Chapter 6

"Zoe, what should I do? Robin has already emailed me the divorce papers."

Angeline called Zoe in a panic.

There was a saying that family matters were hard to judge, even for the fair-minded. And from a neutral standpoint, even Zoe felt that Angeline had gone way too far. No man could accept what Angeline had done unless he was a total freeloader leeching off a woman. But clearly, Robin was not that kind of man.

He was very successful in his career, and his income was way higher than Angeline's. He made good money, was willing to care for their family, and he kept everything in perfect order. To put it bluntly, forget their social circle—even looking at the whole world, a man like Robin was pretty much the gold standard of a good husband.

"Maybe try talking to him again. Misunderstandings can be cleared up." That was all the advice Zoe could offer.

Angeline frowned at that. Talk? Would that even work anymore?

"You know what? When I called him today, I heard a little girl's voice in the background. Do you think he was out last night with some shady people?" she asked.

Zoe's brows knitted together. "Robin? No way. I don't think there's anything wrong with his character. How could he be hanging out with anyone shady? Angie, I think you might be overthinking it. Look, just talk to him properly. You two have been together for so many years. There are definitely real feelings there. Men need to be coaxed, too."

At this point, that was really all Zoe could say. There really wasn't any better solution.

Angeline sighed. "Alright, got it. I'll go talk to him today."

After all these years together, she knew where all of Robin's properties were.

"That's more like it. Once you find him, sit down and have a calm, honest conversation with him," Zoe said encouragingly.

"Yeah, I know." Angeline nodded.

As the two of them were hanging up, on the other side of town, Robin was walking Natalie to preschool with Sasha. The three of them looked just like a little family.

"Aunt Sasha, Mr. Weisz, I'm going in now."

"Okay."

Natalie skipped happily toward the entrance, clearly in a great mood, maybe because she was already thinking about playing with her friends. This was one of the best preschools in Molto—only the rich and powerful could get their kids in here. The families were all well-off, and the kids' upbringing tended to be pretty good, too.

"Come on, let's hit the supermarket."

Because Sasha was so famous, she had to wear a mask and sunglasses every time she went out. Robin's games were also extremely popular, but as the designer, he wasn't nearly as recognizable as the games themselves. So, he didn't have to worry about being spotted in public.

"Sure."

The two of them walked to the nearby supermarket to buy what they needed. It wasn't actually that much stuff, so they were done in less than half an hour. They paid and left.

"When are the cleaners coming?" Sasha asked.

"9:00 am."

Since the apartment was pretty big and had been empty for a while, there was a lot to clean. One cleaning lady wouldn't be able to handle it all in a single day, so Robin had hired three to come together.

"Alright. I'm free today anyway. I'll help out," Sasha said.

"Come on, you don't need to do that. I can handle it myself, and I'll have the cleaners with me."

"Why are you being polite with me? Just buy me dinner tonight, and we're even."

"So you're just looking for a free meal?" Robin teased.

Sasha rolled her eyes at that. "Go to hell."

They stepped out of the elevator while chatting, only to run right into someone neither of them expected to see—Angeline.

The moment she saw Robin and Sasha together, her face twisted with anger. She'd heard the tail end of their conversation. Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with what they'd just said.

But given the current state of her relationship with Robin, she was on high alert for any woman around him, especially if that woman was someone like Sasha.

Sasha was beautiful and had a killer figure. Even Angeline's greatest pride—her career—didn't feel like much compared to Sasha's own success.

"So this is why you're so set on getting a divorce. You already have someone else lined up," Angeline snarled, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Robin frowned at her words. When he spoke, his tone was ice-cold, and the disgust on his face was as clear as day. "I'm not you, Angeline."

Sasha knew they had a lot to say to each other, so she cleared her throat and said, "Uh, I'll go downstairs and come back up in a bit. You two talk it out. Don't get into a fight."

Robin nodded. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Sasha gave Angeline a quick glance before stepping into the elevator without another word.

"What did you come here for? Have you changed your mind and decided to sign the divorce papers?" Robin looked at Angeline and asked calmly.

"Are you divorcing me because of her? Did you stay at her place last night? How can you treat me like this, Robin?" Angeline screeched.

Robin just rubbed his temples at her words, feeling resigned. "Don't assume everyone is like you just because you have a filthy mind, Angeline. You know exactly when Sasha and I met. If we wanted to be together, it would've happened a long time ago. Do you really think I would've delayed this divorce for so long if that were the case?

"And besides, why are you interrogating me? We're in this situation now because of you. All of this started with your choices."

He sounded clearly frustrated when he spoke. He honestly couldn't understand where this interrogation was coming from. What made Angeline think she had the right to question him like this?

"Divorce, divorce—that's all you say each time we talk now. Can we not sit down and actually talk things through? At the very least, we should face our marriage and deal with it, not just run away by insisting on a divorce every time," Angeline said angrily.

Robin looked straight at her. "I've made my position clear. Either we sign the papers and do this peacefully, or I file for divorce through the court. Angeline, just let me go. Spare me any further torture."

Angeline felt like she'd been struck by lightning by his words. Let him go? So to him, this marriage was nothing but torture now.

Her mind flashed back to their wedding day. Back then, he'd lowered his head, looked her in the eyes, and gently but firmly told her he would be by her side for the rest of his life.

How long was the "rest of his life", anyway? Seven years. Just seven short years.

"Has our marriage pushed you that far? Are you that crushed and miserable that you're asking me to let you go?" Angeline became choked up.

"I can tell you with a clear conscience that I've never done anything to hurt you or our family throughout the seven years of our marriage, Angeline. I did everything I could, but in the end, I just couldn't lie to myself anymore.

"I'm just a stand-in. My wife spends all her time with her first love, and my son says he wants that man to be his dad. Why don't you tell me how I'm supposed to keep going in this marriage? Put yourself in my shoes and think about it. If you were the one in my situation, would you be able to stay?

"No, you wouldn't. So we should both let go and give each other a chance to start new lives. Can you understand that?"

Robin looked at Angeline, forcing himself to stay calm as he said all of this.

"A new life? Is your new life with Sasha Gardner? How nice. Really. Would've been even better if you'd just skipped me and married her in the first place," she snarled.

"I already told you that whatever's going on between us has nothing to do with anyone else. And honestly, the way you're talking right now makes it sound like you're just trying to dump all the blame on me. If that makes things easier for you, then fine. All I need is for you to sign the divorce papers," Robin said coolly.

Angeline opened her mouth, but nothing came out. After a while, she asked hoarsely, "So you're really set on divorcing me? Is that it?"

Robin nodded. "Yes."

"Well, let me be clear, too. I'm not signing those divorce papers."

"Then I'll file a lawsuit."

"I'll be waiting."

With that, Angeline turned and walked away.

Robin stared at her back as she left and sighed. In the end, they still couldn't walk away from this with civility. They were going to end up going to court.

He sighed again before opening the door and walking into his apartment. Everything was exactly the way it had been when he'd left—nothing had changed. His eyes fell on the two giant Lego models standing against the wall. They were birthday gifts from Angeline. They'd spent a long time building them together.

The funny thing was, Robin had never even liked Lego. Back then, he hadn't understood why she was giving him Lego sets at all. But when he saw how happy she looked watching him build the sets, he felt happy, too.

Later, he found out that Oscar loved Lego. So when Angeline smiled at him while he was putting the pieces together, who was she really thinking about? Him or Oscar?

The Lego models stood right there. Robin looked up into the eyes of one of them. For some reason, he felt like it was mocking him—mocking him for being a clown and for the genuine bliss he'd felt back then.

Honestly, he had to admit that Oscar was painfully right about one thing. Whenever Angeline held him, she was probably thinking of Oscar most of the time.

It was then that Robin suddenly remembered a day back in his sophomore year of college. He'd gone and gotten his hair permed on a whim. He'd been so excited, thinking Angeline would be thrilled. But to his surprise, she'd gotten mad instead. She'd turned and walked away on the spot, and they'd started a cold war.

In the end, he'd changed his hair back to the way it was and apologized. Only then had she forgiven him.

It seemed that from the very beginning until now, every time they had a conflict, he was always the one apologizing. As long as he said sorry, everything would go back to normal. But if he didn't, it was days of silent treatment until he finally caved.

"I was such an idiot back then. If Oscar had never come back, I'd have been a stand-in for the rest of my life. Don't you agree?" he murmured, looking at the figure before him with self-deprecation.

Then, he slowly lifted his hand and placed it on the back of the Lego model. He pushed it, tipping it over. As it crashed, the pieces scattered across the floor, looking just like his and Angeline's broken marriage.

Right then, his phone rang. It was Jack.

"Hey," Robin said after answering the call.

"So? Did Angeline agree to sign the divorce papers?" Jack asked.

"Nope." Robin shook his head. "So I'm thinking of filing for divorce."

Jack frowned. "She refused? How does she have the nerve to refuse? She's unbelievable… Well, anyway, I'll personally handle the lawsuit for you."

Robin nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. It sounds disgusting coming from you." After a pause, Jack continued, "But don't worry. Leave it to me. I'll take care of everything."

He had something else to say, but he hesitated, not sure whether he should say it.

"What is it? What's going on? Just say it. It's as you said—we don't need to stand on ceremony," Robin said.

Jack sighed. "A client just came in earlier. She's filing for divorce, too, and she knows Angeline and Oscar. She, uh, told me something… She said the name 'Sam' was actually the name Angeline and Oscar came up with back when they were together, for the child they thought they would have someday."

For a moment, Robin's mind went blank. He genuinely hadn't known about this. This just drove home that from beginning to end, he'd been a complete joke.

"Got it."

The call ended there. To Robin's surprise, he didn't explode with anger the way he might've imagined. Maybe it was because he'd already been through worse.

…

News of Angeline and Robin's divorce was already spreading. Their social circle wasn't that big to begin with, and a certain someone was deliberately fanning the flames, as if afraid the divorce might somehow fall through.

"Sir, Mr. Weisz is preparing to divorce Ms. Sharpe. Do you still want us to sign that five-year contract with Ms. Sharpe's law firm?"

In a high-rise tower in Molto's CBD, a secretary stood before the company's chairman, sounding uncertain.

The chairman tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. "Forget it. Cancel any plans to renew."

Angeline's law firm was one of the biggest in Molto, but that reputation came with a lot of padding. She was competent, yes, but many companies only worked with her because of their past relationship and respect for Robin. If not for that, they could've easily gone to other top domestic or international firms instead.

"Understood. I'll make arrangements right away."

"Yeah, go on."

"Alright." The secretary nodded and walked out

The chairman exhaled heavily as he watched her leave. "Angeline Sharpe, you really are a foolish woman. Honestly, what did Robin ever see in someone that brainless?"

His voice was full of disdain.

Robin knew nothing about any of this. At the moment, he was busy cleaning with Sasha and the cleaners. As expected from a place that had been empty for a long time, there was trash everywhere, and the dust had really built up.

"Robin, I regret this."

Robin looked over at Sasha when he heard that. "What?"

He was genuinely confused. He scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"One meal isn't enough. You owe me two," Sasha said with a straight face.

Robin couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, fine. Forget two meals—I'll cover your meals for the whole month."

"You serious?"

"Of course." Robin nodded.

"Deal." Sasha held out her pinky. "Come on, pinky promise."

Seeing how serious she looked, Robin reached out his hand, too. "Pinky promise."

Their voices echoed throughout the apartment. The cleaners exchanged glances at that. These two were kind of weird—childish, even.

Robin and Sasha met each other's gazes, then burst out laughing.