Chapter 2

After taking a hot shower, I sat on the bed, staring at the clock on the wall. The minute hand made one full rotation.

Then, Sienna called. "Vincent, I'm not coming home tonight."

I bit down on my lower lip without realizing it. I could faintly hear the sound of a shower on her end.

"You promised me."

There was a hint of helplessness in her voice. "Nicholas' ex-girlfriend brought people to his place and caused a scene. I'm worried something might happen to him, just like what happened to you, so I'm staying here tonight."

A faint bitterness spread through my chest.

After what happened to me, she was not willing to take the chance that something might happen to Nicholas.

I did my best to keep my voice calm. "Sienna, that's his problem. He can ask the building management to handle it. If that doesn't work, he can call the police. It's not your place to get involved."

Sienna's voice turned cold. "Nicholas is my employee. You expect me to just leave him to fend for himself? Vincent, you're just bitter. You want Nicholas to go through the same thing you did."

I was speechless. It felt as though a giant hand had clenched around my heart.

So, this was how she saw me: someone who could not stand to see anyone else doing well.

"Ms. Monroe, is Vincent upset?"

The shower stopped, and Nicholas' voice came through clearly. He must have been standing very close to her.

I closed my eyes. I could almost picture Sienna facing a young man wrapped in a towel, his upper body bare.

He sounded humble, almost aggrieved. "Ms. Monroe, I'm already grateful you were willing to bring me home. I don't want to trouble you any more than I have to. I'll lock the door, put on my headphones, and go to sleep. I'll be fine."

Sienna's voice was slightly hoarse. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm your boss. I have a responsibility to make sure you're safe. I have an international conference call later. I don't have time to deal with your mood, so try to be reasonable."

That last sentence was directed at me.

The call ended without hesitation. The screen went dark, reflecting my tear-streaked face. My eyes were red, and all I could manage was a bitter smile.

I opened my contacts and called the person at the top of my list.

He answered on the third ring.

When I finally spoke, my voice came out hoarse and shaky. I was fighting back tears. "Dominic, I want a divorce…"

Dominic Archer immediately tried to calm me down. I could hear the rustle of fabric through the phone.

"Vincent, what happened? Are you home? I'm coming to you right now."

…

Half an hour later, Dominic arrived. The moment he saw me curled up in the corner, his eyes reddened.

I told him everything that had happened that day.

He clenched both fists, his eyes burning with fury. "Sienna is such a piece of work! She's always putting on that 'I'm better than everyone else' act, but she can't even take care of her own husband. Forget being some elite—she hasn't even done the bare minimum as a wife! Get divorced. You have to. There's no way you can keep living like this!"

I wiped away my tears. "I don't want anything. I just want to get away from her as soon as possible."

Dominic sighed. "Vincent, you're giving up way too much if you divorce her like this. She's the one who emotionally cheated first. She should walk away with nothing. We have to fight for what's yours. Nicholas Everly, right? Just leave him to me. I'll tear that pretentious bastard apart and make sure you get something out of it!"

…

Sienna came home the next morning. She was carrying an elegantly wrapped box. "I heard blind boxes are popular right now, so I bought you the whole set."

I opened it and took a look. The little figures were beautifully made, but I did not recognize a single one.

She had heard they were popular. From whom? And who was the one who liked them?

I knew without asking.

"Thanks," I replied flatly.

Her brows drew together slightly. "You're still upset? Nicholas just graduated from college. He's already having a hard time. Besides me, he doesn't have anyone he can trust."