp and menacing.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly to force back the tears threatening to burst forth.

Sorrow and indignation twisted together in my chest, sticking in my throat like a barb.

After wiping away the traitorous tears that had spilled from my eyes, I opened them to find that Cindy had already laid out all the food she had brought from home.

She sat down impatiently and urged me, "Hurry up. I know today is our third wedding anniversary. I'll have dinner with you, but right after, I need to go back and take care of Andy and Kevin."

She pulled me down to sit.

When I went for the shrimp, she said Kevin loved them and took the plate away.

When I reached for the fish, she mentioned Andy liked the fleshy bit, so the bony tail was what I got.

I had barely taken two bites before she packed up all the remaining food. Then, without a moment's delay, she hurried back home.

I stood there in a daze. It wasn't until I watched the car disappear into the flow of traffic that I finally snapped out of it.

I had spent the whole day laboring over this meal, yet in the end, all I deserved was a fish tail?

My phone suddenly buzzed, and a photo of Andy, Kevin, and Cindy appeared on my Instagram feed.

"I feel so blessed. After all these years, the same person is still by my side."

In front of them was a dazzling spread of delicacies, and Cindy was carefully picking fish bones out for Andy and peeling shrimp for Kevin.

I looked at the inedible fish tail in front of me and felt my heart skip a beat, as if a knife were twisting inside it.