Chapter 3

The next morning, Damien knocked on my bedroom door and told me that Roxanne had arrived.

After getting dressed, I headed downstairs and found her sitting at the dining table in silence, her expression grim.

I knew she was mad. In the past, the second she showed the slightest hint of displeasure, I'd rush over and do whatever I could to cheer her up. But this time, I walked out without looking back.

Once I reached the street, I flagged down a cab and left.

…

In the departure lounge, I ran into Roxanne again.

She came to a stop in front of me, her voice laced with anger as she said, "Louis, we've been married for years. There's really no need to avoid me over something this minor."

Without even looking up from my keyboard, I replied, "You're overthinking it. I'm not avoiding you."

No sooner had I finished speaking than a special ringtone played on Roxanne's phone.

When she answered, I heard Conrad's voice on the phone. "Where are you? Don't forget about tonight's banquet. Whether we close this deal comes down to tonight."

Ever since Conrad moved back home after his divorce three years earlier, Roxanne had quietly acted under my name to help him. It had happened more times than I could count.

At first, I wanted to look the other way, but now, seeing her smile struck me as painfully ironic. After all, she had never spoken to me that gently.

Most of the time, Roxanne spoke to me the same way she handled business—distant and professional.

It wasn't as if I'd never told her I wished she'd be a little gentler with me. But every time, she'd answer impatiently. "Work is already stressful enough! Do you really have to ask so much from me, too?"

With that in mind, I looked down at my phone and quickly typed out two messages to my secretary, Alex Stone. I instructed him to inform our business partners that Roxanne and I had already begun divorce proceedings.

After hanging up, Roxanne turned back to me, and her sweet smile disappeared in an instant.

"I still have work to deal with. The flights are sold out, so let me have your ticket. You can take the next flight instead."

When I didn't move, she repeated herself.

"I didn't buy a ticket back to Jenton," I said coolly.

The moment my words landed, Roxanne flew into a rage. "Louis Fletcher! So that's what this is? You came all the way to the airport just to put on a show because you're jealous? You're unbelievably immature!"

With that, she stormed off without so much as a backward glance.

As I stared at Roxanne's retreating figure, bitterness rose in my chest. No matter when or where she was, all it took was a single phone call from Conrad, and she would drop everything to rush to his side.

Just then, I was reminded of something Conrad had posted on New Year's Eve. The caption read, "Being someone's favorite means that no matter when, you're always their first choice."