Chapter 3

Looking at this, old memories hit me like a jolt.

Golf used to be my whole world.

Back then, Braxton was still a naive, broke kid. Whenever I came to play a round, he would sit quietly under the umbrella and wait for me.

At that time, I did not want to make him wait for me. So, I refused whenever he wanted to do so.

But he was persistent. He showed up for almost every single round I played.

Then, one time, I got caught in a sudden storm at the hillside course.

The golf cart flipped on a muddy slope. I was pinned under the wrecked cart.

Braxton pulled the cart off me with his bare hands.

When he pulled me out, I saw that the metal had gashed his hand. He was bleeding badly.

After that incident, we got together.

With him, I finally wanted a normal life. I finally had a reason to make money.

Even though my family had more money than I could ever spend, I chose to go out and build something of my own.

Back then, I stood right there in this practice room, holding his hand and teaching him how to grip the club and how to follow through.

He had torn apart the space I loved the most and turned it into a band rehearsal room for another woman’s hobby. He had drawn a “shared masterpiece” on the wall.

I was totally dumbfounded by what I saw. At that moment, I no longer wanted to play golf.

Instead, I called Braxton.

It rang for a long time before he picked up.

On the other end came the sound of ocean waves.

“Adeline, what’s up? I just got to the hotel.” He sounded impatient.

I stared at the words “Secret Base” on the wall as I asked him in a cold voice, “Why did my private practice room at the club get turned into Vivienne’s rehearsal space?”

There was a brief silence at the end of the line.

He then said, sounding a little flustered, “You haven’t set foot on the course in months.

“Vivienne is into music. She’s been wanting a private spot to rehearse. I figured the room was just sitting there empty. So I had it redone for her to relax in.

“Adeline, you’re seriously calling me to complain about a room that you don’t even use?”

Before I could say anything, I could hear Vivienne’s cheerful voice through the phone.

“Brax, come take pictures at the beach!”

He covered the receiver and said to me hurriedly, “Alright, I’ve got stuff going on here. When I get back, I’ll buy you a new set of clubs to make it up to you. Don’t forget to make an appointment with the wedding planner.”

I could not help but scoff as I listened to the dial tone on the phone.

Without replying, I sent the divorce agreement I had drafted to Braxton.

For the next two weeks, I did not receive a single response from him.

He was on the island with Vivienne, watching sunsets, diving, and helping her move on from her breakup.

Every photo he posted on social media showed him grinning from ear to ear.

That divorce agreement, just like me, had been completely neglected.

Two weeks later, Braxton finally returned from his vacation.

He lost it when he came home to find me two weeks deep into doing absolutely nothing about the wedding.

“Adeline, didn’t I tell you to pick a wedding planner before I left?

“What have you even been doing at home for the past two weeks? Do you want this wedding or not?!”

I sat on the couch and narrowed my eyes as I responded, “I don’t.”

He was taken aback for a moment. Then, he became even more furious.

“Are you still sulking about the honeymoon?

“I already told you I’d make it up to you. Do you really have to be this petty?”

Before I could even respond, my phone started buzzing like crazy.

It was William.

When I picked up the call, he sounded panicked on the other end of the line.

“Mrs. Darnell, you need to get to the office right now! Something has gone wrong!”