Chapter 5

I knew I'd seen Ariel rushing toward me, but Isaac was holding Gianna in his arms, and she was crying and screaming for her mom.

Ariel hesitated and turned to glance back at Gianna, just hesitating for a second, before turning back and continuing toward me.

However, that instant was already permanently etched into my head, just like every other choice she had made.

It wasn't that she didn't love me. It was just that there was always something more urgent, someone who needed her more, and some things that needed to be prioritized above me.

And I was always the one made to wait.

Fortunately for me, I wasn't the same person who would remain standing in place waiting for her anymore.

I contacted a lawyer and had him draft up a divorce agreement

On the third day I was hospitalized, Ariel finally came to see me. She looked a lot more haggard and disheveled, and her eyes were red and bloodshot.

She held a heatproof food container.

"Here. The housekeeper made you some soup," she said hoarsely. "Eat it while it's warm."

But I didn't move.

Ariel fetched a chair and sat beside my bed. She crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her head.

"We've apprehended the abductors. They were the family members of a perpetrator from one of my old cases. They believed that I'm the one who caused their daughter's death and were here for revenge."

She continued speaking in a low voice, as though she were simply giving a work report.

"Isaac and Gigi are still terrified. Gigi, especially, has been having nightmares for the past two days and needs someone to stay with her. So, I…"

She stopped halfway and didn't finish her sentence.

I continued listening to her expressionlessly.

After all, I had already anticipated this kind of explanation from her. After all, I'd heard it countless times before.

Ariel looked up at me with guilt, weariness, and helplessness in her eyes.

"Matt, about the other day… I…"

She visibly gulped before continuing, "I had no other choice. Gigi's only six. If anything happened to her, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life—"

"I know," I said, calmly interrupting her. "You made the right choice."

Ariel was stunned.

"I would have picked her too, if I were in your shoes," I said, looking at her. "That's why I'm not blaming you for anything. I really don't blame you for this, Ariel."

I paused after making myself clear. Then I turned and looked out the window at the sky.

"You can go and keep Gianna company and settle all of your other things if you want. As you can see, I'm fine here on my own."

Ariel remained in her seat and didn't move for a long time. She stared at me, her lips quivering like she wanted to speak, but she never said anything.

She remained seated for ten more minutes. Then, she got up and said in a low voice, "I'll come and see you again later."

I listened as her footsteps gradually faded away. Then I slowly sat up and insisted on being discharged from the hospital.

One hour later, I returned to our shared apartment and began packing my things up.

There was still a photo of the two of us on the bedside table. I had my arm slung around Ariel's back as I grinned widely at the camera, and she was looking at me with gentle, affectionate, loving eyes.

I went over to the photo, picked it up, and stared at it for a long while. Then, I opened the drawer and slid the photo frame inside.

I grabbed all the matching couple items we had in the apartment—including the toothbrushes, mugs, pajamas, and house slippers—and tossed them into a huge cardboard box before discarding them at the recycling station.

Finally, I stood in the middle of the living room and took one last look around.

This apartment was quite large and comfortable. It was exquisitely decorated, but it was also cold, icy, and devoid of any warmth—just like the love Ariel had for me.

At first, she was hot and passionate. She'd saved my life during the hostage situation back then, and our enviable love story began right after that. But once the halo was stripped away, what remained was simply a matter of balance and calculation—a weighing of responsibilities and guilt that always took precedence over me.

I had tried to warm it up with my fire, but I eventually realized that I was only the one being drained in the end.

I retrieved the apartment keys from my bag and gently set them on the coffee table. The teddy bear keyring on it had been a gift from Ariel. She had said it was cute, so I kept using it. But now, I was returning it to her.

I later removed the wedding ring from my finger and set it down next to the keys. We had picked out the design together back then, and she told me that she was never going to take it off once she'd put it on.

And now, I was returning it to her as well.

The door clicked shut behind me, sealing away our marriage, our love, and all the hopes I'd ever harbored toward her over the past three years.