hapter 4
Nancy led Morgan around the entire restaurant, showing off everything as they walked.
“Do you remember how my biggest dream in middle school was to open a French restaurant?”
“Yeah, you wanted European coastal vibes, impressionist paintings all over the walls, only black and white furniture, and custom scents that would change daily–different floral fragrances each day.”
Hearing him recite her childhood dreams word for word, Nancy was stunned.
“How do you remember all that better than I do? Do you also remember…”
“Of course. You said you’d give me thirty percent ownership and make me head bartender. Does that offer still stand?”
Nancy’s eyes lit up, but then she looked a bit embarrassed.
“That was just kid talk back then. How could you be serious about that? Besides, even though you’re not flying anymore, you’ve got the whole West empire to inherit. Having you work as my bartender would be… well, kind of a waste, don’t you think?”
Morgan’s expression darkened slightly. His lips parted as if to say something, but he stayed quiet.
Erica watched all of this silently, feeling like storm clouds were gathering in her chest–heavy and suffocating.
She knew Morgan had meant every word.
He genuinely wanted to be by Nancy’s side every moment, even if it meant just bartending and watching her from across the room.
After all, he’d already lived through losing her once, so now that he had another shot, he’d treasure every second they spent together.
Just like now–his eyes were always on Nancy, never once glancing back at Erica.
She was left trailing behind, completely invisible.
When they got to their private dining room, Morgan automatically grabbed the menu.
Nancy sat down next to him, and hearing what he was ordering, she deliberately spoke up.
“Morgan, why are you only ordering my favorites? What about your wife? You should ask what she wants too.”
Morgan’s hand paused on the menu. He glanced at Erica, then casually handed it over.
“I honestly don’t know what you like. I just picked some stuff randomly. Order whatever you want.”
Seeing his indifferent attitude and the smugness on Nancy’s face, Erica’s breath caught. She dug her nails deep into her palms.
She’d always known Morgan was naturally distant with everything and everyone, so even when he forgot anniversaries, didn’t plan romantic surprises, and didn’t consider her feelings, she’d dealt with it.
But witnessing how much he cared about Nancy, then seeing how he completely ignored her, Erica felt nothing but heartbreak and helplessness.
She didn’t take the menu. Instead, she stood up looking pale and said she needed to find the restroom.
Nancy followed under the pretense of showing her the way, asking for her Instagram while making pointed comments.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Erica, but Morgan and I have known each other forever. We’re super close. He remembers my cycle, knows when I get bad cramps, and just last month he drove three hours to find this amazing gynecologist who specializes in endometriosis to help me out. When I was living abroad, he’d send me gifts every New Year’s and Christmas through mutual friends…”
Listening to Nancy’s supposedly innocent but obviously bragging tone, Erica felt like she was suffocating.
She stopped walking and turned to face Nancy, her voice tight.
“So what? What exactly are you trying to say?”
Nancy’s expression grew colder, a slight smile playing on her lips.
“Isn’t it pretty obvious? I’m telling you that even though you’re Morgan’s wife, you’ll never replace me in his heart. He’s going to come back to me eventually. If you were smart, you’d step aside gracefully. It would be better for everyone, don’t you think?”
Erica knew everything Nancy was saying was undeniably true.
She took a deep breath and was about to respond when disaster struck.
The gorgeous crystal chandelier above them suddenly came loose, crashing straight down toward where they were standing.
Customers around them screamed as chaos erupted throughout Lumière.
Neither woman realized what was happening at first. When they looked up and saw the massive fixture plummeting toward them, their eyes went
wide with terror.
Just as the heavy chandelier was about to crush them, Morgan came sprinting from several feet away, grabbed Nancy, and yanked her to safety.
Erica was left alone, pinned under the chandelier, lying in a pool of blood.
Excruciating pain shot through every part of her body, tearing at her nerves relentlessly.
Blood streamed down her forehead, turning her vision red. She forced her eyes open to see a crowd of angry customers surrounding Nancy, the restaurant owner, demanding answers and threatening lawsuits.
b
Morgan stood guard beside Nancy like some kind of protective shield, deflecting all the anger and accusations, keeping her away from the worst of it.
Watching those two figures disappear into the distance, Erica couldn’t hold on any longer. Everything went black.
When she woke up, Erica found herself in a hospital room.
Her entire body was wrapped in bandages, and the slightest movement sent waves of pain through her.
The room was completely empty–no one was there taking care of her.
She lay there in silence for a long time, then endured the pain to reach for her purse on the nightstand. She pulled out the scorecard and deducted another 10 points.
As she tried to put it back, her grip slipped and the paper fluttered to the floor, where it was picked up by a nurse who’d just come in for rounds.
The young nurse glanced at it curiously.
“What kind of chart is this? Why are there so many crossed–out points? What happens when you run out?”
Erica’s gaze steadied as she reached for the paper, her voice flat.
“It’s a marriage scorecard. A hundred points total. When they’re gone, everything’s over.”
“Over? Like divorce? But there are only ten points left!” the nurse said, shocked.
At that moment, the door swung open.
Morgan walked in with a slight frown, his eyes immediately finding Erica.
“What’s this about ten points?”
