< Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Julian Shaw, my husband, cheated on me. This fact, like a cold nail, drove hard into my heart. I stood outside his office door, my body rigid as if frozen in ice. The heel of my black high heel rubbed against the cold marble floor, making a tiny sound that was like the breaking of my heart. It was a long time before I lifted my hand and knocked softly on the heavy door.
“Come in.” His deep voice came from inside the door, with a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
I clutched the papers in my hand and opened the door with my other hand. With a forced smile, I stepped forward and placed the document in front of him.
“Busy? There are a few papers I need you to sign.” I acted so gentle and considerate that I even offered to turn the page for him to sign.
Julian had been on a business trip to Switzerland and only returned this morning. The moment he arrived back, he headed straight to the company to dive into work, his desk where a stack of documents already awaited him. His handsome face was visibly tired.
Without even checking the contents, he quickly signed his name.
“Great.” I said sincerely.
Putting away the papers, I posed the question casually, “Will you be home for dinner tonight?”
“I have plans tonight. Don’t wait up.” His answer was terse and nonchalant.
“Okay, I’m out of here.” The moment I turned away, my smile twisted into a sneer, its warmth draining away like sand through an hourglass.
As I passed the break room in his office, I heard a small noise, like the light pulsation of a small animal. My gaze swept over the sofa area–the coffee table was cluttered with half–crushed snack bags and a congealed bubble tea, while a lone nude–pink stiletto lay toppled on the floor like a wounded flamingo mid–stride… It all went without saying. My heart sank completely into the cold abyss.
Back to my office, I felt all my strength had been evacuated. I slumped in the chair, letting out a long sigh of relief. From the pile of papers, I pulled out the divorce agreement and turned to the last page of the agreement.
As I gently traced Julian’s signed name with the tip of my pen, my mind came back to the past. I thought of his firm
naive belief that we’d love each other eyes when he proposed, mother–in–law’s contemptuous smile, and
my
forever…
my
As Shakespeare had said, “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.”
His mistress was a young girl. He thought he had covered his tracks perfectly, happily enjoying his secret affair. This time, he even brought her along on his business trip. After coming back, he took her to the company….
I put down my pen and sent a picture of the signed divorce agreement to Seraphina Shaw, my mother–in–law.
A week earlier, I reached an agreement with her. She asked me to take the initiative to divorce, and not to tell anyone about my marriage with Julian. My condition was 100 million dollars. In a month, I’d make Julian disappear from my world.
“Tuk–tuk —” the knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
“Come in, please.”
It was Julian’s assistant, Roy Marlow.
“Ms. Frost, Mr. Shaw asked me to give you this.” He
put
a
dark
green
velvet brocade box on
my desk.
Casually I opened it. It was a set of rare diamond jewellery. Yet what flashed across my mind was a dazed, short–haired girl in a rumpled bathrobe, dangling a diamond necklace, backlit by hotel lights pulsing with the rhythm of clandestine lust–the bed’s disheveled sheets framing her collarbone where love bites bloomed violent against porcelain skin.
A wave of nausea came over me.
“Thank you, Roy.” I forced the tumult in my heart and spoke calmly.
Roy seemed to sense my dissimilarity and added, “Mr. Shaw picked this set with great care–it’s the only one like it in the entire world.”
Unfortunately, his heart was not the only one.
I gave a smile, saying, “Oh, that’s really touching. I can’t believe he took time out of his busy schedule to buy me a gift” Roy seemed to realize something and left in a panic.
I looked at the jewelry on the table as if I was looking at something dirty. Taking out my phone, I took a picture of it, and sent it to the owner of the second–hand luxury store. I told him to sell it and donate the money to the foundation for mentally disabled children.
At 5 p.m., I walked to the garage. Inadvertently, I saw a car parked opposite, and in the window, I saw Julian, and the young girl beside him… The girl snuggled up to him with a sweet smile.
“Mr. Shaw!” Roy’s terrified shouts broke the silence, and the screeching sound of brakes was shrill
Through the car window, Julian’s eyes and mine met in the air. At that moment, the last trace of nostalgia in my heart completely disappeared.
