Chapter 2

Jazmine panted heavily as she grabbed Alvin's hand and announced loudly, "That's right! I'm doing all that because I'm planning to marry Alvin!

"I dare you to actually sign your name on the division settlement, Colin Whitaker! Once our divorce is finalized, I am going to take Alvin straight to the town hall to register our marriage! And everyone at the company will be invited to our wedding then!"

Alvin's eyes lit up with a gleam of wild joy. He intertwined his fingers with hers and whispered endearingly in her ear as they left the room hand in hand, without looking back.

The two interns I'd brought up quickly came up to me and handed me a bunch of napkins to pat myself dry. They also tried to advise me to give in to her.

"Mr. Whitaker, I think you should go and talk to Ms. Garcia. If you both really get divorced, then Alvin's going to replace you immediately."

"Yeah, and you're going to regret it forever if that really happens."

I wiped off the bits of fruit pulp on my face and shook my head.

I knew very well that she would never agree to the divorce if I just ran out after her now and apologized or tried to make it up to her. After all, I had always been the one going after her, apologizing, and making compromises for her over the course of our marriage.

That was also the main reason why she was so arrogant and conceited and even dared to twist the truth about our marriage situation back then.

But I was exhausted, and I didn't want to play her games anymore.

I just apologized to everyone present and went to get the bill.

It was almost wintertime. The chilly wind felt like blades to my face and stung like a bitch. Yet I realized I didn't regret it one bit after ending things with her myself. In fact, I felt a little liberated.

Maybe it was because she'd been suppressing me for far too long.

I lit up a cigarette and sent a text message to Mom and Dad.

"I'm fine with settling abroad. Let's just leave as soon as possible."

It would be even better if we never came back for the rest of my life.

After discussing and agreeing on a departure date with Mom and Dad, I went back home and started packing.

I'd been with Jazmine for quite a long time, and there were quite a lot of my bits and bobs around the house. For instance, there were the 999 love letters she'd written to me when she pursued me back then that I safely kept away in a box.

There was also the pair of handmade rings we made together at a workshop on our first date, filled with scratches that were proof of our love for each other.

On top of that, there was also the stack of plane tickets from her secretly coming to see me when we were in a long-distance relationship due to studies, and photos of me that she secretly took while I was sleeping, and our wedding photos on the walls that were covered in a layer of dust, and even the interior of this house that we designed and shopped furniture together for…

We had been deeply in love with each other back then and wanted nothing more than to carve our names straight into the other's bones. I had believed that our love could withstand anything, so I gave up on my future abroad, rejected my parents' offer to relocate, and decided to work at her company instead.

I started from the very beginning and accompanied her every step of the way until she became a listed company.

I provided her with free technical support, positioning our company's products at the top and making the company the leader in its industry.

I remembered the day the company got listed and went public. She had gotten down on one knee and even proposed to me with a simple soda can pull tab.

"I want you to be the only man by my side for the rest of my life, Colin Whitaker. And you also can't have anyone else but me by your side."

I teared up and nodded, promising her the rest of my life.

But now, she was the one who betrayed me first, secretly holding someone else's hand halfway through.