Chapter 3

"He used to be so cold that people felt nervous around him. Now he finally seems more human."

Matt didn't respond, but he didn't deny it either.

He asked the waiter for a glass of water and handed it to Faye.

"You're on your period. Have some water instead."

Last Christmas, his mother had given me a hard time because I still hadn't gotten pregnant. At that time, I was also on my period while I was out in the snow doing laundry in the yard.

I had to get a jab for the cramps after that. In my daze, I complained to him.

He gave me a cold look and said, "It's your fault for not taking care of your own body."

I clenched my fists under the table, the pain in my chest nearly drowning me.

As the commotion died down, Faye suddenly came over.

With a bright and innocent smile and sparkling eyes, she greeted, "Ms. Vance, I'm Mr. Miller's secretary. Here's to you."

She poured me a glass of white wine while holding her glass of water.

I shook my head.

"Sorry, I can't drink."

Faye's smile froze.

Matt, having watched us the entire time, said in a low voice, "Yelena, don't make things awkward for her."

I looked at him, the warning in his eyes palpable.

With my fingernails dug into my flesh, I whispered, "Don't you remember what the doctor said? We're trying for a baby. We can't drink."

At that moment, silence engulfed the entire room.

Faye truly had beautiful eyes.

They lit up when she smiled and turned red when she cried.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Vance. I… I didn't know you and Mr. Miller were… I'll drink! Consider it my apology."

Looking as if she had suffered the greatest injustice, she lifted the glass of white wine and was about to down it in one shot.

I raised my hand to stop her and tilted my chin toward Matt.

"He drank over ten glasses on your behalf. Don't waste his effort."

Faye's tears fell even more aggressively.

Matt furrowed his brows and quickly walked over.

"I told you, you don't need to drink," he said softly. "Put it down."

Everyone in the room remained silent, their eyes darting between Matt and me.

Eventually, their gaze fell on the crying woman.

I had no idea why she was crying. If anything, I should have been the one crying.

Just as Matt was about to touch her shoulder, she wiped her tears and ran out. He shot me a look before going after her.

And so, the dinner ended on an awkward note.

While I quietly went to pay the bill, I overheard the employees of Miller Group murmuring among themselves.

"Are Mr. Miller and Ms. Vance really married? Then why does he keep delaying our collaboration? He's rejected several drafts."

"I heard their marriage is for business purposes. Where's the love in that? It's obvious Mr. Miller likes Faye more."

On the drive home, I kept thinking about the four years we had together before we got married.

He was the one who pursued me, spoiled me, and protected me for four years.

After graduating from college, we broke up for a year due to our parents' disapproval of our relationship. A year later, he was the one who found me and proposed to me unreservedly.

If that wasn't love, I didn't know what was.

At 11:00 pm, Matt came back.

His heavy footsteps echoed on the floor, and his voice was cold.

"You shouldn't have said that. Now everyone's talking about Faye and me. This is going to affect the company, and she cried all night. Just clarify the facts tomorrow and say you misspoke."

I had been waiting for him to come home to talk about our divorce.

Little did I expect him to point fingers at me the moment he walked in.

I looked up.

"Matt, is having me as your wife that embarrassing?"

"I'm talking about the clarification."

"And what do you want me to say? That we're not married or that our marriage is solely for business purposes?"

He grew impatient.

"I'm talking about serious matters here."

I looked him in the eye and responded, "Well, so am I."

A pause later, I asked, "Do you even love me?"

He furrowed his brow, though something flickered across his eyes momentarily.

"Yelena, calm down."