Faded Fireworks and Love

On the night of my fifth wedding anniversary with Sebastian Gray, he lit up the entire city with fireworks for me.All our friends kept saying what a wonderful man he was—so loving, so romantic. The kind of husband every woman dreams of.At the grand finale, the fireworks burst into words that lit up the night sky: Happy Birthday, Jen.Jennifer Kingsley was Sebastian's first love, his ideal woman, the one who had always lingered in his heart.Sebastian looked at me, his expression almost sheepish. "Ah, it's Jen's birthday too. They must have mixed up the fireworks."That night, Jennifer posted on her social media: "Men are boyish at heart, always fumbling their way through romance." She added a picture of the fireworks, along with a photo of her and Sebastian standing close under the dazzling display.I liked her post and left a comment: "From school to altar—what a touching love story. When's the wedding?"*When Sebastian saw my comment on Jennifer's post, he exploded in an

In the past, when Sebastian took me to banquets, I'd sometimes cling to him, asking if we could get something to eat together or step out onto the terrace for some air. His response was always the same: "Everyone's here. Why do you have so many requests? Can't you just be by yourself for a while? When you're constantly hanging onto me, I can't get anything done. Can't you be a little more mature?"The familiarity of his words hit him just as hard as it did me. Sebastian froze, momentarily stunned. I didn't wait for him to recover. Grabbing a glass of my favorite ice wine, I slipped away to the terrace for some fresh air.I sat there, hidden behind a flowering tree, drinking alone and savoring the solitude. I was content until I heard voices approaching. The speakers didn't notice me—after all, who would expect someone to be seated behind the thick cover of branches?"Hey, did you notice? Seb came with Jennifer today, and Nicole arrived on her own. Everyone knows about his rela

Jennifer was at the front, holding a cake, her face glowing with a smile. She tiptoed and gave Sebastian a quick kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday," she said cheerfully. But as soon as she saw me standing behind him, her smile froze."Nicole... I'm sorry, that was just a birthday kiss, nothing else." She quickly explained. "I thought you weren't home, and since I assumed no one was celebrating with Seb, I invited some friends to throw him a surprise party. I didn't know you'd be back."I slipped off my shoes and replaced them with a more comfortable pair of slippers before walking further into the house. "It's fine. You already have the code to the house, right? Treat it like your own. I'm just here to grab a few things."Sebastian, who had planned to use this evening to win me over with tenderness, was visibly frustrated. His romantic strategy was completely ruined by Jennifer's presence. His temper flared, and he snapped at her, "Who told you to come in? Don't you know how much N

Sebastian's face twisted in anger. "You knew I was married when you returned. You kept hinting that you couldn't forget me. That night you got me drunk—wasn't that intentional? I think you deliberately got pregnant to force me into marriage."I always believed you were a simple woman, but it seems I was wrong. You just want to marry me so I can share the burden of your family's endless debts, am I right? I'm not a fool, Jennifer. From now on, let's cut ties completely. I want you out of here tomorrow." With that, he slammed the door behind him.Sebastian called me, his voice boiling with rage. "Nicole, why did you tell Jennifer we got divorced? You're making things worse!"I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "Sebastian, my divorce from you is above board. Why should I be sneaky about it? I want to openly date and find a new boyfriend. Unlike you, I don't have anything to hide."You know what? I'm going to post it on social media and make it public. I'll even tag all my friends