Chapter 2

When I got home with the signed contract in hand, Luna was in the midst of making soup in the kitchen. The door of the guest room was left ajar. Samuel was currently asleep in that room. The sight of his sleeping side profile stung my eyes. Luna might be promiscuous, but she never brought men home. To think that she broke that rule just for Samuel's sake… It appeared that she might have developed actual feelings for him. I felt my heart sink at the realization. Still, I passed Luna the contract. "The contract is already signed. Why is Samuel still—" Luna didn't even bother looking at me. She interjected, "This contract will count toward Sam's sales target. You're just a secretary anyway—you don't need to hit a sales target in order to earn your salary. "Sam's case is different. He needs this contract to help him establish a foundation, seeing as he just joined the company and all." When I heard Luna's explanation, I could feel the blood in my veins turning to ice. At the same time, my heart began throbbing in pain. I thought I was already in the dumps when Luna called me over to Crown Palace just to drink on Samuel's behalf. Not only did my own wife personally prepare soup for Samuel and take care of him while he was sick, but she also wanted to pass the contract—the contract that I risked my life for—to him as well. No man in this world could ever stomach this injustice. But I couldn't complain at all. I could only endure the grievances myself. After staring at Luna's impassive expression for a while, I finally unfurled my previously clenched fists. Finally, I shattered the silence. "Okay." Having received my verbal agreement, Luna passed me the ladle. "Ladle some soup into a bowl for Sam so that he can eat it. He can only take his medication once he eats something. He'll be staying here tonight." I couldn't stop myself from reaching out to tug at Luna's sleeve. "Luna, is it really a good idea to let him spend the night here?" Luna frowned instantly before swatting my hand away. "What did you just call me?" "I'm sorry, Ms. Sherwood…" "Edward, just because you got the contract signed doesn't mean you get to ask me for a favor, nor do you get to voice out your opinions in front of me. "Remember. My family is the one who bought this house. You never pitched in a single cent, so what makes you think you have the right to order me around?" I just fell silent. As usual, I couldn't refute Luna at all. "Also, I hope you won't bring up what happened tonight in front of my parents." "Got it." Having sensed my obedience, Luna's voice became more tender. "Alright. Hurry up and serve Sam a bowl of soup. He has gastric issues, so he can't eat anything cold." Luna cared about Samuel's gastric issues, and yet, she completely forgot about the fact that I had drunk a lot of tequila on an empty stomach earlier tonight. After entering the kitchen, I scooped out a bowl of thick soup before placing it on the kitchen island. I had spent the whole night inhaling second-hand smoke, so my windpipe felt extremely uncomfortable. I could only bend over and hack my lungs out. Luna glared at me, clearly unhappy. "You're too loud! Must you cough to the point you wake Sam up, huh?" She snatched the bowl of soup away. Then, she stuck to the wall just to circle around me so that she could leave the kitchen. I could only gasp for breath with great difficulty. Finally, I slowly stood up straight. "Let's get a divorce, Luna." Luna's silhouette visibly froze. A moment later, she turned around with a cold huff. Her beautiful face was now grim. "I'm very exhausted right now, Edward. What the hell's wrong with you this time?" "Nothing's wrong with me. I'm serious," I enunciated every word clearly. This was my first time filled with such resolve and determination. I had thought about getting a divorce with Luna before I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now that I was sick, I might as well leave this marriage with what little dignity I had left while I was still alive. It was rare of me to display such determination, which explained the trace of disbelief that had flashed across Luna's eyes. After that, a look of disdain took over her features. "Edward, do you know how much money I had spent back then just to suppress that scandal of yours? What about the effort I put in or the connections I had to use for your sake? But do you still remember how you betrayed me in the end? "Now, you're demanding a divorce over such an insignificant matter? Here's a word of advice—take a look at the prenuptial agreement you signed before making your final decision." How could I ever forget having signed that prenuptial agreement which resembled more like a slave contract? My job in this marriage was to remain by Luna's side and obey her every order, no matter what. If I wanted to get a divorce, I'd have to pay a gargantuan price. Not only would I not get a cent from Luna, but I also had to pay her the accumulated medical fees my father had racked up all these years that she had been footing. How was I supposed to cough up a few million dollars' worth of medical fees? Luna smiled in satisfaction upon noticing my dejected look. "Edward, I have yet to grow tired of your looks. I'll pretend not to hear anything you said to me today. If this happens again, don't blame me for being ruthless to you." Was I doomed to spend my final days chained to the woman who no longer loved me? I had an inkling that my life would be rendered even shorter if I were to continue getting entangled with Luna in this marriage. Luna's threats didn't suppress my desire to get a divorce. If anything, it just amplified my need to leave her. … The next morning, I woke up due to the pain caused by my illness. I thought Luna and Samuel had already left. What I didn't expect to see was Samuel having breakfast at the dining table the moment I descended the stairs. He smiled when he saw me. "Mr. Richardson, I didn't know you were here, so I didn't prepare any breakfast for you. Sorry about that." I just ignored him, opting to enter the kitchen instead. There was still some leftover soup from last night. I planned on heating it up for breakfast. Unexpectedly, Samuel hurried into the kitchen and snatched the pot away from me. "Mr. Richardson, Ms. Sherwood had specifically made the soup for me last night. My stomach's still hurting this morning, so I'd like to have the rest of the soup. You don't mind me taking it, do you?"