All Chapters of Contract Over: You're Free to Go: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

It was an oil painting.The technique with which it was made was not particularly refined. In fact, to Silas, who worked as a professional designer, the brushstrokes felt slightly clumsy and unpolished.It depicted an old red-brick library. The glow of the setting sun filtered through the trees' leaves, spilling across the stone steps. On those steps sat a young woman in a white blouse, head lowered as she read a book.There was no signature, only a date on the lower right corner that marked a day in the summer, seven years ago.After the painting was pulled out, a light gray envelope slipped out from behind the frame and landed beside Teresa's foot. She froze in place, still kneeling on the floor, her gaze locked onto the painting.The air in the living room seemed to freeze over. Silas got a clear view of how a flicker of several emotions appeared in Teresa's usually sharp gaze. There was a mix of shock and nostalgia, along with tenderness and dazedness that came from having bee

It was December 12th, the day of Teresa's 34th birthday. At 7:00 am, the kitchen was already filled with the aroma of food.In the end, Silas had gone back to the restaurant and shamelessly rebooked his reservation. Not only that, but the out-of-print architectural monograph had also been neatly rewrapped, tied with a deep blue ribbon, before being placed securely on the shoe cabinet at the entrance.People were pathetic sometimes.Either way, he'd grown so accustomed to the marriage that he'd spent three years maintaining. A handful of disappointments was still too little for him to completely sever that relationship.He kept finding excuses for everything. Teresa was just too busy. It was her birthday today, and people only had one birthday each year.The bedroom door opened, and Teresa walked out wearing a striking red, custom-fitted gown. Her makeup was flawless, as if she were heading to a red carpet event. It was completely different from her usual sharp, professional attire

The next morning, a fine winter rain began to fall over Bellmere. The dulled sunlight filtered through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows into the living room, turning everything into a bleaker shade.When Teresa opened the door to the master bedroom, her eyes instinctively drifted toward the kitchen. She didn't see any rising steam or hear the sound of a knife against the chopping board. The kitchen island was empty. Even the porcelain bowls that were usually filled with something warm for breakfast were now sitting quietly on the drying rack.She shuffled over and touched the coffee machine. The metal surface was cold.Turning around, she looked at the door to the spare bedroom that had slammed shut in her face last night. It was now slightly ajar, revealing a sliver of light.She opened the door and saw that the bed was already made. The blanket was completely smooth, without any creases that suggested it had been slept in. Not only that, but even Silas' electric toothbrush in

"The field of psychology has long confirmed that no one's emotions ever remain constant. Silas doesn't act that way because he's the gracious type, though neither is he the petty type, either. Because he loves you too much, he has chosen to swallow his dissatisfaction, hurt, and jealousy."Alice's words were like a sharp scalpel, deftly slicing through the facade Teresa had been using all along to numb herself."You think he doesn't care about that painting? You think he's unaffected by Carlton's presence? Do you really think that every night, when he sees you come home reeking of alcohol, he thinks that he should be understanding because his wife is busy trying to build up her company? Wake up, Teresa!"No ordinary man can put up with his wife maintaining an ambiguous relationship with her first love, even if she makes it sound good by calling it a business partnership!"Once Alice stopped speaking, only the faint hum of the air conditioning could be heard in the room.Teresa sat

Silas woke up on the single bed in the spare bedroom. The room's soundproofing was excellent. He couldn't even hear the flow of traffic outside.Instead of jumping out of bed and heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast the way he usually would, he simply stared at the ceiling for a little while.He didn't need to match his timing to Teresa's morning routine anymore. No longer did he have to worry about keeping an eye on the flame when he fried his eggs. The feeling of having full control over his morning came with a long-lost sense of ease.He took a shower and changed into a well-tailored dark gray cashmere turtleneck sweater, layering it with a black coat.On the bathroom counter, his spare electric toothbrush was neatly placed inside a cup. From the moment he moved into the spare bedroom, he no longer had any intention of moving back out of it.At 9:00 am, he sat down at his desk and turned on his computer.In the group chat for The Haven project, one of the project coordi