Chapter 7

When Theodore arrived at the venue of the wedding, he stood in the corner with his fingers dug into his palm.

Tomorrow was going to be the end of the waiting period. After tomorrow, he would finally be able to leave for good, but for now, he was forced to witness their wedding.

Guests filled the seats lining both sides of the aisle. Maurice attended in a wheelchair and was especially happy for the couple.

When the music played, Sylvie slowly walked down the aisle in a beautiful white gown, with her arm linked with Carmelo’s. Theodore suddenly found his mind wandering back to the day he married her all those years ago.

They got married in the same hall and walked down the same aisle. He could still remember Sylvie’s palms clammy with sweat because of how nervous she was.

Despite her nerves, she held his hand tightly and whispered, “Theodore, I’m glad I finally get to marry you.”

And now, here she was, walking down the very same aisle with another man holding her hand. This time, she wore a calm, composed expression.

He was surprised when a tear trickled from the corner of his eye. When he hurriedly wiped it away, he heard hushed whispers from some of the guests in attendance.

“Isn't that Sylvie’s ex-husband? He sure has some nerve to be here!”

“I heard he’s mentally unstable and nearly got Mr. Carter killed.”

“Oh, my. How pitiful.”

Theodore did not pay them any mind. Rather, his attention was fixed on Sylvie, who was at the end of the aisle.

As if sensing something, Sylvie scanned the crowd before finally noticing Theodore’s tear-streaked face. She stopped, looking conflicted. However, she suppressed it as soon as it surfaced and stayed silent, opting to turn back and continue the ceremony.

‘Theodore, I’m sure you’ll understand,’ she told herself.

After the wedding concluded, everybody went home.

Upon reaching home, Theodore heard the muffled sound of lovemaking from the master bedroom.

“Sylvie, be gentle.”

Carmelo’s voice was like a knife, stabbing his heart. His body stiffened, and his hands shook.

Then, he heard Sylvie cautioning Carmelo in a sultry voice, “Keep it down.”

‘What are you scared of?” Carmelo chuckled. “He’s going to find out sooner or later anyway.”

“Shut up!”

Suddenly, Carmelo asked, “Do you regret ever marrying him?”

Theodore held his breath.

The room fell silent for a few seconds before Sylvie, irritated, answered, “I do.”

The answer made him feel sick to the stomach.

He recalled her declaring before the priest during their wedding, “I will never regret this for the rest of my life.”

Yet now, she had blatantly confessed to regretting marrying him.

He could not take it anymore. He went back to the guest room where he shut the door before collapsing to the floor.

Meanwhile, sounds from the adjacent room went on all night. He could hear the creaking of the bed frame, Carmelo’s grunts, and Sylvie’s soft, breathless moans…

At the end of it, he heard Maurice saying delightedly, “Give me a grandchild. I can’t wait to be a grandfather!”

Theodore leaned against the wall, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face.

By the next morning, he had packed all his belongings. He looked at his phone. Today was the last day.

He could hear muffled laughter downstairs. When he went down, he happened to stumble into Sylvie, who was leaning over to adjust Maurice’s shirt while Carmelo looked on with a silver suitcase in hand.

The three of them made for a picture-perfect family.

“Hey, you sure are up early,” Maurice remarked sarcastically, the smile on his face fading. “We’re heading out. Make sure you change the bedsheets in the master bedroom.”

As usual, Carmelo made a show of being considerate. “Why don’t you let the housemaids do it instead? Theodore’s arm is still injured.”

Only then did Sylvie notice Theodore.

She frowned and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Today is the last day of the waiting period,” he stated in a chilling voice as he stared straight into her eyes. “I’m heading to the city hall.”

Sylvie seemed taken aback. “But I promised Carmelo and Dad that I was going to take them on a holiday.”

The air itself seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

“Why don’t you cancel the divorce when you get to the office?” She suggested suddenly, “I just need to spend a couple of days with them. After that, everything can go back to the way it was.”

Theodore lowered his head and agreed. “Sure.”

That was more than enough to relieve Sylvie, who turned to attend to Maurice again. “Come on, Dad. Let’s get you in the car.”

Theodore stood there the entire time, watching the black Maybach pull out of the courtyard. Only when the car was completely out of sight did he finally wipe the tears from his face. Then, he grabbed his luggage and walked out of the house without looking back once.

At the city hall, the stamp came down.

“Here are the divorce certificates.” The clerk said while handing over the booklet, “Since your ex-wife has signed the agreement, the asset division has also been finalized.”

Theodore did not even bother to look at the certificate before shoving Sylvie’s copy into an envelope and writing her address on it.

“Please deliver this to this address here. The shipping cost will be paid by the recipient.”

Upon stepping out of the building, he saw the car that was there to pick him up. Someone was waving him over and calling out, “Over here!”

When he opened the car door, a thought suddenly struck him, compelling him to reach into his pocket and take out his wedding ring.

Sylvie was the one who put it on for him the very first time by the sea. The word ‘forever’ was carved on the inside of the ring.

He stared at the ring for a couple of seconds before tossing it outside. It landed in the middle of the road and produced a short clinking sound before the tyres of a car ran over it.

“Let’s go.” He closed the door and added, “I’m never coming back.”