She sat in front of her dressing table and played with the pendant he had given her just a day back. Nothing lasts forever, but could it have just lasted a little longer? After three years, he gave her something for her birthday. Was he finally loving her? She stared away at the broken Hana. The mascara ran down her cheeks as her tears escaped her eyes. She had prepared herself for this day, or so she thought, but the weekend seemed to have come too quickly, only to overwhelm her because she hated social events and not to mention, Oh Sehun was supposed to be back. The young and carefree Hana would have never cared, but today her heart seemed a bit unsteady. Was she really ready to face him again? Could she really show him she was doing well all this time married to his brother?

She stared at her reflection, her eyes puffy and red from her nervous breakdown. She fumbled around with her dress, just another annoying thing. She pulled on its sides remembering the dress to be a little bit tighter than the first time she had worn it.

She swore she was feeling every emotion today. Her hands swept across her dressing table knocking down the brand name cosmetics. She internally screamed in frustration.

“Hun,  are you almost ready? We're going to be late,” he sweetly called from the other side of her door.

He was doing it again, using his sweet tone with her. It sets the tone, he had once told her beforehand, not because he was feeling nice; in fact, it made him want to die. The sound he made sure would flow naturally out of his mouth was the same one he would bring along with him to this gala to make them fall for their act.

“Y-yes,” she called back after a few calming breaths trying to mimic the same sweet tone he used with her.

She quickly wiped the tears on her face despite her puffy eyes and touched upon her makeup. She just wanted to be pretty.

He was already waiting for her in the car when she finished. The days were getting shorter, and thankfully too. She much preferred the dark especially now when he couldn’t see her puffy eyes and red nose. They hardly ever spoke to each other aside from being in the public. She reached out to turn on the radio not being able to bear the silence any longer.

“Baekhyun?”

He hummed in response over the radio. She could feel her heart pounding, and it wasn’t from the classical music. Did she dare ask him?

“Am I pretty?”

She fiddled with her fingers and bore holes through the side of his face, searching for any reaction, but there was none.

“Don’t make it harder than it is,” he responded.

“What makes it so hard for you to love me?” She pressed on.

“Quit asking. You’re ruining the tone,” he clucked his tongue in annoyance.

She heaved a sigh and turned to stare out the window instead. Before she knew it, he was opening her door and lending her his hand. She embraced his warmth with her own cold, clammy hands, and waited for the anxiety to kick in. She hated social events. Each and every single one of them. She remembered hiding away in a vacant room as a child whenever her father held his own parties; she could only imagine huddling in a corner with a flashlight and a book waiting for it to almost be over now.

“You’re hurting my arm,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

She panicked to loosen her grip not realizing she held a death grip on him. With a sheepish “sorry”, they entered the impressive hall. She wanted to ask him not to leave her, but she knew it was bound to happen. She knew that sometime through the night he would leave her because “he felt choked” as he would say, so she kept her lips shut and tightened her jaw to keep from chattering.

Her eyes couldn’t help, but wonder and search for Oh Sehun. He was taller than the majority here with broad shoulders, a charming smile she first fell for, and his deep chuckle coming from behind her. Baekhyun had left quite a while now, so she dared to turn around and fully look for Sehun.

He was here with his height, broad shoulders, and charming smile. He was also here with another woman who stuck to him like glue to which he even pulled her closer, not one bit annoyed. Her heart clutched with envy.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. How would Baekhyun like it if he saw the way  you looked at Sehun.”

Hana didn’t have to turn back around to know it was Minji who stood behind her.

“So full of envy, and jealousy, and better yet? So much love,” Minji mocked, “Such a tragic, isn’t it? Even better than Romeo and Juliet.”

“Shut up,” Hana sneered.

“Sometimes I wished you weren’t married to Baekhyun because he could have been my mine!”

Hana shook her head, “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Don’t walk away, you man-stealing .”

Minji gripped onto Hana’