Chapter 3: Shattered Jade

I crashed at Felix's place for two weeks.

During that time, Silas was posting non-stop on Pictogram. Every. Single. Day.

Every post featured Victoria.

[The moon is high, and I’ve got my star] A selfie of Silas, with Victoria visible through a window in the background, taking a call.

[A star always shines, and I will chase its light.] A photo of Silas's hand sporting a tacky star-shaped ring, clasped by another hand—unmistakably Victoria's.

[My star shows me the world!] A shot from a first-class cabin. Silas grinning widely next to a sleeping Victoria.

Post after post.

Felix saw them and practically levitated off the couch.

"Holy crap, that little weasel! Is Victoria blind? Can't she see this slimeball is playing her? Anyone could smell his garbage from a mile away!"

Felix was apoplectic.

In contrast, I felt strangely calm. I just felt empty, like I had finally detoxed. Watching him rage felt almost surreal. "Victoria knows exactly what she's doing," I said, my voice flat.

"Knows?" Felix dropped heavily onto the couch beside me. "Then what the hell is all this 'we're just friends' nonsense?"

"In Victoria's world, as long as they haven't slept together, it's innocent. She genuinely believes she hasn't crossed a line."

Victoria always clung to that technicality.

Whenever I called her out, she would hit me with the same garbage. "Silas and I are completely innocent! You're the one with the dirty mind. You see something wrong in everything!" It used to leave me speechless.

Now, I was just numb. "I have to go," I reminded Felix. "The movers are coming."

Since Victoria and I were divorcing, I needed to get my things out of the house. My mother's heirlooms were still there.

Felix sighed and clapped my shoulder. "Alright, man. As long as you're sure."

Felix came with me. We waited outside the house.

Checking Silas's feed again, I figured Victoria was out of town for a few days. I thought we would avoid a scene.

I was wrong.

The second I pushed the door open, the smell of food hit me. Walking inside, I saw Silas sitting at our dining table with his legs crossed, happily munching on a plate of shrimp.

He froze when he saw me, instantly morphing into the picture of a chastened child, and jumped up.

"Julian!"

I just stared at him, noticing he was wearing my pajamas and my slippers.

Then Victoria walked out of the kitchen carrying a dish, and her smile vanished.

"Have you eaten?" she asked stiffly.

I ignored her attempt at peace, walked straight to the bedroom, and froze.

The figurines I carefully kept on the nightstand were knocked over. The bed was a mess, its sheets tangled. The closet door hung open, my clothes clearly dug through. The wall safe—the one hidden in the back of the closet—was wide open.

My heart stopped. I lunged for the safe.

"Julian..." Silas's voice was barely a whisper from the doorway.

"I'm so sorry. Victoria said I could borrow some clothes since my luggage got lost, and I accidentally opened the safe." My vision blurred, and my ears started ringing. "I swear it was an accident! Julian, please!"

I turned slowly, dread twisting in my gut. My eyes landed on the shattered pieces of my mother's jade pendant in Silas's hand. I stopped breathing.

"Please forgive me!"