Chapter 2

The sunlight was blinding on the day of our divorce.

Because Chelsea had never made our relationship public all these years, I was at least spared the trouble of breaking the news to my friends. Nathan wasn't my own flesh and blood, either.

There were no ties left binding me to her. All it took was a simple trip to the courthouse to get the divorce certificate.

After all the procedures had been completed, the sun had shifted lower in the sky. I raised my hand to shield my sore eyes.

"Let's have dinner together. My parents… want to see you." Chelsea's gaze was unreadable.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

…

Six years ago, I had rescued Chelsea's parents, Chester Hale and Celine Sinclair, in the wilderness.

The elderly couple were kind, generous souls. Upon learning that I was single and a decent man, they immediately took a liking to me and wanted to set us up. One thing had led to another, and I ended up falling head over heels in love with Chelsea.

That had also been when I found out the truth about her pregnancy. Most people wouldn't have been able to accept it, but to me, the past was the past. I loved her, and I was willing to accept her, baggage and all.

Before long, we'd tied the knot.

Chelsea had often lain in my arms, daydreaming aloud. "Do you think the baby will grow up to be just like you if you raise him? My parents said you're a reliable man."

Looking into my eyes, she'd asked, "Ryan, you won't ever leave me, right?"

Her breath had brushed against my face, causing my heart to thump against my ribcage.

I had no idea what had come over me, but that single sentence spoken on a random afternoon became the reason I forgave her mistakes countless times later on. Even now, I was still willing to follow her home because she asked me to.

Unlike Chelsea, Chester and Celine genuinely adored me. Both of them had been waiting at the door long before we arrived.

"What took you so long? Chelsea's really too much, always getting into arguments with you. Don't worry, we'll set her straight."

As I took in their concerned expressions, I couldn't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. My voice trembled as I choked out, "M-Mr. and Mrs. Hale, I'm so sorry. I couldn't fulfill your wishes."

The change in the way I addressed them was all Chester and Celine needed to understand what had happened. Tears coursed down their weathered faces.

"We're the ones who should apologize to you. Chelsea's ungrateful. She ruined your life.

"It's all our fault. If it weren't for us, you two wouldn't have gotten married. We thought Nate would bring you closer together, but we never imagined…" the elderly couple trailed off.

I led Chester and Celine to their seats, letting the subject drop.

Dinner was unusually quiet. Celine sighed, as if she were lost in memory or lamenting the past. "If only you two had a child of your own... Someone to bind you together..."

"Mrs. Hale, what's done is done."

Not a single moment went by where I didn't thank my lucky stars that I hadn't brought a child of my own into this world, sparing them from being raised in such a dysfunctional house.

Likely out of guilt, Chester and Celine had slipped a debit card into my pocket, which I discovered on the ride back. I didn't think much of it and returned the card to Chelsea.

Chelsea mocked, "Ryan, you've had it easy for far too long, and now you're throwing a tantrum for the sake of it. Keep it. Don't make a scene now only to use it as an excuse to crawl back to me later. Why bother? You're not cut out for a hard life."

I stared blankly at her features. For a fleeting moment, a wave of bitterness swept through me, but it quickly gave way to a smile.

"Chelsea, I wasn't born into privilege, and I won't be going back to that life ever again."

My voice was barely a whisper, but she heard me. Chelsea parted her lips for a long while, but she didn't utter a single word in response.

Once we arrived at my destination, I placed the debit card on the passenger seat.

Chelsea called out to me, "If this is a tactic to get my attention, you've succeeded. Don't push your luck, Ryan. I don't have that much time to play along with your little game."

Her voice had been thick with sarcasm. My brows knitted together, and I left without a backward glance.

Chelsea didn't understand me, so she had no idea that I truly didn't want her anymore.