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Chapter 4

Penulis: Fried Potato
When Matthew rushed home, he looked travel-worn, with a thin sheen of sweat still on his forehead.

The moment he walked in, he saw Winona sitting on the sofa with red-rimmed eyes while I set a plate of cut fruit in front of her, every inch the "thoughtful" sister.

"Eat some fruit. You'll feel better," I said gently.

At the sight of us, the fury in Matthew's eyes immediately gave way to tenderness and self-reproach.

He strode over, pulled me behind him in one swift motion, and fixed Winona with an ice-cold stare. "What are you doing here?"

Winona flinched at the force of his words, and fresh tears spilled down her face.

"I... I came to see Minnie... I just wanted you, Matty... to talk to your brother—"

"My business is none of yours." Matthew cut her off without a trace of warmth in his voice. "Leave. Now."

He pulled me into the study and shut the door, cutting off the sound of Winona's crying.

He held me tightly, rested his chin on top of my head, and spoke in a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry, baby. You had to go through this again because of me."

I said nothing. I simply rested against him in silence.

He released me, turned to the bookshelf, and pulled a document from one of its drawers before holding it out to me.

It was a divorce agreement.

I stared at the glaring words on the page but did not move.

He took my hand, his gaze deep and pained. "Minnie, let's fake a divorce.

"Winona's emotions are too unstable right now. I'm afraid she will hurt you if she loses control. She had the nerve to show up here today. There's no telling what she'll do tomorrow. She might do something even crazier.

"After we divorce, the house and the car will both go to you. I'll walk away with nothing.

"Then I'll use my identity as Maxwell Whitebrook to settle her down once and for all. After I've taken care of everything and sent her abroad for good, we'll remarry right away. All right?"

He gazed at me with such tenderness that the pain in his eyes seemed utterly genuine. "Minnie, this is the only way I could think of to pull you completely clear of this mess. I can't let her harass you anymore. Not for one more second."

He dressed up every deception and every lie as the greatest sacrifice and the deepest form of protection.

He assumed I would react the way I always had. He expected me to be overwhelmed with emotion, blink back tears, and make allowances for his so-called "difficult position."

I looked at him, the man I had loved for so many years. Then I suddenly smiled, took the divorce agreement from his hands, and flipped to the last page.

I picked up the Parker pen from the cup on his desk and signed my name on the line marked for the wife without the slightest hesitation.

Matthew froze. He clearly had not expected me to agree so decisively. A moment later, the shock in his eyes gave way to what looked like genuine emotion.

He decided I had agreed because I loved him too much, because I was so "understanding" that I would go along with every one of his absurd plans without question.

He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me even tighter, his voice thick with emotion. "Baby, thank you. I'm sorry you have to go through this. Wait for me. I'll be back soon."

Outside his line of sight, I lowered my eyes, pulled out my phone with one hand, and sent a message to the overseas immigration consultant I had been in contact with all along.

[We can move forward with the program you looked into for me before. Expedite everything. As fast as possible.]

I had already laid the groundwork for my escape ever since I found that phone.

…

The day after the divorce was finalized, Matthew personally "sent off" Winona at the airport and launched her on a "healing trip" to get over the breakup.

I, too, stood at the international departures gate in Terminal 3 with a suitcase of my own.

My phone buzzed. A message from Matthew appeared on the screen.

Matthew: [Baby, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I've sent her off. Once I finish wrapping things up here, we'll go to Aerea and have the wedding you always wanted.]

I stared at the message without expression and pressed down on his contact.

[Block and delete contact.]

Once it was done, I turned off my phone and boarded my flight to Lutetia.

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