Semua Bab The Swan Dance: Bab 1 - Bab 9

Seeing that I had calmed down, Michael turned and hurried out, but he left his phone behind in the closet.I had half a mind to chase after him, until I saw the notification lighting up the screen. It was a message from Janine.All the doubt and anxiety that had gnawed at me for years pushed me to do something reckless. My fingers trembled as I unlocked his phone. He hadn’t even changed the password.Where there used to be a photo of the three of us—Michael, Ryder, and me—was now replaced with a wallpaper of two cartoon girls, one big and one small, holding hands.In an instant, the swarm of suspicions I’d been trying to silence over the years roared back, suffocating me. I didn’t even notice how badly my hand was shaking when I opened his chat app.The messages between Michael and Janine weren’t particularly incriminating at first glance.It was mostly her coordinating his outfits, updating him on the progress of the dinner event, and working tirelessly on his behalf.Then why,

The flat tone of the busy signal droned in my ear before I realized what had happened.Of course, it was Michael and Janine’s doing.All I wanted was a divorce. Instead, he had thrown Ryder and me into the line of fire, making us a public spectacle.However, there was no time to stew in anger. Soon, my phone was ringing nonstop with my parents and relatives each demanding an explanation.I scrambled to answer them one by one, my head pounding.Thankfully, the video had only spread locally. The authorities would keep such content in check. By afternoon, the heat had already died down.I checked the time. It was almost pickup.My body was still heavy with shame, but Ryder was waiting. I forced myself out the door.At the preschool gates, the teacher looked surprised. "Oh, Ryder’s already been picked up. His dad’s assistant came, and Mr. Quinn himself even called to confirm it."Her words struck me like lightning. Michael hadn’t called me all day, but he had taken Ryder.Fear cl

I looked up. In her hand was the divorce agreement I had prepared long ago.Michael’s bold signature was sprawled across the bottom right corner.Unable to hold back, I snatched the papers from her, my hands trembling. Without even glancing at the contents, I dug a pen out of my bag and scrawled my name beside his.I didn’t care how Janine had persuaded Michael to sign. Maybe he’d done it willingly, or maybe it had been ready all along. None of it mattered now.At last, I could take Ryder away and live the life I wanted.My unexpected eagerness seemed to catch Janine off guard. She had cleared her throat, ready to mock me further, but for a second she faltered."You signed it just like that?"Her confusion clashed awkwardly with the smugness she had worn seconds earlier. "Without Michael, what will you and Ryder do? You don’t have a job or any skills. How will you support yourselves?"She laughed cruelly. "Lena, you’re just pretending to be tough. You signed so quickly, but ins

I couldn’t let myself be tied down by nothing but groceries and housework every day.I needed more: a place in society, a life of my own, work of my own.The new job was good, and I loved it.At first, after seven years away from the workforce, I was clumsy and out of practice, but my colleagues were kind and patient. Within a month, I had settled in completely.Michael, however, wasn’t doing nearly as well. At his company, people avoided him. From managers to janitors, everyone dodged his presence.During afternoon tea, all the whispers and gossip revolved around him. Most speculated he wouldn’t last much longer at the firm.In truth, it was all his own fault.Michael had always been confident in his marriage, or rather, in me. From the first time he met me back in college, he had decided that I would make the perfect wife and mother.Love? For someone like him, a boy from poverty, it was nothing but a luxury.He needed to escape the barren life he came from. The woman he cho