Chapter 2

Graham was completely overwhelmed by one shock after another. He sat there in a daze, unable to process everything for a long time.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and slowly stood up, one hand supporting my lower back.

“I’ve said everything I needed to say. I won’t stay here and disturb you any longer. I’ve already booked a hotel.

“Sign the papers as soon as you can. Just let me know when they’re ready, and I’ll come pick them up.”

With that, I opened the door and left.

I was almost out of the residence building when hurried footsteps sounded behind me.

Graham caught up with me.

“Audrey! Audrey!”

I didn’t stop walking.

Graham stepped in front of me.

He grabbed my wrist and refused to let go, his eyes reddening with panic and his voice trembling.

“No divorce! We can’t get divorced!

“Don’t you love me anymore? Why does it have to come to this?

“And... the baby. It took so much for our baby to come into this world. You can’t give up the baby. I can’t bear to lose either of you.”

I looked at Graham.

My chest ached too, and I sniffed back the tears threatening to surface.

“Then file for a transfer and come home immediately.

“Graham, you’ve already missed seven years.

“For the rest of my life, I can’t have a home without a husband. And my child can’t grow up with only a mother and no father.”

Graham fell silent.

I knew he was torn.

He still couldn’t let go of Mara and Sophie.

So I simply pried his fingers off my wrist and continued walking.

“If you can’t do that, then we’ll get divorced.”

The word divorce seemed to hit Graham like a blow.

He rushed in front of me again and spoke with desperate sincerity.

“I can do it! I want you. I want our child, too.

“Come on. Let’s go to the personnel office right now. My three-year service term ended a long time ago. I can file the paperwork immediately and request a transfer back home.”

He was already reaching for my hand to lead me away when his phone rang.

I glanced at the screen.

‘Sweet Mara.’

I looked away.

I didn’t stop him.

It wasn’t as though I had never tried before.

But every time I had, Graham would simply push me away and sternly lecture me.

“Audrey, don’t be so unreasonable. It could be something important with the project. Can’t you stop being so petty?”

Then he would answer the call and speak to Mara in that gentle voice of his.

So this time, I simply stood there and watched.

Graham instinctively reached for the phone, but when he saw my cold expression, he gave an awkward little laugh and declined the call.

Then he took my hand again.

“Audrey, let’s go.

“I promise. From now on, nothing will ever be more important than us.”

The familiar warmth of his palm seeped into mine.

For the first time in a long while, something inside me softened.

I smiled and let him lead me forward.

But we had barely taken two steps when his phone rang again.

It was Mara.

Graham’s expression changed, but he declined the call again.

His pace slowed as he continued holding my hand.

Then the phone rang a third time.

Graham stopped completely.

He turned to me and gave me a strained smile.

“Mara wouldn’t be calling this urgently unless something was wrong.

“I should answer.”

Before I could respond, Graham pulled his hand from mine and answered the call.

I could faintly hear Mara’s frantic voice on the other end, mixed with a little girl’s crying.

“Graham, Sophie got burned!

“I really don’t know what to do! Please, come quickly!”

There was no explanation.

No reassurance.

I simply watched as Graham turned and sprinted back toward the residence without looking back.

The faint smile that had been on his face while he held my hand was still there.

But now it was frozen in place.

Then it slowly stretched wider and wider, becoming so exaggerated that my entire face twisted into something almost unrecognizable.

Until finally, I covered my face and broke down sobbing.

Graham, I gave our marriage one last chance.

And you still chose to walk away.

I was finally done hoping.

I turned around and continued toward the hotel.

Once I returned to my room, I booked a ticket to leave three days later.

I tapped Pay.

The moment the confirmation appeared on the screen, a text message from Graham appeared at the top.

“Where are you?”