Chapter 2

When Maeva saw the look on David's face, she knew he didn't remember.

David pressed his lips together. When he thought it over, he realized he had actually been living with Maeva for five whole years. It didn't feel long or unbearable to him. If anything, it felt like it had gone by in a flash—so fast that it left him a little dazed. Had it really been five years?

Maeva smiled. "Let's also celebrate that on our fifth anniversary, we've finally decided to end this exhausting marriage."

As she smiled, her eyes began to shine with tears.

She brought out the cake she had already prepared. She had made it herself, from the sponge to the whipped cream to the fruit on top—she'd done every step independently.

The cake was covered with a thick layer of mango. She was allergic to it—her mouth would break out in ulcers if she ate it, and her hands would be covered in rashes if she touched it.

But David liked mangoes. He had seen her when she had an allergic reaction, but he hadn't registered it. He hadn't cared then. He probably hadn't even remembered, because there had been mango on the table again the very next day.

Just hours earlier, when making the cake, Maeva had worn gloves to peel and slice the mango with a paring knife. She'd poured all her love into it. She'd imagined and looked forward to the moment she presented the cake to David. She'd wondered if the cold in his eyes would finally thaw and reveal some warmth.

Unfortunately… that was just her wishful thinking.

Maeva cut a small piece of cake and held it out to David.

Suddenly, his phone rang. The moment he saw the caller ID, his expression softened. "Hi, Ally."

"I just landed, David." Alaina's bright, cheerful voice came through the speaker. "Do you wanna come pick me up?"

Before he could answer, she added considerately, "It's fine if it's inconvenient. I can just grab a cab."

He raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't your flight supposed to be tomorrow?"

"I changed it, so I'm back a day early. David, I… I just really, really wanted to see you sooner. I couldn't wait even one more day."

A faint smile appeared on his face. His voice was low and smooth as he said, "I'll head to the airport right now."

He hung up and immediately turned to leave.

Maeva was still holding out the slice of cake.

"At least have one bite…" she said, forcing down the tightness in her throat, working to sound calm.

He didn't even pause.

She drew a breath. "I made it myself."

"I don't have time," he said coolly. He was in a hurry to pick up Alaina. He didn't want to waste even a second.

Maeva bit her lip. "David, will it kill you if you see Alaina one second later?"

That, at least, got a reaction. David stopped and turned to look at her, his gaze sharp as a blade. After a few seconds, he came back, snatched the plate from her hand, and slammed it down onto the cake.

It collapsed into a mess and was utterly ruined. The row of words that read "Happy Fifth Anniversary" disappeared without a trace.

That wasn't enough for David. He picked up the whole thing and threw it onto the floor. Then, he strode off and slammed the door shut behind him. He was gone.

Maeva lowered her eyes and stared at the wreckage on the floor. It looked just like her life and her marriage. She had always wanted to ask David if he had ever loved her at all, but she was afraid of his answer. She was afraid it would become a nightmare that haunted her forever.

And yet, all those years ago, he'd looked at her so earnestly and said, "From now on, you'll have me."

Those words had become the creed she lived by.

At ten years old, Maeva had lost both her parents. They'd died in a terrible car accident on a business trip. It had killed them on the spot.

The Pearson family business was handed over to her uncle, George Pearson, for him to manage in their place. On the surface, it was temporary management. In reality, it was blatant theft. He'd simply taken it as his own.

At the funeral, Maeva stared at the caskets and the portraits of her parents. She had cried so much that she felt numb.

Her older brother, Matthew Pearson, had stood beside her. He was still just a boy himself, barely half a head taller than she was.

That was when David had appeared. He was the same age as Matthew and in the same class. Thin and tall, he'd followed the Cavendish family's elders as they'd come to pay their respects.

Linda had comforted Paula Atkinson, Maeva's grandmother. She'd murmured condolences and told her to hold on, to be strong. The two women had once been comrades-in-arms in their youth, and their bond had stayed strong for decades.

Paula seemed to have aged overnight after losing her eldest son and daughter-in-law. She'd had to bury her own child.

"They're gone just like that, leaving behind two young children. Mae is only ten years old." Paula sighed. "What are we going to do with them?"

Linda's gaze had fallen on Maeva. She'd looked her over and asked, "Why don't we set her up with David? They'll grow up together and know everything there is to know about each other. It'd be a good match."

And just like that, the engagement had been decided. David hadn't objected.

Before leaving that day, he'd even given Maeva a mango-flavored gummy.

"They are just in a different place now," he whispered. "Don't worry. From now on, you'll have me."

He was a thin boy then, his eyes clear and his features already hinting at the handsome man he would become. Just like that, he'd turned her world upside down.

She'd believed him. She truly had… until the day Alaina appeared.

Initially, Alaina hadn't drawn any attention. She'd been quiet, a little withdrawn, and with thick black-framed glasses covering her face. She'd been the type who'd only known how to study. She'd kept such a low profile that Maeva had barely noticed her.

Then, a fire had changed everything.

For some unknown reason, the equipment room by the gym had caught fire. David happened to be inside alone, looking through sports gear. He'd gotten trapped in the flames. It was Alaina who had rushed in without a second thought and dragged him out.

She'd literally snatched his life back from the hands of death.

But because she'd inhaled a huge amount of smoke, her lungs had been damaged. She'd been left with a chronic condition that left her coughing often and her voice no longer clear but permanently roughened and hoarse.

From that point on, David and Alaina became inseparable.

After graduating from university, the Cavendish and Pearson families began discussing honoring the old engagement. David had sought out Maeva, wanting to break things off. He wanted to marry Alaina.

Maeva had refused. She'd been off campus when the fire had happened. If she'd been there, she knew she would have rushed in, too. She would have saved him without hesitation.

In the end, with no way around family pressure, David had married Maeva. At the same time, he'd sent Alaina abroad.

It had been five years since then. Not only had Maeva failed to win his love, but she'd also made him hate her more and more.

She crouched down, scooped the smashed cake up with her bare hands, and shoved it into her mouth, handful after handful. It was sweet, but her tears were salty.

David didn't come home that night. Maeva sat at the table, trying to draft a divorce agreement. She sat there the whole night, yet she didn't manage to write a single word.

Money had never been what she wanted. The one thing she wanted most… she might never have in this lifetime.

…

Maeva was jolted awake by her phone ringing. Only then did she realize she had fallen asleep at the table.

Outside, the sky was bright.

"…Hello?"

"I'll see you at the courthouse in half an hour," David said. "Bring your divorce agreement along."

Maeva blinked at the blank sheets in front of her and made a soft sound of assent.

He added, "Don't tell anyone."

He was afraid she would run to Linda about this. If Linda stepped in, there would be no divorce.

"Don't worry," Maeva said. "This time, next time, and every time from now on, I won't cling to you anymore."

David was quiet for a brief moment. "That had better be the case."

Until the divorce certificate was in his hands, he would worry that she would change her mind and ruin his plans. He had already made Alaina wait five years. He couldn't keep her waiting any longer.

Maeva downloaded a divorce agreement template from the internet, made a few small changes, then printed it out and signed it.

As she slipped on her shoes in the entryway, the butler asked, "Mrs. Cavendish, where are you going so early?"

After marrying David, Maeva had become a full-time housewife. She'd given up her career, devoting herself entirely to revolving around him. Her world had shrunk to something tiny—home, Cavendish Group, and visiting the elders of the Cavendish and Pearson families.

She'd almost forgotten that she had once been an outstanding student at one of Dovia's top universities, Walden University. She'd been picked as valedictorian and asked to give a speech at graduation.

Five years of maintaining the household for David with all her heart had earned her nothing but his contempt.

She smiled at the butler. "I'm going to say goodbye to the person I used to be."

She genuinely didn't want to love David anymore. It was time to live for herself.