I Watched Our Love

One of the female officers could not stand by and watch anymore. She draped a blanket over my shoulders.

"Ma'am, what your husband needs is justice. Those thugs need to be arrested and brought to justice. How can you do this? You're only going to break his heart!"

Sienna's indifferent gaze settled on me. "If you'd been more careful and waited for me at the intersection with the security cameras, those people wouldn't have had a chance to take advantage of you."

The officer clenched her fists. "Those people are repeat offenders. There's no way a victim can prevent something like this just by being more careful."

Nicholas Everly spoke thoughtfully. "Vincent, if this scandal gets any bigger, the company's stock could take a hit, and Ms. Monroe's reputation could get dragged into it too."

Sienna's brow furrowed. "Vincent, don't be difficult."

The blanket drove away most of the chill. But I was still cold enough to tremble down to my bones.

I was trembling from the pain in every bone in my body. My lips quivered as I contradicted her for the first time. "But, Sienna, am I just supposed to suffer through all of this for nothing?"

"Vincent, you've already taken three minutes and forty-five seconds of my time."

She looked up at me, her eyes devoid of warmth.

My words died in my throat. It felt as though a gaping hole had been torn open in my chest, and cold air was rushing through it.

I remembered needing surgery for my stomach pain and having to wait for a family member's signature. When she finally arrived, she looked annoyed. "Your emergency has thrown off my entire schedule."

I had spent half a month carefully planning our anniversary date. Yet she had not even finished the meal.

Back then, she had said the same thing, "I already set aside half an hour for you. You should be grateful."

So, even my sadness had a limit.

Sienna's voice remained flat, as if she were simply confirming an ordinary appointment. "I'll get you an appointment with the best doctor. Just cooperate with the treatment, and you'll be fine before long."

I bit down on my lower lip and nodded numbly.

…

When I walked out of the police station, the rain was coming down at an angle, soaking me.

Sienna opened a black umbrella and positioned it precisely over Nicholas' head. Not a single drop touched him. "You just got over your cold. You can't be out in the rain."

Nicholas' cheeks turned slightly pink.

She seemed not to notice the wet ends of my hair. "I'll take Nicholas back to the car first, then I'll come get you."

I lowered my head, staring at my rain-soaked shoes.

Suddenly, someone appeared beside me. It was the female officer from earlier.

She pressed her umbrella into my hand. "It's raining heavily. Get home. You don't need to return the umbrella."

I nodded gratefully and walked into the rain.

When I reached the car, Sienna opened the rear door for me.

Nicholas had already taken the front passenger seat, as though that had always been where he belonged.

I swallowed the bitterness in my chest and quietly got into the back seat, doing my best to make myself invisible.

Nicholas leaned toward Sienna, talking to her with obvious enthusiasm.

Sienna's tone remained flat, but I noticed the tips of her ears had turned red. And her left ring finger was bare.

In that instant, my heart sank.

My memory flashed back to the day I proposed. I had gotten down on one knee in front of our family and friends.

Sienna, who had always been in complete control of everything, had blushed so deeply that the tips of her ears looked as though they might bleed. Yet she had kept her face composed.

Her hand had trembled as she slipped the ring I had given her onto her finger.

She had told me it was the mark that bound the two of us together, something she would never take off for the rest of her life.

My fingertips unconsciously brushed against the metal.

In three years of marriage, I had never once taken it off, not even in the shower. Yet she had already forgotten that promise.

The person who made the promise had forgotten it, so there was no reason for the person who heard it to keep remembering.

…

When we returned to the villa, Sienna said she was not comfortable leaving Nicholas to get home on his own and wanted to take him herself.

I nodded wearily.

Just as I was about to turn away, she called after me.

She looked awkward. "Wait for me. I'll come back and stay with you."

I was surprised. The resolve I had just settled on began to waver. "Okay. I'll wait."