Chapter 5

Andrew lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Two weeks had passed since he decided to stay in the villa his ex-wife used to live in. He even neglected his work, cutting himself off from the outside world.

His mind was only on Sandra Campbell.

He didn't know what was happening to her; he really didn't understand. The second time he stepped into this place and walked through room after room to understand the reason behind Sandra's sudden departure, he found no answers.

When he entered Sandra's room for the second time, he found a wedding ring on the nightstand—something he had just realized.

Apart from the wedding ring she left, he realized how empty the house was like there was no trace that anyone had ever lived in this house.

Everything was so empty and hollow. It was exactly how he felt right now.

When his grandmother asked him to marry Sandra Campbell, he was really upset. He decided not to care about her, simply because he thought that his grandmother had forced her to marry him.

He didn't even try to ask Sandra the reason first; he fell for his own assumptions.

Now, he realized that he knew nothing about Sandra. He only knows that Sandra used to work as a high school teacher and is the daughter of a genius IT entrepreneur with a bankrupt company, Campbell Inc.

No more than that.

"Andrew?"

A call from Ethan, followed by a knock on the door from outside, distracted Andrew's thoughts.

"What?"

Ethan didn't answer his question. The man instead chose to allow himself into the room, then walked over to open the window of the room while chuckling softly.

Behind him, a middle-aged Asian woman named Lana came in with a tray of porridge and water.

"How long are you going to be locked up in here? Are you a hibernating polar bear?" grumbled Ethan. "You even left this window closed. Well, it's a good thing you still remembered to take a shower. I would have thrown up if you hadn't taken a shower yet."

"You are so noisy...," Andrew grumbled hoarsely. "Leave me alone!"

"Lana, give Andrew his porridge. I'll be responsible if he doesn't eat it."

Lana nodded fearfully, placing the tray with Andrew's breakfast on the nightstand before quickly walking away from Andrew and Ethan.

"Did you find her?"

The first question Andrew asked as soon as Lana left got Ethan riled up. He walked over to Andrew, sitting on the side of the bed as he brushed his hair back in frustration.

"I need to remind you, Andrew. I'm not your personal assistant. I'm the CFO, and my job is to take care of financial matters. Not your personal issues with your ex-wife."

"Shut up and just tell me. Did you find her?"

"Yes. I've hired someone to investigate your wife. Did you know that she organized your wedding on a shoestring budget because most of the money your grandmother gave you for your wedding expenses was taken by her father and older brother?"

Andrew was silent, saying nothing.

"She wore her late mother's modified wedding dress to save on the budget, putting everything together herself. I was really shocked when I found out about this, Andrew. I still remember you nagging me for thinking Sandra didn't appreciate you at all for having such a simple wedding ceremony."

Andrew closed his eyes, cursing himself. He didn't even know about that.

What Ethan said was true. For several days after his marriage to Sandra, he continued to make critical comments, criticizing Sandra's incompetence in organizing their wedding.

"I also asked Lana," Ethan continued. "It was a little difficult because Lana is deaf and I only know basic ASL, so I had to ask an interpreter for help. When Sandra was still living here, Lana rarely saw her out of the house. There were no invitations to any parties or social events. When Sandra did go out, she only wore simple, casual clothes--"

"I don't care about that--"

"You should have cared about that before you asked me about her whereabouts, Andrew," Ethan rolled his eyes with pent-up annoyance. "Why are you asking about her now? Where were you all this time? She left because you ignored her."

Andrew didn't know what to say. A feeling of regret began to wash over him. Hearing all the facts given to Ethan further created feelings of guilt in him.

What has he done to Sandra all this time?

"I'm not going to comment anymore," Ethan pulled Andrew's arm, forcing his best friend to get up from the bed. "You'd better finish your breakfast now and get ready. You have a formal luncheon today."

"I don't want to come..."

"It's not your decision," Ethan snapped. "It's about the company."

Andrew mumbled listlessly, having no choice but to take Ethan's word for it.

Somewhat reluctantly, he finished his breakfast and then went into the bathroom. His eyes looked around the bathroom with a gloomy feeling.

His mind was beginning to play tricks on him. In front of him at the moment, he imagined the figure of Sandra, who had just finished bathing, with her thin body wrapped in a bathrobe. The scent of soap filled the bathroom—a blend of sweet and soft.

His feet stepped further. His hand reached for the soap that was still left, which was quite a lot. He squeezed the soap bottle into his palm, and the soft, sweet scent instantly filled the room.

In his eyes, Sandra Campbell was no longer the wife he didn't want to see. For him, Sandra was a foreign figure who came in front of him suddenly and just disappeared from his presence.

She was like a creature from a fairy tale.

Only then did he finally know that Sandra didn't leave for no reason. His ex-wife left because of his ignorance.

What the people around him said was true: he was wasting someone who sincerely loved him.

But if she really sincerely married him out of love for him and not because of his grandmother's pressure, why did she decide to leave?

Why didn't Sandra tell him directly?

Right, he forgot that he never gave Sandra the slightest chance to do so.

Andrew laughed softly, then turned on the shower faucet. He let his body, which was still wearing the clothes, get wet while his mind continued to curse his foolishness endlessly.

***