Chapter 2

Ezra’s flight was scheduled for ten o’clock that night. Before wheeling his suitcase out the door, he turned around and kissed my forehead.

“I’ll be back in three days. Wait for me, okay?”

I smiled and nodded. “Safe travels.”

The moment the door closed, the smile on my face disappeared.

At eleven o’clock that night, Nina sent me a photo. In it, the gift box had been opened, and the necklace she had been talking about for a long time was clasped around her neck.

[Thank you, Olivia! I absolutely love it. Why did you drop by without telling me beforehand?]

I stared at that necklace for a long time. I had bought it with the money I earned after spending half a month working into the wee hours on illustrations.

I didn’t reply and simply shut my phone.

Early the next morning, she sent another message.

[Olivia, why are you ignoring me?]

Still, I didn’t reply.

At noon, a message from Ezra arrived as well.

[Babe, I’ve landed. The signal here isn’t great. Let me know when you get to the hotel so I know you’re safe.]

I didn’t even bother to look at it again. After four years, this was the first time I felt so sure.

Over the next three days, I filled my schedule to the brim. On the first day, I met my lawyer, Frank. He slid the divorce papers over to me.

“Don’t worry about the assets you had before marriage, but his income from the past few years of marriage is considered a joint asset. If he’s at fault, you can claim even more.”

I pushed a folder toward him, asking, “Are these enough? Take a look at them for me.”

As he flipped through the transaction records and call logs, his brows furrowed. “These can only prove that things look suspicious; they don’t prove an affair. I need concrete evidence.”

“Can you find it?”

“Yes, but it will take time.”

I nodded. “Then find it. I can afford to wait.”

On the second day, I began packing my things. I didn’t have many belongings, so two suitcases were enough to fit everything. I also placed the divorce papers on his desk in the study.

For the past four years, this place was my home. However, only now did I realize that I had been an outsider all along.

On the third day, I moved back into the small apartment I owned before we got married. As I pushed open the door, a cloud of dust hit me in the face. I opened all the windows, allowing the wind to rush in, and sunlight fell onto the old sofa; nothing here had changed.

At eight o’clock in the evening, my mother’s call came in.

The moment I answered, a barrage of scolding burst through. “Olivia Clarke, why on earth did you move out? I heard you two are getting a divorce? What has Ezra ever done to you? He has a good career, and he treats you well! You’ve just been living too comfortably, and now you’re starting to act up!”

I held the phone, waiting for her to finish yelling at me. “Mom, he cheated.”

“Where’s the evidence? Show it to me! You were the one who said no person was found. You spent four years searching and haven’t found a single clue! Now you’re saying he cheated again. Cheated with whom?”

I closed my eyes. Even my own mother didn’t believe me, which made sense. Even I hadn’t believed myself over the last four years.

“Mom, I’ve signed the papers, so I’m getting this divorce. Don’t get involved in this.”

“Don’t you dare! If you get a divorce, I’ll disown you as a daughter!”

With that, she hung up.

Holding my phone, I stood in the empty living room for a long time. Outside the window, the sky had turned dark.

Three days, and everything was taken care of. The asset inventory, the divorce papers, and a new place to live, along with a heart that was dead.