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Chapter 2

Author: Shirley
Just as I walked out of the restaurant and passed by the VIP area of an underground casino owned by the Family, the manager's flattering voice carried over.

"Dr. Theo, the private room you requested is ready. Right this way."

The name was deeply ingrained in me, and I stopped in my tracks.

It really was Theo.

Pressed right up against his side was Isla.

The two walked out of the exclusive corridor side by side.

Theo had already taken off his white coat. The cuffs of his black shirt were rolled up to his strong forearms, faintly revealing the tattoos that marked his rank. There was an unconcealable weariness between his brows.

Isla leaned against him, her face tilted up as she whispered something playfully.

Theo looked down, and a faint smile touched his lips.

I stood in the shadows watching this scene, my heart aching as if a dull knife were being dragged back and forth across it.

In the past, as soon as he walked through the door, I would go up to him and tell him all the interesting little things about my day.

He always wore a cold, dismissive look. Forget smiling, even a nod was treated as charity.

I always felt sorry for him and made excuses, thinking he was living in the line of fire and was just too tired.

Only now did I realize that no matter how tired he was, he could still smile.

It was just that his vibrancy never belonged to me.

"Harper?"

Isla had sharp eyes and saw me first. She walked over quickly, an innocent and surprised smile hanging on her perfectly made-up face.

"Why are you here all alone?"

I looked at her coldly and didn't make a sound.

She didn't mind at all and started explaining on her own.

"We had a massive emergency today. Too many bodies."

"Theo and I were stuck in the underground operating room for ten whole hours without even a sip of water."

"As soon as he washed his hands, he dragged me here, saying you wanted the special pasta from this place and that he absolutely had to get it packed up and take it back to you immediately."

With that, she turned to look at Theo, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

"Theo really spoils you, keeping even such a small detail in mind."

"I'm so jealous of you. I wish I had a man who loved me this much."

Loved me?

Would a man who truly loved me forget our fifth anniversary?

Would a man who truly loved me accompany another woman to this kind of VIP room at midnight?

Would a man who truly loved me risk breaking the rules to save someone else's cousin, yet stick to the rules and watch my dad die on the street?

I looked up at Isla, my voice kept extremely cold.

"Whether he loves me or not is none of your business."

Isla's smile faded, and she shrank back a step.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong? I really just thought you two had a great relationship."

Her voice began to tremble, and her eyes turned red on cue.

Even though I hadn't uttered a single harsh word.

Theo took a quick step and blocked Isla behind him, completely cutting off my line of sight.

That instinctive, protective posture stung my eyes terribly.

"Harper, this is Family turf. Don't make a scene."

His voice suppressed a fire.

"You know perfectly well she didn't mean anything by it. Why do you insist on being as prickly as a hedgehog?"

"She is our supply connect. She waited outside the operating room all day today just to secure our equipment supply. Stop being unreasonable here."

The mob soldiers patrolling nearby also started whispering.

"The Doc's wife is crazy."

"The Chief surgeon just got off the table and was only thinking about bringing her food, and she's still not satisfied."

"Exactly. Miss Isla is a Capo's daughter. If she offends her and the medical supply line gets cut, then what?"

Right.

They were made men risking their lives for the Family, and Isla was a selfless business partner.

I was the only unreasonable, toxic woman.

I didn't want to waste any more time and turned to leave.

As I brushed past Theo, he grabbed my wrist.

That familiar warmth made my heart skip a beat.

But his next words plunged me into an ice cellar.

"Apologize to Isla."

I thought I misheard him.

"What did you say?"

"Your attitude just now embarrassed her. Her father is a Capo, and more importantly, the core of the Family's supply chain. Apologize."

I looked over his shoulder at Isla hiding behind him. She looked like a frightened fawn, as if a gust of wind would shatter her.

And my husband was using a defensive posture fit for an enemy, tightly gripping my wrist.

I suddenly felt this was absurd to the extreme.

"Theo, then you teach me. Which sentence of mine was wrong just now?"

"Do our private matters as husband and wife have a single damn thing to do with the Family's business interests, or with a medical supplier?"

I bit out the words "medical supplier" heavily.

Theo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was actually choked up by my words, unable to speak.

After a long moment, he lowered his voice. "Her father is a Capo. All the Family's medical equipment comes through her line. Do you not understand what the big picture is?"

"Don't cause trouble for me at a critical time like this."

So that was it.

So he stood in front of her not to protect her, but to protect his own political position.

So our private matters as a married couple had long been outweighed by a medical supply chain.

I shook off his hand and just turned and walked away.

The cold midnight wind, carrying the scent of freedom, hit my face, instantly blowing away all the suffocation in my chest.

I suddenly realized that as long as I took this step, nothing could trap me anymore.

Back at the apartment, I turned on the printer.

The divorce papers spat out page by page, the paper still warm.

Before next Saturday, I would personally put an end to this farce.
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