Chapter 3

"I haven't done anything, and there's no need for any apology, there's no need for any of her games anymore,"

Nathan dismissed her words as nonsense and began leaving until he heard her last statement.

"I want a divorce."

He froze in his tracks.

"What did you say?"

"I'm letting you go, Nathan. I want a divorce," she muttered again, her tone firm and unwavering.

He let out a scoff.

"You did something wrong and instead of apologizing, you're trying to make a fuss?"

"I'm making a fuss?" Her shock was evident in her voice.

His head tilted aside as if he couldn’t comprehend.

"Drink some water, sleep, and then do the right thing tomorrow by apologizing to Andrea."

"I'm doing nothing! Don't you get it? I'm done with you!"

"Alicia, you must do the right thing tomorrow and I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that."

Alicia could not believe it. She bit her lower lip in anger. Nathan had never taken anything she said seriously, and this was another proof of it.

Her fury boiled over. She could not stay in the house for even one more minute. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number, which was answered almost immediately.

---

Andrea, who had almost been run over by a car at the Paddington residence, was now admitted to the hospital with grazes on her arms.

When Nathan arrived at her ward, his mind swirled with thoughts.

He wondered why Alicia, who had adored him for the past four years—even through his maltreatment—suddenly wanted out.

She had loved him through thick and thin and continued loving him even when he had never once reciprocated.

He often felt disgust toward her until his accident three years ago almost cost him his legs. Confined to a wheelchair, with Alicia doing everything to care for him, he had tried to find a way not to feel frustrated by her presence. He found one. Alicia’s delicate voice reminded him of Andrea, and the shape of her lips was almost identical. He began picturing Andrea in her, softening slightly toward Alicia—until Andrea returned from her studies.

Why continue suffering? Why force himself to love someone he didn’t fancy, even a little? He was already better now. What was the point? Slowly, he began giving Alicia the cold shoulder, becoming even worse than he had ever been.

He was lost in his thoughts until Andrea called his name.

"Nathan?"

"Do you have something on your mind?"

"No, Andrea." He stood and moved to her side, but within minutes, he drifted into a daze again, absentmindedly caressing her hair.

"I'll be right back," he muttered and left abruptly.

***

The club was loud and bursting with girls in skimpy dresses, dancing on poles. Nathan sat at the bar with a man he had never met.

"Can I ask you something?" Nathan said. He was not drunk, but his mind was too tangled to realize he didn’t know this person.

"Go ahead, my man!" The drunk man shouted, nearly nodding off.

"My wife suddenly wants a divorce."

The man laughed. "So sorry, my man. Did she catch you cheating?"

Nathan stayed silent, unsure what to say. What was cheating, if not loving the woman he had adored since childhood?

"Answer me, man! Did she find out you have a girlfriend?"

"She has always known I have a girlfriend whom I loved so much, and she never had any problem with that."

"What? Should I tell you something?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"You're such a jerk!"

Nathan tilted his head aside.

"How can you treat a woman like that? I just talked to a lady and my wife nearly choked me to death. I had to run away from home. You're worse than an alien."

"How? I just love Andrea and I don’t love my wife. What’s the big deal?"

"Then grant her the divorce and bring in your mistress. Hahaha, by the way, are you seeing that chick on the pole?"

He chuckled, blinking rapidly at the girl.

Nathan turned his back to the dance floor, ignoring him, picking up his drink with a scowl, confused about what to do.

The man stood up.

"I need to get that girl, she’s my type."

"Thought you said your wife would kill you?"

"Yeah, I'd die for this one!" He grinned and headed for the dance floor.

Nathan’s eyes narrowed at the girl rolling and dancing happily on the pole.

He rose immediately, hope and disbelief fighting within him.

"Alicia? What is she doing here?" he muttered, dashing toward the stage.

Before he could reach her, his new acquaintance had already grabbed her hand.

"Get your hands off her, you scandalous thing!"

"I got her first! Let go, alien!" He yelled drunkenly.

"You both get your hands off me! Leave me alone, nasty things!" She shouted in her drunken state.

"Alicia, what do you think you're doing? Why are you here?"

"Ow wow, how did you know my name? You’re such a sweet thing," she smiled sheepishly.

"Let's get out of here."

"I'm not done yet. Where am I going?" She continued smiling.

"I'm enjoying myself to the fullest today, you know why? I just got a burden off my mind. I told that heartless, wicked, selfish Nathan that I was done with him today! Isn’t that exciting?" Her sheepish smile shifted into a drunk wail.

Nathan realized she was not going to cooperate easily. He bent down and swept her onto his shoulder.

"Sweet little thing, put me down now! I’m not done dancing. After that, we can go to your room! Wait, Mily said she has someone in mind for me tonight. Where are you taking me?"

She kept blabbing as he tried to leave the club.

Nathan had not come with a car, so he called his driver, who arrived almost immediately.

He tried to shove her into the car, but Alicia resisted, dragging herself down from his shoulder and zigzagging as fast as she could.

Her phone rang.

She picked up, the voice on the other end practically yelling.

"Aly, where the f*ck are you!"

"I think someone wants to kidnap me, Mily! Come and rescue me!" She screamed, stumbling as she ran.

Her leg slipped and she fell to the ground, wincing in pain, though she was only a few meters from Nathan.

He hurried to her side.

"Alicia, are you okay?"

"I told you to leave me alone! Mily already has someone for me tonight!" She stared at him with wide eyes, her voice shaking.

"I can never go with you! You look like Nathan, you have a handsome face like his and look cruel too. I hate him, even though I love him so much! Nathan took me to hell and back! Haha, he’s a heartless punk. I can’t wait to have a steamy night tonight. Where is Mily?" She sobbed.

"Mily, don’t let them kidnap me!" She wailed.

Nathan exhaled slowly.

"You’re a weak drunk. Now, let’s get out of here."

"Are you as dumb as Nathan? Because Nathan doesn’t take anything I say seriously, and it hurts my heart," she hit her chest hard.

"I said I’m not going with you."

Her phone rang again.

"Can you keep your phone away for goodness sake and stop taking calls?"

"Mily, they’ll kidnap me!" She wailed again.

"Where are you?"

She looked around frantically. "Where am I?"

She gazed upward. "Wait, what? Why do I see heaven? Am I dead? Mily, I think I’m in heaven!" Her eyes rolled at the sky.

Nathan scoffed at her dramatics.

"You’re outside. That’s where you are," he muttered.

"Outside? The club? Answer me!"

"I don’t know. He said outside, come quick and get me. His face looks scary like Nathan," she said, muttering before hanging up.

A few seconds later, Emily ran to her side.

"Aly, what happened?"

She buried her face into Emily’s chest.

"You’re the only one I’ve got, my own knight in shining armor. I almost got kidnapped by that heartless punk." She pointed at Nathan.

Emily glanced at him and scowled.