She Swapped Our House Numbers For Free Renovations Novel – Chapter 1 On the way back from our honeymoon, I stumbled across a viral post online.. [What’s it like living in the same neighborhood as your best friend?] A highly liked comment underneath caught my attention. “I bought a new house in the same neighborhood as my childhood friend. We even ended up on the same floor, so I saved a fortune on renovations.” “He lost a bet and switched our house numbers.” “His wife unknowingly paid for the renovation of the wrong house.” The commenter casually attached a photo of the finished living room. My fingers froze. I tapped on the picture and zoomed in. Every single detail was identical to the renovation plans for my home. A chill ran through me. Someone immediately replied in the comments: “Weren’t you afraid his wife would find out?” She answered casually: “The money’s already been paid. What can she do now? Everything is already finished.” “My childhood friend does whatever I tell him. If I want something, he never says no” “He just came back from his honeymoon today.
When I told him I wanted crab soup dumplings, he went straight to the seafood market the moment he landed!” I hadn’t even finished reading when the car suddenly stopped. I lost my balance and bumped against the dashboard. Evan Whitmore suddenly turned his head, his face full of guilt. “Claire, I need to stop by the market and pick up some fresh seafood for Vanessa today. Why don’t you go home first?” … A dull ache spread from my brow. I sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, but Evan’s eyes stayed glued to the phone screen vibrating nonstop in his hand. The next second, a message notification popped up from a contact saved as “Little Princess.” “Evan, if I don’t get your seafood feast today, don’t blame me for posting those pictures of you wearing my dress online.” Evan laughed and cursed under his breath. “You’re unbelievable. All you ever think about is food, and you never stop talking.” “Claire’s the one who’s actually considerate and understanding.” He said it with a smile, his eyes filled with affection. But the next moment, he got out and opened my car door for me. “Claire, go home first.
The seafood market will be packed, and I don’t want the smell to bother you.” I took a deep breath. “Vanessa’s coming over again today?” Evan nodded, but his attention had already drifted back to his phone. “The house renovation is almost finished. Vanessa doesn’t like some of the furniture styles, so she said she’d help us pick out replacements.” I immediately thought of the post I had just seen and asked carefully: “Why does my house need to be decorated based on Vanessa’s preferences?” Evan froze. His finger paused on the screen for a second before he looked at me helplessly. “Vanessa studied interior design in college. She actually knows how to balance colors and make the most of a space.” “Professionals should handle professional things. You’re not good at this stuff anyway. What’s wrong with letting her check everything?” After saying that, he glanced at the time and urged me. “Get out of the car. We’re running late. The seafood won’t be fresh if we wait too long.” I took a deep breath and stepped out.
The car door slammed shut behind me, and Evan’s car quickly disappeared into traffic. I looked around. I was only about half a mile away from the suburban airport, and finding a ride out there was nearly impossible. In the end, I walked more than two miles to the nearest bus station. I endured the dizziness and nausea, then spent two hours riding the bus home. The moment I stepped inside, I saw Vanessa twisting Evan’s ear. “Evan, seriously? Your wife’s taste is so outdated. All the furniture in the new house is mahogany.” “It looks too traditional. It doesn’t feel like a modern home.” Evan picked up a strawberry and fed it to Vanessa, laughing. “Don’t be so picky. Those mahogany pieces cost Claire a lot of money.” “But it’s your house. If you don’t like them, we’ll just replace everything.” He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. As if the fifty thousand dollars I spent on those pieces of furniture were just a gift he bought to make Vanessa happy. I swallowed my anger and quietly closed the door. Evan turned around. An awkward smile appeared on his face. “Claire, you’re back.
Are you tired? Why did it take you so long?” I didn’t answer. I walked to the dining table. A full seafood feast covered the surface. In the center sat the crab soup dumplings, Evan’s signature dish. Vanessa grabbed my arm and smiled sweetly, but her tone was anything but sincere. “Claire, I’m honestly so jealous of you. You married a man who can cook. I get to enjoy the benefits today too.” “Evan’s cooking is the only thing he’s good at. I heard making these crab soup dumplings is incredibly complicated. It takes two hours just to pick the meat out of the crab.” Evan snorted. “Vanessa, what are you pretending for? How many times have you said you wanted them before, and when did I ever refuse to make them?” I froze. A bitter ache suddenly rose in my chest. I had been with Evan for five years. Back then, I was won over by this exact dish. The last time he made it for me was on our first anniversary. He had held my hand and said: “Claire, I’m not good at much. Cooking is the only thing I know how to do.” “As long as you love it, I’ll make it for you forever.” But after that, he never once made it for me again.
Once, when I casually mentioned that I was craving it, he only ordered takeout the next day. “Claire, making crab soup dumplings is way too much work. Besides picking apart the crab, I still have to cook the filling.” “And a good-quality crab costs hundreds of dollars.” “If you really want them, just order delivery. It tastes almost the same.” But now, he bought expensive crab without hesitation. He spent two hours preparing it without a second thought. So it was never that cooking was too much trouble. It was that I was the person asking for it. I used to think I was just being too sensitive. Until today, when I finally realized— For the past five years, I had been living like a fool.