Chapter 2

Almost instantly after I sent the message, a reply popped up.

"Yes, I am," Solomon-from-the-future replied.

I stared at the screen and suddenly found it ridiculous.

"Don't you think it's a little too late to apologize only ten years later?" I replied, my fingertips running cold as I typed out the words slowly. "I don't want to listen to your apology anymore."

There were no new messages for a while. Then, the replies came in.

"I know.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I just want to tell you the truth."

The truth?

I suddenly recalled the first text message, and a frightening thought struck me.

"If I didn't die because of overdosing on sleeping pills, then how did I die?"

This time, the silence was even longer than before.

It wasn't until I began to feel sleepy that the screen lit up again.

"Melanie will say that she can't sleep tonight and insist on sleeping in the master bedroom instead. As such, you will walk out in the snow and collapse before getting incredibly sick.

"I don't want you to die, Ivy. I also don't want you to fall sick. Please take good care of your body."

…

The showering sounds in the bathroom ceased, and the bedroom door was pushed open once again.

Solomon walked in with just a bathrobe on, fresh out of the shower.

"Melanie can't sleep tonight because she isn't used to the mattress in the guest bedroom. Let her sleep in the master bedroom tonight. You can sleep in the guest room."

His tone was loud and confident, as though he knew that I would obey him no matter what.

Melanie's saccharine-sweet voice then floated in. "Did you know, Ivana? Actually, Sol and I have always slept in the master bedroom whenever you weren't around. And I just can't suddenly sleep elsewhere that feels foreign to me.

"You know that Sol's only doing this for my own good, right? You won't get mad at us, right?"

I glanced at her feigned innocence before looking away indifferently. As it turned out, even Melanie's provocations couldn't get to me anymore because I was already thoroughly disappointed with Solomon.

When he saw that I was still standing there quietly without moving, he frowned and said, "Melanie is only staying here temporarily. Can't you stop giving us an attitude about it?"

I glanced at his frustrated look and said lightly, "Don't bother. I'll move out."

I wasn't going to let myself collapse in the snow anymore like Future Solomon said I would. However, I simply couldn't bear to watch the wretched couple being intimate with each other.

Solomon was stunned.

I didn't say a single word and went straight to the wardrobe.

"You guys can have this room if you like it that much. And Ms. Cosgrove can have the things in the drawers and shelves too, if she doesn't mind them."

I then retrieved a random handful of jewelry that Solomon had once gifted me on our anniversaries and put them on the dressing table.

Solomon frowned even harder.

"What do you mean by this? Are you insinuating that the things I got you are just trash to you? Is that why you think you can just give them to whomever you want?"

He grabbed my hand and questioned me angrily, his eyes as dark as thunder, but I just withdrew my hand, not bothering to retort anymore.

Melanie sauntered over and picked up a diamond necklace.

"See, Sol, this is where you don't really understand women. Ivana is feeling upset about the whole situation, so she's using this tactic to try to get your attention and pity. She's just playing hard-to-get, that's all. We, women, know each other's tricks, after all."

She looked up and gave me a faint, victoriously smug grin.

"Playing hard-to-get?" Solomon echoed, suddenly looking like he'd had an epiphany. Then, the fury in his eyes turned into a look of contempt.

"So, you're resorting to such a ridiculous tactic to force me to stay with you," he said, narrowing his sharp eyes at me. He then continued in a harsh tone, "Fine. You want to cut off all ties with me?

"I was the one who paid for everything that you're wearing right now. Take them all off if you dare! Don't you dare play the moral high-ground with me when you're nothing but a hypocrite."

A deafening silence fell upon the room.

Melanie stood to the side, looking at me smugly and with anticipation.

Meanwhile, I stared at the man standing before me. He used to be someone I'd loved for more than half of my life. And now, the final thread of affection I still had for him completely snapped clean.

"Okay."

I didn't hesitate and took off the pearl earrings he had given me on our first anniversary. Then, I removed my necklace, bracelet, and even began unbuttoning the clothes I was wearing.

"Ivana Wesley!"

The anger on Solomon's face immediately turned into shock and panic. When I slid the jacket off my shoulders, he rushed up to me and grabbed my wrist tightly.

"That's enough! Are you fucking done throwing a fuss like this?"

His fingers were cold, and his voice was trembling slightly.

I just looked back calmly into his eyes.

"You were the one who told me to take them off."

He was at a loss for words.

However, I wasn't even looking at him anymore. I just picked up the jacket on the ground, the one I'd bought with my own money, and left without saying another word.

Behind me, Solomon's breathing came in ragged, uneven breaths. It sounded as though he wanted to call out to me, but I had no intention of looking back anymore.

My phone began buzzing in my pocket.

"That bastard! I really wish I could go back and strangle him myself!"

A few seconds later, Future Solomon calmed down and said cautiously, "I'll help you leave him, Ivy."

I locked the guest bedroom door behind me and replied, "Solomon would never let me go. I believe that you know that as a fact more than I'll ever do."

To him, his wife and his mistresses were like his spoils and trophies for being a "successful" man. He would never let anyone go that easily.

If he went through with the divorce, it would only mean admitting that his "perfect" life had begun to crack. He would rather torture me until my death than ever let me go.

A long while later, the screen lit up again.

"Melanie is pregnant."