Chapter 2 Another Divorce

The lights turned on, and I closed my eyes.

I did not see the look on his face for a moment. When I opened my eyes again, he had turned around, taking his tie off as he walked toward the bathroom.

His voice was filled with suppressed impatience. "We just got home, and I'm exhausted. Can you not do this?"

The door swung shut before I could say anything. I stood in the same spot. No, I was not trying to do anything. I simply wanted to throw both of them out of my life.

Samantha and I were best friends in Queenton U, and we were both law students. We had shared a dorm and later worked at the same firm.

After Yves and I confirmed we were going steady after the blind date, she cried and hugged me. "I don't care how much you love him! You're not kicking me out! You'll save me a spot in your family!"

Her whole face was red from crying, and I felt for my friend, so I nodded, smiling. I did not go back on my word. Even after we were married, the house always had her room. When we went on trips, I would get presents for her.

Even when her ex-boyfriend abused her, I was the one who took people with me to confront him.

Unbeknownst to me, the spot she wanted was more than physical. She wanted a spot in the marriage as well.

"Did you snap out of it?" The voice broke my reverie.

Yves was in his bathrobe, and shaving cream covered his face as he stood before the mirror, shaving.

The razor was the one she gave him. It was as if he thought divorce was a joke. He was sure I would never do it, for he had a vote in saying if I could become a partner at the firm.

Though he was looking into the mirror, he was talking to me. "I'll pretend you never said that. The family's having dinner together tomorrow. Freshen up and come with me. I got you the gown and jewelry. They're in the closet.

I stopped halfway through packing my clothes, and my attention was drawn to the box under the bed. I opened it up, and a gray razor sat inside. Beside it was a pair of gray gemstone sleeve buttons and a zircon-encrusted ring.

They were the anniversary gifts I'd given him over the past three years.

The razor was made of the lightest material on the market, making it easy to bring around. I traveled all across Uppersea's designer item shops and spent a year's worth of salary on this.

Yves could not stop beaming when he first got the present. He pestered me to cover him with shaving cream and help him shave.

I said I did not have the courage to do it.

So, he turned on the razor, held my hand, and slowly guided me to shave away the cream. The razor vibrated, and he gently kissed my forehead.

I was too bashful to even open my eyes. Before I knew it, that light I called Yves went dim. That razor was replaced by the one she gave him, and the one I gave him was tossed into this dusty box.

I closed my eyes, and my hand shook. The kiss flickered in my mind, then I imagined them hand in hand, holding the razor as they kissed before the mirror.

I hung my head low. "Fine."

Tears fell onto the lid of the box.

Yves did not notice that. Instead, he leisurely hummed to himself.

I stood up and tossed the box into the bin. Then, I texted my assistant. "Draft up the divorce papers."

A while later, I got a reply.

"Got it." No questions were asked, as if they knew this was coming.

Earlier that year, my assistant had told me when we were alone, "Ms. Samson, all our biggest clients have been given to someone else."

"Who?"

A pause later, she said with hesitation, "Ms. Shaw. I heard it was Mr. Riverson's idea."

I smiled and explained, "He probably wanted her to share the burden because I'm too busy."

My assistant looked at me quietly.

Thinking about it now, I realized how foolish I had been.

The papers were already sent when I came out of the bathroom.

I just got into bed when Yves' hand wrapped itself around me. His skin was hot, and he smelled faintly of wood. "Melinda…"

I did not move away. Instead, I counted down quietly. 'Two, three.'

Then, the phone rang.

When Yves saw who it was, his face fell. "Samantha?" A few moments later, he changed hastily and said, "A light bulb at her place blew out. I have to help her."

I stopped him. "I need to talk to you."

He pushed me away. "That can wait until I come back!"

Then, he rushed out without even changing his shoes. And Yves cared about appearances more than anyone. He was in such a hurry that he did not even notice he had stepped on my pregnancy test report.