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Chapter 2

Author: Teeny-Tiny Fish
The next morning, Josie rose early to prepare breakfast for Kira.

Graham came downstairs, the stale scent of alcohol still clinging to him.

Kira clutched her little rabbit plush and ran toward him. "Daddy—"

Before she could finish, his cold, cutting glare rooted her to the spot.

"What did you just call me?" he asked, his voice low and sharp.

Startled, Kira clung tighter to her toy, her voice trembling. "Mr. Holloway…"

He tugged at his tie, visibly irritated, then turned to Josie with a warning. "If you can't teach her properly, get out of my house."

Bitterness welled up in her chest.

That was always his favorite phrase—get out of my house.

Each time he said it, both she and Kira would be filled with fear. But now, for the first time, she truly wanted to leave.

She didn't respond. Silently, she placed breakfast on the table and lifted Kira into her chair.

The eggs and toast were made just the way Graham liked them, but he didn't even glance at the plate. Instead, his tone was icily detached.

"Allison is back. Stay out of her sight for now. She doesn't like seeing you."

Then, glancing briefly at Kira, he added, "Her, too."

Josie looked at the chill in his expression, at the indifference carved into his features. For a moment, she wanted to ask—did he even have a heart?

But in the end, all she could muster was a quiet, "Okay."

After dropping Kira off at kindergarten, Josie went to her studio.

She had once been a fine arts major—talented, even celebrated. Before graduation, she had held her own solo exhibition.

But after giving birth to Kira, she gave it all up for Graham, Kira, and their home. Her paintings became little more than private indulgences, created in stolen hours.

Most of them were about Graham.

She had poured all her love onto the canvas, brushstroke after brushstroke, laying bare the depth of her devotion.

And yet, when he saw the paintings, all he said was, "Stop wasting time on meaningless things. The only person I've ever loved is Allison."

Graham was a block of ice—no amount of warmth could ever melt him.

That day, Josie dragged every painting she had ever made of him out to the edge of the city.

She doused them in gasoline.

Then she lit a match.

If all her efforts had been in vain, then she would choose to let go.

Countless images of Graham's face curled and blackened in the flames, swallowed up and turned to ash. Just like her love for him.

She would let him go, once and for all. Erase him completely from her life.

Suddenly, her phone rang in her pocket.

She answered it and heard the urgent voice of a kindergarten teacher on the other end.

"Kira's mom? Something's happened at school. Please come quickly."
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  • The Art of Unloving Him   Chapter 26

    As soon as she stepped out of the villa, a wave of police officers surged forward, pinning Graham to the ground.Josie's parents stood frozen, shaken by what had just occurred.Josie handed Kira over to her mother, then turned back to watch as Graham was led away."He'll likely be deported back," she said quietly.Josie's mother cast one final, furious glance at Graham. For someone who had always been composed and well-mannered, the anger in her voice was startling. "Good. Let him be deported—and may he never show up in front of us again."What happened today had been nothing short of terrifying.Miles glanced at Josie, noting the paleness still lingering on her face. He offered her a bottle of water."Are you alright?"Josie gave a bitter shake of her head.She looked calm on the surface, but inside, she was anything but.Graham's obsession—his madness—had left a lingering fear in her chest. Even his desperate pleas for forgiveness had stirred painful memories she'd tried har

  • The Art of Unloving Him   Chapter 25

    The food on the table had all been prepared by Graham.In the ten years she had known him, this was the first time Josie realized—he could cook.She looked at the elegantly plated steak and pasta in front of her, but her appetite was gone. A faint, mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips."You learned to cook for Allison, didn't you?"Graham lowered his head, offering no denial.His relationship with Allison had once been an all-consuming first love. Time had softened its edges, turned it into something almost poetic, so much so that even he had been moved by the memory. It wasn't until now that he saw how utterly mistaken he'd been.His voice came out rough, scraped raw by regret. Still, he tried to smile. "From now on, I'll only cook for you. Alright?"He hadn't lived that kind of quiet, domestic life in a long time. Back then, it had felt so routine, so mundane. He hadn't appreciated any of it—hadn't known what he had.It was only after losing Josie that he realized j

  • The Art of Unloving Him   Chapter 24

    Josie shot to her feet, panic tightening her chest. "What happened? Weren't you supposed to pick her up?"The housekeeper's voice trembled. "I… I don't know! I went to the school just now, but Kira was gone. I asked around, but no one knows where she went."A chill gripped Josie's heart."What is it?" Miles, noticing the color drain from her face, asked with quiet concern.She barely managed, "Something's happened to Kira," before rushing out without another word.Miles quickly caught up. "You're in no condition to drive. Let me take you. I have a few connections around here. Maybe I can help find Kira."His calm, gentle voice pulled her back from the edge. She nodded.At the school, the teachers and staff were gathered, visibly anxious. The housekeeper was nearly in tears.No one knew where Kira had gone.The surveillance footage showed her reading on the lawn that afternoon. And then… she vanished.Josie watched every second of the footage, her eyes unblinking. Then, sudden

  • The Art of Unloving Him   Chapter 23

    That day, Graham knelt outside Josie's parents' residence for four hours.Neither of her parents relented.Josie never appeared.By the time night fell, Graham finally staggered back to his hotel, looking like a gambler who had lost everything. In a fit of despair, he bought armfuls of alcohol and drank himself into oblivion.When his mother arrived, she found him barely conscious, sprawled among shattered bottles and silence.Gemma slapped him across the face, her voice trembling with fury. "Look at you. Just look at what you've become."Graham didn't fight back. He simply bowed his head, his voice thick with self-mockery. "Mom… I deserve this, don't I?"Gemma's anger softened into something heavier—grief. "You didn't cherish her when she was yours. And now that she's moved on, you fall apart like this? Do you really think this is how you'll win her back?"Her words cut deep. Graham lowered his gaze, staring blankly at the ring in his hand.He hadn't even found the courage to

  • The Art of Unloving Him   Chapter 22

    Seeing Allison like this, Graham felt a flicker of ache.Allison clutched at him, pleading, "As long as you let me go, I'll never show up in your life again. I won't interfere in your life anymore. Please. I have a daughter, Graham. For Cami's sake, I'm begging you. Let me go."At those words, Graham merely stepped back and pushed her away.He knew now, the woman before him was no longer the person he once kept in his heart.And the cruelest part of it all was realizing that, for the sake of an illusion, a fleeting obsession, he had cast aside someone who had quietly stayed by his side for ten years.What a fool he had been.Turning to his bodyguards, he ordered, "Take her to the police. As for Cami… I'll make arrangements. She'll be cared for. You don't need to worry."Back at the hospital, Graham went straight to Josie's room, hoping to see her—just once.But when he arrived, the nurse was tidying up. The bed was empty. She had already been discharged.Panic rose in his ches

  • The Art of Unloving Him   Chapter 21

    "AHHH!"Allison screamed from the side of the road. She hadn't meant for things to go this far—just to rough Josie up a little. But a car accident? This was more than she could handle.She didn't spare another glance for Josie, who lay motionless on the ground. Panic surged through her, and without thinking, Allison turned and ran.Josie felt herself rolling across the pavement. Her vision dimmed. Sound faded. Darkness wrapped around her like a shroud. She didn't even know when she was taken to the hospital.When she finally opened her eyes, her parents were by her bedside—along with Kira."You're awake. How do you feel?" her mother asked gently.Josie instinctively reached for her head, now tightly wrapped in gauze. Pain throbbed through her skull.Her mother quickly helped her lie back down. "The doctor says it's a concussion. Thankfully, it's not more serious. You gave me the fright of my life.""What happened?" her mother asked again, her voice shaking. "How did you end u

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