Chapter 2

The next time I saw Serena was at a dinner organized by friends.

Casper sat beside her. When he saw me, he flashed me a provocative smile. "Long time no see, Myles."

The moment Serena noticed me, she looked away, unusually silent.

Casper, however, persisted. "If you're still not over her, just say so. Why are you roping all these people in to help you patch things up with Serena? That's not a great look, Myles."

Benedict Clarke, my friend, immediately flew into a rage and grabbed Casper by the collar.

"Casper, this isn't your place to speak!" he snapped. "Serena, we organized this dinner for a reason. Do you really not get what this is about? You brought him here on purpose, just to rub it in everyone's faces, didn't you?"

Casper looked frightened and turned to Serena with a pitiful expression. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have come. If Myles is upset, he can take it out on me. Please don't get mad at Serena because of this…"

His little act instantly set Benedict off. Just as he was about to lash out, Serena stood up and positioned herself protectively in front of Casper.

"From now on, Casper's my partner. Don't you dare say a word against him. Myles, if you want to make things difficult for Casper, take it up with me. He isn't as shameless as you. He's not someone people can trample whenever they feel like it."

The color drained from everyone's faces. No one had expected that, this time, the divorce between Serena and me was real.

I watched her shield Casper, and for a brief moment, I was pulled back into the past.

She used to stand in front of me like that, too.

Back then, when my family refused to let us be together, she had taken the lashes that were meant for me. Her back had been torn open, blood soaking through her clothes. Even so, she still smiled at me through the pain, wiping away my tears.

"You're a grown man," she'd said. "Why are you crying? I'll prove to them that I'm good enough for you and that I won't let you down."

Now, the person she was protecting had changed.

After everything, the one who'd been betrayed was me.

Benedict finally lost it and surged forward, raising his hand to slap Casper.

I was just about to stop him when Casper suddenly covered his face and stumbled backward on his own, blood suddenly appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Serena instantly exploded, her gaze dark as she stared at Benedict. "Have I been too accommodating to the Clarke family all these years that you've forgotten who you're dealing with?"

Benedict froze. He didn't expect her to mean it this time.

Ever since Serena and I had gotten married, the Jacobs family had never been stingy when it came to investing in the Clarkes' projects.

Business ties like that ran deep. No matter how ugly things got between Serena and me in the past, business was always left untouched.

Benedict had never imagined she would threaten him over Casper.

The Clarke family was in the middle of bidding for an important piece of land. They couldn't afford to have funding pulled at a time like this.

Benedict's face flushed red with anger. I quickly pulled him behind me and bowed deeply to Serena and Casper.

"Benedict acted on impulse because he was defending me. I apologize on his behalf."

The room fell silent.

No one could've imagined that someone who used to be domineering and arrogant would one day bow his head to the person who had destroyed his marriage.

Benedict looked torn and opened his mouth to speak, but Serena cut him off.

She stared at me, her gaze burning. "An apology isn't enough to brush this aside. Casper and I are about to be married. How is he supposed to hold his head up in our circle after this debacle?"

My stomach had already begun to spasm. I only wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

I sighed. "Then what do you want me to do?"

Serena raised an eyebrow. She opened a bottle of liquor, filled a glass to the brim, and handed it to me. "Drink this, and let Casper see how sincere you really are."

Benedict couldn't take it anymore and reached out to stop me, but I held him back firmly.

I lifted my head, smiled at Casper, whose face was still bruised, and raised my glass.

"Casper, I'm sorry. I hope you and Serena grow old together and have a long, happy marriage."

With that, I drained the glass in one go.

The alcohol burned its way down my throat. My stomach flared with a sharp, searing pain so intense that my body shook. I had to grip the edge of the table just to stay on my feet.

As she watched me down the drink, Serena's expression darkened. She knew my stomach couldn't handle alcohol, and she knew how much I hated Casper.

That was why she'd made this demand in the first place. It was all to indulge her own cruel sense of amusement.

These games had played out between us countless times over the past ten years.

But this time, I didn't resist and took everything head-on.

Her face tightened. She grabbed Casper's hand and stormed out, slamming the door behind them.

As I watched their figures disappear, my vision blurred. I heard Benedict shout my name, and then I collapsed.