Chapter 2

Ethan didn't return home that night, but Jazlyn still knew where he was. She saw Sabrina's livestream of Rebecca's welcome-back party on her social media.

Ethan had booked out Jeriton's largest hotel and had arranged for fireworks to be set off throughout the night. Beautiful champagne roses lined every corner of the banquet hall, and all his friends surrounded Rebecca as they celebrated. Everyone looked happy.

That was a social circle Jazlyn had never been invited to join. After all, Ethan only thought of her as a housekeeper or nanny. He'd never introduced her to his friends, nor had he acknowledged her identity in public.

…

After breakfast, Jazlyn received the divorce agreement that Melanie had told someone to deliver to her. She signed it and left it on the dining table. Then, she left the house to go grocery shopping. It was clearly indicated in her contract that she had to care for Ethan for as long as they were married.

And so, even if Ethan wasn't going to be home, she had to prepare dinner and wait up for him.

Ethan returned at 8:00 pm that night. His suit was still neatly pressed. It seemed that he had changed while at the office.

Jazlyn got up to reheat the dishes, but he said, "Don't bother. I'm going out again soon."

He then hurried upstairs without sparing her a look. She followed him and watched him stride into the bathroom. So, she prepared a set of clean clothes for him and placed them on the armoire by the bathroom door.

Then, she headed downstairs and sat at the dining table. She wanted to speak to him about the divorce after he finished his shower.

Ethan came downstairs while slipping on a wristwatch. He said indifferently, "I'll be in Northo for three days for a business trip, and I'm leaving tomorrow night. Prepare my clothes."

Jazlyn hummed in acknowledgment and picked up the divorce agreement. "Can you take a look at this?"

He looked like he was in a hurry to go out and didn't have the patience to read the agreement. He asked, "Is this your request for your mother's medical fees?"

Every month, whenever she needed money, she had to draft a contract and submit a request to him. It would have the breakdown of each expense. Generally, the largest sum would be for Julie's medical fees.

Ethan was used to this by now, so he didn't even look through the agreement before signing on the last page. "There. Remember to pack my things."

With that, he left.

Jazlyn watched him and smiled bitterly. Julie was much better now, and Jazlyn had stopped asking Ethan for money for the medical bills six months ago. He'd just never paid attention.

She placed an order for a courier to pick up the document and deliver it to Melanie. With Melanie's abilities, they would be able to finalize the divorce and get the divorce certificate without even showing up at the courthouse.

It would take about a month for everything to be settled. That meant that she still needed to stick around for that long.

She checked her Instagram to see that Sabrina had posted a new story. It was a picture of a flight ticket, and she'd written that she was tagging along with Ethan and Rebecca on a trip to Northo to see her favorite celebrity's concert.

It turned out that Ethan was in such a hurry to head to Northo just so he could see a concert with Rebecca.

…

Jazlyn didn't laze around while Ethan was away on his "business trip". She reached out to a realtor and viewed several properties before deciding to rent a one-bedroom apartment.

The villa Melanie had given her was wonderful, but it was located a little too far from the music institution. It wouldn't be convenient for her to go to work from there, and the maintenance fees were high.

So, Jazlyn planned to sell it off once it was in her name. That way, she wouldn't be strapped for cash. Moreover, Julie's mental health was much more stable now. Her medical bills were no longer so exorbitant.

Jazlyn headed back and continued packing her things. She looked through the clothes in her closet and realized that they were all the ones she'd brought with her before marrying Ethan. He'd never bought her any new clothes.

Meanwhile, he had never worn the clothes that she had gotten him. They still had the tags on them.

Over the years, Ethan had only worn clothes from two brands. Jazlyn had learned from Sabrina that Rebecca was the one who'd recommended both.

Jazlyn felt that it would be a waste to keep the clothes she'd gotten for Ethan around, so she packed them and put them up for sale on a secondhand website.

She kept busy in this way for three days, sorting out everything that belonged to her and having the items taken to her new place. In truth, she didn't have that many belongings. Ethan wouldn't even notice anything was amiss when he returned. He didn't care what was in the house or where it was placed, anyway.

…

Ethan called Jazlyn before his return to Jeriton. "Get ready, Jazlyn. We're going to Mr. Lane's house tomorrow for a funeral."

The Lane and Ford families were close. Jazlyn had attended dinners at the Lane family with Ethan in the past. Naturally, she also had to be with him for a funeral.

In truth, Jazlyn didn't like attending these events. There weren't many people in Ethan's social circle who thought much of her, and the looks they gave her made her feel ill at ease.

With her personality, she wasn't the type who could charm people or mingle with ease. However, she had no right to refuse.

Fortunately, she and Ethan would be divorced soon. She wouldn't have to attend these things with him anymore.

…

As expected, Ethan didn't notice the changes at home when he returned. Jazlyn was always the one who packed his things for him, so there was no way he would realize that the walk-in closet was half-empty now.

While replying to a message on his phone, he said, "The outfit you wore the last time wasn't appropriate. You'd better ask Mom to help you pick out one this time."

Jazlyn hummed in acknowledgment. He'd never cared about what she wore and would only make suggestions for important occasions. However, it was just so she wouldn't embarrass him. It wasn't because he cared.

Jazlyn called Melanie, who immediately had someone send something over. Jazlyn tried it on and put it away after seeing that it fit her well.

The next day, she put on the outfit and got into Ethan's car to accompany him to the funeral at the Lane residence.

She sat in the front passenger seat, feeling a slight discomfort. She reached into the gap in the seat to find a small, black hair clip wedged there.

It was clear who it belonged to. It seemed that Rebecca regularly rode shotgun in Ethan's car.

Jazlyn gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. She was glad the divorce was already being processed. If not for that, she would be disgusted by this new discovery.

Rebecca was also at the funeral, making this Jazlyn's first time seeing her in real life. She was slender, and she wore a black dress similar in design to Jazlyn's. She had applied a light makeup look, making her appear fragile and innocent, reminiscent of a delicate flower.

Rebecca approached Ethan and greeted him softly. "Hi, Ethan."

She probably wanted to put her arm in his, but stopped herself since Jazlyn was around.

Ethan smiled at her. "Hi, Becky."

Then, he introduced Jazlyn to her. "This is Jazlyn Shore."

Jazlyn pondered this. He addressed Rebecca as "Becky", yet he always called Jazlyn by her full name. She was no longer bothered by this, but she still found the situation laughable.

She didn't want to keep Ethan and Rebecca from flirting, so she excused herself, saying that she wanted to seek out Melanie. Then, she left Ethan.

Ethan watched her walk away, feeling inexplicably displeased.

Rebecca watched him as he stared at Jazlyn's back. She couldn't help feeling uneasy. After all, wasn't Ethan supposed to be indifferent toward Jazlyn? However, the look in his eyes suggested otherwise. At the very least, he wasn't completely unbothered by her.

She suppressed the thought almost as soon as it formed. She and Ethan had grown up together, and they were each other's first loves. She was confident that she wouldn't lose this war.