LOGINI pushed the door open and when Ayden saw me, he seemed a bit startled, with a furrowed brow.
"Why are you here, or are you following me?" he questioned.
I raised my phone and gestured. "You sent me the message."
Leticia pouted and tugged at his arm, acting coquettishly. "Mr. Baldwin, I made a joke and asked Krista to bring yogurt over. You won't be mad at me, right?"
Ayden's tense frown relaxed.
Strangely, Leticia's teasing and Ayden's indulgence left me ice-calm. No hysterics this time, just a silent nod of acknowledgment.
However, Ayden rarely wanted to explain to me. "Krista, Leticia's just accompanying me for a social event..."
I interrupted his explanation by reaching out and handing him the yogurt.
Ayden drank and couldn't drive.
He settled Leticia and returned with me.
The taxi was across the road.
As I was walking forward, Ayden suddenly reached out and pulled me. It was only then that I noticed a speeding car almost brushing against my body.
If it weren't for him, I would have been hurt.
"You didn't even watch out for cars while walking."
Ayden blamed me urgently and tightly held my hand.
In a daze, I remembered that every time we crossed the road before, he would hold my hand.
It seemed like it had been a long time since I had such an impression, so long that I felt a bit unaccustomed.
After crossing the road, I discreetly withdrew my hand.
The next morning, I packed my things and got ready to go to work.
Ayden suggested taking me to work.
"I will take you there."
Stayed up late because of his strange behavior yesterday, and now I was racing against time to catch the subway for my morning commute, with no time for second thoughts as I was ready to get in the car.
The moment I opened the passenger seat door, a sweet, sugary scent rushed out.
Inside, a pink cushion and a Hello Kitty plushie greeted me.
On the dashboard, a sticker blared "Spot Reserved for Princess Leticia" in bubbly letters, its bold declaration of ownership impossible to miss.
Ayden, who had always been known for his strictness and efficiency, surprisingly allowed such a cute thing to appear in his car. It was truly ironic.
A trace of unease flashed across Ayden's face as he explained, "Leticia is just a child, so don't pay too much attention to that."
Was she a child who was good at taking couple photos?
I didn't ask. Ayden posted a couple of photos on social media the day after our divorce filing, captioned "Catching every blush you try to hide."
Whether revenge for the divorce filing or something else, his heart had already drifted where my eyes couldn't follow.
I smartly walked to the back seat and said, "I'll sit in the back."
"You skipped breakfast." Ayden offered a milk carton, slicing through the thick silence.
I looked up and found that there was a snack box, filled with a variety of cookies and all kinds of dried fruits and jellies.
I remembered that Ayden had a serious case of mysophobia and did not allow anyone to eat in his car.
Back then, I had a sudden hypoglycemic episode in his car. My lips turned pale, my vision became blurry, and I didn't even have the strength to speak. I wanted to sip milk tea, but he didn't allow it.
But, Leticia could easily obtain his indulgence.
It was easy to tell whether he loved me.
I shook my head and politely declined, then turned my head to gaze at the vehicles outside the window.
Fortunately, I arrived at the company quickly and promptly returned to my post.
In theory, Ayden and I were getting divorced, so I should have submitted my resignation.
But I had two more projects on hand, so I wanted to finish them before leaving.
From dawn till noon, I was swamped. A sleepless night left me running on fumes.
I was just about to make myself a coffee when a delivery guy brought in a large box of milk tea and small cakes.
Then came the cheers of my colleagues.
"Mr. Baldwin is buying afternoon snacks? When did he get so generous?"
"Clueless! It's for Leticia's new diet. We're just lucky to get free snacks!"
She repeatedly mentioned the things Ayden had done for her as if to prove that his love was real.Ayden shook off Leticia's attempt to pull him back. "Enough! Stop clinging to me. The only reason I ever cared for you was because you reminded me of Krista when we first met."He turned to me, voice cracking. "You used to be so bright and full of life. Over time, I got used to you, and the spark faded. Then Leticia appeared, and things spiraled out of control."But I can't let go of all these years. Come back with me, and we'll start fresh. Please."I never imagined Ayden could be this shameless to say he saw a younger version of me in her. How dare he!Leticia stood still, wiping away her tears and slowly coming back to her senses."What about our child? If you don't care about our child, I'll just jump from here."Leticia ran to the bridge and looked at the surging river below.I didn't expect that she was pregnant.I felt very ashamed for having loved such a scumbag.Ayden seemed to h
His eyes were slightly red as he said in a hoarse voice, "Why did you block me, Krista?"My thoughts drifted back to the day when I deleted our chat history and blocked him."Ayden, we've already divorced. I've also resigned from your company. What is the meaning of you coming to find me?"Upon hearing these words, Ayden's throat rolled as if he was suppressing his emotions."It was my fault that we got divorced. I misunderstood you and impulsively signed the divorce agreement."I looked into that project situation and realized I wrongfully blamed you. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions without proof. I was wrong. Can you give me another chance?"I looked at him sarcastically.The divorce process took 30 days to finalize after signing the papers, meaning he got two chances to reconsider.What he didn't know was that his false accusation wasn't the real reason for our divorce. It was just the final straw after 7 years together and 5 years of marriage.The most important reason was th
"Ayden, check it yourself if you doubt me. While you're at it, tell Leticia: Playing sneaky office games? Better invest in actual skills."I hung up the phone and blacklisted and deleted Ayden's phone number.After a frozen moment, I opened our chat and hit delete on years of messages.My phone lagged under the weight of our digital history, its slow purge letting me witness a decade of love stories dissolve bit by bit.I put my phone into my pocket, and then I raised a relaxed smile to comfort my worried grandmother and uncle.After I went back, I realized that my uncle had already prepared a clean and cozy room for me."Krista, see if you like it or not. I don't know what girls like, so I prepared these for you randomly."My uncle touched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.The entire room was styled in my favorite creamy whites, and even the lamp glowed in my cherished blue."I like it, Brian. Thank you."He said, "Alright, tidy up and we can have dinner soon!"My family's love an
Through the airplane window, the city shrank to miniature. Only then did departure feel real.I was wondering how Ayden would react when he found out that I had left. Surprise? Or perhaps he would feel relieved.In my memory, we were intimate partners and the most compatible workmates. We were inseparable and envied by others as a perfect couple.He knew that my parents had passed away early, and at that time, he held me and said, "I'll take good care of you. From now on, I am your family."But how did it end up at "Her parents are gone, making divorce impossible"?How did his care and sympathy twist into his certainty that I'd never leave?My head throbbed until I stopped trying to figure it out.The best way to deal with a painful relationship, as mentioned online, was to end it.I closed my eyes and waited for the plane to take me to another country.The plane landed, and I walked forward, carrying my luggage.I heard the voice of my uncle Brian Pearson shouting while holding a sig
Tomorrow was the last day of the cooling-off period for divorce. I would not have any relationship with Ayden afterward.I was watering the flowers on the balcony when the ring slipped from my finger and dropped from the balcony.I instinctively bent down to pick it up."What are you doing?" Ayden grabbed my hand and pulled me backward."Do you know how dangerous it is?"His eyes revealed concern towards me.It seemed like he still cared about me."The ring dropped."The ring was handcrafted by him for me back then, and I liked the design, so I have been wearing it until now. That was why I was so determined to pick it up when it dropped.Ayden let out a sigh. "It's just a ring. I can buy you another one. Relax."It was just a ring. I looked at his middle finger, empty and bare, as if he had already taken it off."Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. I came to pick you up. Let's celebrate together."How long had it been since we truly celebrated an anniversary?The thought hung heavy.
"What? Didn't Mr. Baldwin get married to Krista?""Keep your voice down. Krista is still here!""Krista, we were just joking. Don't overthink it."The rows of mango smoothies and chocolate cakes told the whole story. He'd ordered office treats; worried Leticia's crash diet was wrecking her health.I wanted to taste the "witness" of their love.Unfortunately, I was allergic to mangoes and didn't like eating chocolate products.Back when Ayden was pursuing me, grand gestures were his norm. He'd trap me with work reports during lunch hours, claiming he worried I'd skip meals while buried in projects.He would sneak pills into cupcakes when I worked sick, just to watch me grimace at the bitter taste.The office drones even buzzed with gossip about our office romance, injecting life into mundane corporate days.Unfortunately, that heartbeat and care now belonged to someone else.I didn't have time to think much as the work at hand was tedious.For this project, I worked overtime for severa







