1.
Evelyn, could you draft my divorce papers for me today, please? Is it possible to rush them?
Hearing the laughter and chatter of a man and woman from inside the villa, I couldn’t help but dial my lawyer’s number.
The night wind blew colder, but it couldn’t chill my heart as much as he did.
This was *our* home, wasn’t it? And today was *our* fifth wedding anniversary.
Yet, I’d been sent out by my own wife, all to make space for her male secretary, to avoid any ‘awkwardness.’
A sigh echoed from the other end of the line: “Mr. Reed, let’s meet and discuss this in person.”
An hour ago, I’d rushed home, exhausted.
Sitting at the dining table, looking at the brightly colored dishes before me, a weary sigh escaped my lips.
“Victoria, you know I can’t eat seafood…”
I’ve never been a picky eater.
But on this entire table, there was almost nothing I could safely consume.
Even if I wasn’t picky, I couldn’t risk my life just to eat, could I?
Victoria knew about my severe seafood allergy.
That’s why, for years, most of the meals I prepared were simple and light.
Yet, this time, Victoria had ordered a whole table of intensely flavored dishes, every single one of them loaded with seafood.
She pushed the only bowl without seafood – a simple tomato and egg soup – towards me, her tone impatient.
“You know how busy I am with work, I don’t have time for these little things. This huge company relies on me to keep it afloat. I finally carved out some time to eat with you today, don’t make a big deal out of nothing. Besides, isn’t this tomato and egg soup free of seafood?”
Though I knew her heart had strayed.
Or perhaps, Victoria had never truly cared for me at all.
But I never imagined she could be so heartless, utterly disregarding five years of our marriage.
It was our fifth wedding anniversary, a table laden with twelve dishes, and I was only deemed worthy of one.
I was about to speak.
But Victoria’s phone rang, interrupting me.
A smile blossomed on Victoria’s face.
She spoke welcoming words into the phone, then went to the kitchen to retrieve an extra set of plates and cutlery, placing them beside her seat.
Only after she hung up did she turn to me, asking.
“Leo is home alone, and his power went out. He has nowhere to go, so I told him to come over for dinner. Julian, I’m sure you don’t mind.”
It was phrased as a question, yet Victoria delivered it as a statement.
I smiled bitterly.
Victoria had already gone this far, even setting out the extra place setting so meticulously.
Would my refusal even matter now?
“Oh, right, Julian, what were you about to say earlier?”
Victoria suddenly remembered I’d been about to speak before her phone rang, so she asked.
Today was our fifth wedding anniversary.
I cherished this rare opportunity for us to be alone, eating together, and naturally, I didn’t want anyone else to intrude.
Though I knew my words would displease Victoria, I thought it over and decided to say it anyway.
“Victoria, today is our fifth wedding anniversary. I just hoped it would be just the two of us, to talk properly, and have a nice dinner…”
Just as I expected, Victoria cut me off before I could finish.
She frowned, her displeasure evident, and slammed her cutlery onto the table.
“I know it’s our fifth wedding anniversary! You don’t need to buzz around me like a fly, constantly reminding me.”
“I ordered so many dishes, and you can’t possibly eat them all by yourself anyway. Leo works his tail off with me all day, he’s probably starving. It’s like a bonus meal for him.”
Seeing Victoria’s resolute tone, I could only lower my head.
I didn’t say anything else, just lowered my gaze and began to quietly eat the bowl of tomato and egg soup in front of me.
My eyes welled up without me realizing it.
Tears dripped into the soup, which I then swallowed.
So many dishes, and I really couldn’t finish them alone.
Not even if I ate until I burst.
I quickly finished the bowl of tomato and egg soup.
When I looked up again, I’d regained my composure.
Only my slightly reddened, swollen eyes might give me away, if Victoria bothered to look closely.
“Victoria, maybe we should get a divorce.”
Victoria, sitting opposite me, had her eyes glued to her phone.
Her thoughts seemed elsewhere, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She didn’t seem to hear my words, or perhaps just didn’t register them. She merely let out a questioning “Huh?” without lifting her head.
My face remained expressionless, but a bitter ache swelled in my chest.
I took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of hurt.
I was about to repeat myself, but Victoria interrupted me.
“Leo’s here. We can talk about whatever you want later tonight.”
My mouth was still open.
But Victoria didn’t even wait for me to utter a single word, hurrying out of the room.
Watching her determined back, I forced a small smile. I tapped my phone screen a few times, sending a message.
“I’ll be at the lawyer’s office later.”
From now on, Victoria would no longer have to worry about me interrupting her relationships with other men.
The five-year term was up. Victoria’s mother’s dying wish, after all this time, had ultimately remained unfulfilled.
But I truly couldn’t wait any longer.
***PAYWALL BREAK HERE***
2.
Not long after, Victoria returned to the house with a young man.
I knew him.
The young man was Leo Maxwell.
They were colleagues at the same company.
Victoria was the company’s owner, and Leo was her male secretary.
I was the company’s CFO.
However, to avoid suspicion, no one in the entire company knew about our relationship.
Even coming and going from work, Victoria would deliberately stagger our times.
“Mr. Reed, you’re here too! I thought Ms. Sterling was just pulling my leg.”
Leo stepped forward and grabbed my arm.
His tone sounded friendly, but it was laced with cunning.
“Mr. Reed, tell me, what’s your real relationship with Ms. Sterling?”
I uncomfortably pulled my arm away, about to truthfully explain my relationship with Victoria.
But Victoria spoke first, her voice full of a mixture of fondness and resignation.
“Julian and I are just colleagues. We happened to be reviewing the company’s financial status today, and you just walked in on it. Not everyone gets to lounge on the sofa watching TV after work like you do.”
Victoria casually dismissed our relationship as mere colleagues.
I stood opposite her, watching her intently for a long moment, my entire body stiffening.
Though we always maintained a professional facade at the company, referring to each other as colleagues, hearing Victoria utter those words, one by one, felt like a knife slicing through my heart.
I gritted my teeth, opening my mouth in bitter defiance.
“Victoria, we are clearly…”
“Shut up!”
Victoria cut me off before I could finish, giving me a cold, emotionless glance.
“There’s no need to say things that shouldn’t be said. I still have the right to decide this matter, don’t I?”
I shook my head in disappointment, the last flicker of hope deep in my eyes slowly extinguishing.
Leo smirked triumphantly.
Hearing that Victoria and I were just colleagues, he sat down at the dining table right beside Victoria without any hesitation, his voice brimming with delight.
“Wow, all my favorites! You’re really good to me, Victoria.”
As he spoke, Leo leaned in and pecked Victoria on the cheek.
Victoria froze for a moment.
When she recovered, she cautiously glanced my way out of the corner of her eye.
Only when she saw that I seemed to be staring at my lap, as if I hadn’t witnessed the scene, did she visibly relax.
“Eat your food. I know you like these, they were all ordered for you.”
Leo’s mouth was full of food, his voice muffled, tinged with a hint of complaint.
“Victoria, you love to tease me. You knew my rental apartment would have a power outage tonight, but you didn’t tell me in advance. I almost fell when I was showering.”
“Oh no, did you get hurt? My fault, I didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence.”
“Heh heh, I was just kidding. I’d already finished showering by the time the power went out.”
“This was a surprise I prepared for you today. Do you like it?”
…
The two chatted as if they were the only ones in the room.
I hadn’t realized their conversations were so intimate, so boundary-less.
It wasn’t until Victoria piled Leo’s plate high with food that I belatedly realized all the dishes on the table were Leo’s favorites.
My much-anticipated fifth wedding anniversary was merely a backdrop for Leo.
Victoria had rushed home early today, arranging this feast, not for me at all.
In that instant, I felt as if I finally understood when Victoria’s heart had changed.
A terrifying weight pressed down on my chest, leaving me breathless.
I stood up, bitter, preparing to leave.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
Leo remained seated. “Mr. Reed, aren’t you going to eat something before you leave?”
“No, it’s fine. It’s not appropriate.”
“Then I’ll walk you out.”
Leo started to stand, as if he were the man of the house.
But Victoria gently pressed him back into his seat.
“He knows his way. You don’t need to see him out.”
Those were Victoria’s last words to me as I left the villa.
There was no hint of a plea for me to stay.
I stood outside the villa, the cool breeze washing over me.
I knew the way, alright. This was *my* home.
But now, I couldn’t even go back inside.
Perhaps my time living here wouldn’t be much longer.
4.
A light rain was falling.
A cool breeze rustled the tree branches along the roadside.
But it didn’t stir my heart.
I made a purposeful phone call and headed to a law firm.
I took the elevator, making my way to the office with a familiar ease.
Clearly, this wasn’t my first visit.
“Evelyn, can you finalize my divorce papers today? Do you need any more documents?”
The lawyer opposite me frowned, flipping through previous records.
“It’s about halfway done. If I work overtime today, it should be ready.”
“But according to your previous requests, you were planning to file for divorce next month. Why the rush now?”
I offered a faint smile.
“Better a short pain than a long one, right? It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
I stayed at the law firm until late into the night.
When I left, I carried a black folder in my hand.
Since leaving the law firm, my brow had been furrowed, never relaxing for a moment.
“This divorce agreement requires signatures from both parties.”
I had already signed my name the moment I received it.
But the next, most crucial step was how to get Victoria to put her name on it.
Suddenly, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.
It was Victoria.
“Julian, where are you? Why aren’t you home so late? Give me your address, I’ll come pick you up.”
After a moment’s thought, I gave Victoria an address.
“Alright, come pick me up. I also have something to tell you.”
I thought that if Victoria truly came to pick me up this time,
I would lay all my cards on the table, have an open and honest conversation with her, including my intention to divorce.
But an hour, then two hours, slowly passed.
I still hadn’t seen Victoria.
When I picked up my phone to call her, I discovered a new photo on SnapChat.
Leo’s apartment was pitch black, lit only by a single candle. The faint candlelight illuminated Victoria’s left hand.
Although it was too dark to see faces, I knew it was her.
I couldn’t be mistaken about the wedding ring on her finger.
[Power outage at home, my big boss is keeping me company by candlelight!]
I froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.
No wonder Victoria hadn’t come; she was occupied elsewhere.
I “liked” Leo’s SnapChat post, then slowly walked home.
I returned home, showered, and lay in bed.
It wasn’t until I was half-asleep that Victoria finally came back.
As soon as she got into bed, she naturally reached for my hand.
Victoria pressed herself close to my chest, pulling my hand to her waist.
Her cold, thin lips brushed against my neck.
“Julian, it’s been a while since we’ve been intimate…”
The moment Victoria spoke,
An unfamiliar scent of men’s cologne hit me, making me sneeze involuntarily.
Coincidentally, it was the exact same cologne Leo wore.
It made me feel a little disgusted.
I wearily pushed Victoria away, my voice calm.
“Not tonight. I’m not feeling well.”
It was the first time I had ever rejected her.
A flicker of surprise crossed Victoria’s face.
However, after I sneezed several more times, Victoria remembered her broken promise from earlier, and her face softened with guilt.
“Julian, are you catching a cold? I should take you to the hospital to get checked.”
“I’m sorry, Julian, I broke my promise today. Something came up at the company; I was going to pick you up, but then I got too busy and missed it.”
I closed my eyes, nodded, mumbled “No, it’s fine,” and then said nothing more.
The woman I had shared a bed with for five years no longer spoke a single truth to me.
Any lingering guilt I had about secretly drafting the divorce papers vanished.
4.
The next morning, we both left the villa one after the other for the company.
As I arrived downstairs, I saw Victoria getting out of the car with Leo.
Victoria would explain her relationship with me to everyone, but she never shied away from her intimacy with Leo.
In her words, they were innocent, and there was nothing to hide.
Our relationship, however, was like something stolen, something that couldn’t see the light of day.
Seeing me, Leo jogged over and handed me a bag of breakfast buns.
“Mr. Reed, what a coincidence! These are for you, consider them a thank-you gift for liking my post yesterday.”
Victoria, following behind Leo, heard this and her curiosity was piqued.
“What SnapChat post?”
It wasn’t until Leo opened his phone, revealing yesterday’s post, that Victoria’s pupils contracted slightly.
Perhaps she remembered her lie from yesterday, as a hint of panic flashed in her eyes as she looked at me.
But seeing me calmly accept the breakfast buns from Leo, she visibly relaxed.
Victoria reassured herself.
Perhaps I hadn’t connected all the dots.
I took the buns, smiled, said “Thanks,” and squeezed into the elevator.
Victoria frowned after I left.
She felt something was off about me today, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
When Victoria arrived at her office, she called someone from the finance department to inquire about my recent work performance.
“I saw Mr. Reed at Evelyn Hayes Law Firm yesterday evening. I wonder if something happened at home that needed legal attention.”
That single sentence tugged at Victoria’s heart.
We were a family, she reasoned, so she’d know if I needed a lawyer.
Victoria planted a seed of doubt in her mind.
She recalled the address I’d given her yesterday, which happened to be near the law firm.
She was about to call me in for questioning.
Unexpectedly, I knocked on her office door myself.
“Ms. Sterling, this is last month’s employee payroll report. I need your signature.”
I took a black folder from my bag and handed it to Victoria.
Every page requiring a signature was marked.
“Ms. Sterling, the places that need your signature are on these pages…”
“I know, I’ll just take a quick look.”
I didn’t know what had gone wrong.
Victoria, who usually didn’t scrutinize things too closely, was examining this document with unusual care.
“I heard you went to a law firm yesterday?”
Victoria’s sudden question made my heart leap.
If Victoria knew this was a divorce agreement, would she sign it?
I didn’t dare to gamble on that probability.
I just wanted to get away from Victoria as quickly as possible.
“You know the company is about to sign a big project. I asked the lawyer to check the contract for any loopholes.”
Perhaps my calm demeanor dispelled Victoria’s suspicions.
She flipped to the last signature spot and quickly frowned again.
“What kind of contract is this? Why is there only a last page?”
There wasn’t much information on it, just the usual boilerplate about contracts being in triplicate.
But I was prepared.
My face remained impassive, though my voice held a hint of urgency.
“I just discovered a mistake in this contract this morning, so I took it in for corrections. Please sign it quickly; this contract is urgent.”
Victoria looked up at me.
She believed I wouldn’t lie to her, but something still felt off.
Unbeknownst to her, my heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again as I saw her hesitate.
Although the contract didn’t contain much content, a careful look would reveal the faint words “Law Firm Divorce Agreement” in the upper left corner.
“Victoria, I think Leo just fell outside.”
I used Leo to distract Victoria.
Just then, a soft sound came from outside the door, unsettling Victoria.
She didn’t have time to scrutinize the contract further, hastily signing it.
I breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied, and left.
As I walked away, I saw Victoria carefully examining Leo, turning him over and over, as if he were a precious treasure, though he’d only knocked over a water bottle.
This time, I felt calm.
The moment I decided to divorce, I had already let Victoria go.
5.
That afternoon, I immediately contacted Evelyn Hayes.
“Once the divorce agreement is signed, there’s nothing else to do. However, the agreement takes a few days to become legally effective. During this period, if either party disagrees, they’ll have to continue negotiations.”
I was already well aware of these divorce procedures.
Returning to Victoria’s villa, I immediately began packing my bags.
I decided to keep it a secret from Victoria.
Living in this villa for five years, at first glance, there were traces of my life everywhere.
But as I gathered my belongings, I realized how pitifully few they were.
It made me realize once again that Victoria’s marriage to me had been truly reluctant.
Otherwise, our five years of marriage wouldn’t have been filled only with resignation, but with happiness.
When Victoria returned, I was bitterly placing a towel into my suitcase.
She frowned.
“Julian, are you packing? Where are you going?”
I hadn’t expected Victoria to come home so early today.
But I remained composed, calmly continuing to pack.
“Nowhere. Just some clothes that have gotten moldy or old. I’m going to donate them.”
“Donate them? Why?”
I smiled and looked up.
“Didn’t I tell you? Actually, I grew up in…”
Before I could finish, Victoria cut me off.
A phone call, ringing at just the right moment, diverted Victoria’s attention, leaving her no time to delve deeper.
The instant Victoria picked up her phone, I saw the number and name displayed on the screen:
[My Golden Boy].
A unique nickname, full of affection and intimacy.
Unlike me, in Victoria’s phone, I was simply noted as “Julian Reed.”
“I’m home already. Just wait for me patiently, I’ll be right there.”
With that, Victoria hung up, smiling.
She looked up and realized I had overheard the entire call.
“Leo is looking for you?”
I asked.
Victoria immediately became flustered, explaining.
“Julian, don’t misunderstand. It’s just that Leo’s power went out again. He’s not safe alone at home; it wouldn’t be good if he accidentally fell or bumped into something, so I…”
I quickly cut off Victoria’s incessant chatter.
I smiled and said I understood.
But the more I did, the more uneasy Victoria became.
My recent unusual behavior made her feel increasingly frustrated.
It was like a sheet of paper in front of her, ready to tear at the slightest touch.
Yet, she couldn’t quite reach the paper, couldn’t find the answer.
She watched me finish packing my suitcase, then looked around. The entire house seemed to be just as it was, unchanged.
The clothes she needed to wear each day were pressed and neatly arranged.
Even the jewelry matching each dress was meticulously placed beside it.
Victoria couldn’t find an answer, suspecting she had been too busy lately and was imagining things about me.
“Oh, Julian, what were you about to say earlier? Why don’t we go to Leo’s place together?”
I was silent for a moment.
I had actually been about to tell Victoria that I grew up in an orphanage.
My occasional departures over the years were to return to that orphanage, to visit the headmistress and the children.
But now, it seemed unnecessary to say any of that.
As for her suggestion to go to Leo’s place together, I quickly declined.
I patted the suitcase I’d just packed.
“I won’t go. I still need to find a place to donate these clothes.”
This reason of mine again left Victoria with no room for suspicion.
However, this time she didn’t let it end there.
“Then I’ll go with you. It’ll be easier to drive.”
She looked at me intently, as if trying to read my thoughts.
But this time, I lowered my head and didn’t refuse.
I knew Victoria well.
I knew she had already sensed something was amiss.
Only thirty days left. I didn’t want all my efforts to be in vain.
We got into the car, one after the other.
Just as I was racking my brain for a way to get rid of Victoria,
A message from Leo called Victoria away again.
Victoria looked at me apologetically.
“Julian, I’m so sorry, I can’t go with you to donate the clothes this time. Something came up at the company that needs my attention.”
I smiled and nodded.
Victoria always thought she was keeping everything perfectly hidden.
As she was about to get out of the car, I suddenly asked her.
“If I hadn’t saved your mother six years ago, would you still have married me?”
This question didn’t catch Victoria’s attention.
Her mind was entirely focused on Leo now; she wished she had wings to fly to his side.
“Of course, not! We got married because I loved you.”
“Is that all?”
“That’s all!”
I suddenly laughed.
I chose to let go of Victoria, whose mind was already elsewhere.
To let go of this person who spoke to me with such obvious indifference.
It wasn’t until the tail lights of Victoria’s car vanished in the distance that I shed a tear, my eyes reddened. I softly whispered:
“Liar.”
6.
The story of how Victoria and I met was full of coincidences.
When I first arrived in this city, I searched and finally rented a room from Victoria’s mother.
On my very first day, Victoria’s mother suddenly collapsed, unconscious, due to an unexpected illness.
Thankfully, I discovered her in time and rushed her to the hospital.
Later, Victoria’s mother’s surgery was successful, but her health was compromised.
And she required long-term care.
As I had just arrived in the city and had no job,
At Victoria’s mother’s and Victoria’s urging, I took on the job of caring for Victoria’s mother.
However, sadly, Victoria’s mother passed away a year later due to her severe illness.
And Victoria, honoring her mother’s dying wish, married me.
Five years had flown by since then.
Back then, full of ambition, I always believed that one day I would melt Victoria’s cold heart.
But after five years, I was exhausted.
I couldn’t fight anymore.
I slowly pushed my suitcase back to the villa, then picked up my phone and made a call.
“Mark, could you help me rent an apartment? Nothing too big, just enough for one person. Ideally, I’d like to move in in about a month.”
Mark’s puzzled voice came through the phone.
“Rent an apartment? Julian, don’t you have a few properties listed for sale? Why are you looking to rent?”
Mark was the real estate agent who had helped me find Victoria’s mother’s house all those years ago.
Over the years, I’d entrusted him with managing the properties I’d accumulated.
He was one of the few friends I had in this city whom I could truly talk to.
“If you don’t have a place to stay and want to clear your head, you could go to the old lady’s previous old house.”
“It’s quiet there, the environment is good, and it’s not far from your workplace…”
Of course, I wouldn’t accept Mark’s suggestion.
I wanted to sever all ties with Victoria.
Why would I stay in a place connected to her?
“Mark, please find me a place somewhere else!”
My tone was calm but firm.
On the other end of the line, Mark seemed to sense my intentions and sighed, saying no more.
Just then, Victoria’s voice came from behind me.
“Julian, who are you talking to on the phone?”
I flinched.
I quickly said my goodbyes into the phone and hung up.
I turned to Victoria, my face impassive.
“Haven’t talked to Mark in a while. Just arranging to grab dinner with him this weekend.”
My words, half-truths, made Victoria frown.
She knew Mark was one of my few friends, and we’d contact each other occasionally.
But I was usually quite reserved and never had much enthusiasm for going out.
The number of times I’d gone out with others in these five years was minimal.
“Why suddenly decide to have dinner together?”
Victoria took off her jacket, turned around, and looked at me, sitting on the sofa without moving. Her frown deepened.
Before, whenever she came home, I would always greet her immediately, taking her coat and hanging it in the closet.
But lately, she hadn’t received that treatment.
This time, Victoria’s heart began to panic.
“You always said you didn’t like going out, didn’t you?”
I looked down at my phone.
“I just donated all my clothes, and the weather’s changing. I need a couple of new outfits, and thought I’d catch up with Mark at the same time.”
Victoria stared at me intently, as if trying to find a flaw in my words.
This feeling of knowing something was off but being unable to pinpoint it made Victoria thoroughly uncomfortable.
“I should have time this weekend. Why don’t I go with you? It’s been ages since we went shopping together.”
I finally looked up at Victoria, a flicker of wariness in my eyes.
After a moment, I spoke, my voice edged with a hint of pique.
“You’re too busy with work. Let’s not. After all, such a big company, so many people are waiting for you to lead, to support them.”
This was the excuse Victoria used most often to refuse me in the past.
Hearing it from me now, Victoria actually relaxed a little.
Victoria smiled and linked her arm through mine.
“Are you still upset?”
“I know I’ve been too busy lately and ignored your feelings. I promise I’ll spend quality time with you this weekend.”
But Victoria didn’t see the disappointment that flashed in my downcast eyes.
I whispered in my heart.
Soon.
Soon, I’ll be free of you, Victoria.
7.
Soon, the weekend arrived.
Twenty-four days until the divorce.
These past few days, Victoria had noticeably spent more time at the villa.
But she was also increasingly distracted.
Under my subtle concealments,
She hadn’t noticed a single thing out of place in the entire villa.
Even the suitcase, full of clothes and leaning against the front door, had sat there for a whole week, unnoticed.
Today, Mark and I had an appointment to look at apartments.
Victoria stayed by my side, as if determined to fulfill her promise.
Unable to do anything else, I took Victoria to the mall.
The mall was bustling, but neither of us had much enthusiasm.
I was solely focused on escaping, while Victoria was preoccupied with trendy clothes meant for younger people.
“Victoria, why don’t we call Leo to come shopping with us?”
At these words, Victoria’s eyes seemed to light up.
“Really? Is that okay? I said I’d spend the whole day with you and not talk about work.”
I sighed inwardly.
Victoria had already taken out her phone and started dialing.
Why bother with the reluctant, self-deceiving act then?
Leo arrived quickly, in less than ten minutes.
I wasn’t stupid; I could guess Leo had probably been waiting in the mall for a while.
And who would have called him?
This was exactly the kind of thing Victoria would do.
A three-person outing, but only two people were truly happy.
Suddenly, the mall alarms blared.
Fire!
Thick black smoke billowed, and the crowd in front rapidly retreated.
Victoria tightly shielded Leo.
Meanwhile, in the surging crowd, I was pushed and shoved, nearly falling to the ground.
I turned back, and my gaze met Victoria’s across the chaos.
Victoria’s face was anxious, wanting to move forward, but under Leo’s insistent urging, she hardened her heart and turned away.
“Julian, wait for me! I’ll get Leo out, and I’ll come back for you immediately!”
I was expressionless, quietly watching Victoria and Leo disappear into the crowd.
Under the cover of the panicked masses, I quietly left the mall.
I met up with Mark and we went to look at several apartments.
By the time I returned home, it was late.
I hadn’t expected Victoria to still be waiting for me.
Seeing me enter the house, Victoria rushed over.
After only half a day apart, Victoria’s face looked much worse.
“Julian, where have you been? Your phone was off. I was so worried about you.”
Victoria grabbed my arm, checking it all over.
Until she noticed a faint red mark on my neck.
She suddenly slapped herself across the face.
The crisp sound made me momentarily lose focus, then quickly turned to a feeling of regret.
“I’m sorry, Julian, it’s all my fault today, all my fault…”
I let out a mirthless laugh.
I felt no real emotion, just a sense of boredom.
“I’m fine. I just wasn’t paying attention when I was out with Mark, and my phone died.”
Then I suddenly stepped forward, evading Victoria’s attempt to hold my hand again.
“I’m a bit tired today. I’m going to bed now.”
Victoria stood rooted to the spot, looking a little lost.
She suddenly felt me slipping further and further away, making her unable to grasp me.
8.
In the following days, I stayed quietly at home.
To avoid arousing Victoria’s suspicion,
I didn’t go anywhere, just waited patiently for time to pass.
The apartment I was supposed to move into had already been settled.
But on the very last day to sign the contract, the landlord changed their mind.
Mark called me.
“The landlord said a woman named Sterling offered a higher price for a young man named Leo, and the apartment was rented out on the spot.”
I knew my relationship with Victoria.
Coupled with my strange behavior lately, I had a suspicion.
I didn’t say much, just asked Mark to find another apartment.
That evening, I deliberately probed Victoria.
“I heard you rented an apartment for Leo?”
Actually, I had no other intention in saying this.
I just wanted to confirm it so I could deliberately avoid that area in the future.
Victoria, however, seemed flustered, her hands nervously fidgeting.
“Julian, don’t misunderstand. You know Leo’s previous rental was in a really bad environment, with power outages every other day.”
“I just considered that Leo is a company employee, and this counts as a company benefit.”
I nodded, indicating understanding.
I didn’t argue or make a fuss, even sharing a light joke with Victoria.
Victoria looked at my unusually calm demeanor, and a flicker of fear suddenly appeared in her eyes.
“Julian, are you hiding something from me?”
My hand, playing with my phone, paused slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
I smiled and looked up, “No, why would you say that?”
Victoria remained silent.
She had a nagging feeling that I was hiding something from her.
But she couldn’t find any evidence, so she forced a smile and said, “It’s nothing.”
In the following days, with Mark’s help, I found an apartment far away from that area.
Once it was settled, I immediately moved all my belongings from the villa into the new apartment.
I didn’t leave a single towel or a pair of slippers in Victoria’s villa that belonged to me.
That night was my last night in Victoria’s villa.
I had sent Victoria a message early on, planning to tell her everything tonight.
I cooked a table full of dishes, intending it as our last dinner before the divorce.
Unfortunately, Victoria broke her promise again.
As the clock struck ten at night,
Victoria still hadn’t returned home.
I took out my phone and saw Victoria celebrating with Leo on SnapChat.
Only then did I realize that today was also Leo’s first day moving into his new apartment.
I calmly watched it all.
For Leo, she wouldn’t even spare a little time for me?
All the dishes on the table were poured into the trash.
Victoria, if you knew that after tonight, our agreement would become effective,
Would you regret breaking your promise again today?
I left a letter for Victoria.
But then I thought, since we were divorcing, there was no need to bring up old matters.
I tore the letter into shreds and threw it into the trash, leaving only a copy of the divorce agreement.
And my wedding ring.
I erased every trace of my existence from the villa.
Finally, I closed the door and left.
It wasn’t until I had left that Victoria belatedly arrived.
She habitually tidied her makeup, checked herself up and down, then put on an apologetic smile.
She pushed open the door and immediately began to apologize.
“I’m so sorry, Julian, I was just on my way back when I ran into Mr. Davies, a big client, and we chatted over dinner.”
But this time, in the empty house, there was no sound other than her own echo.
Victoria called my name several times more.
The house remained eerily silent.
Her face quickly changed, becoming somewhat distorted with fear.
A cold draft blew through the house.
It rustled the divorce agreement and resignation letter displayed on the coffee table.
The scattered divorce agreement revealed her handwritten signature.
↓ ↓ Download the Novel Master app, Search 【 282996 】reads the whole book. ↓ ↓
NovelShort
