Chapter 1

On the day of her divorce, Enrica Schubert dressed herself in a red sweater and put on full-coverage makeup—something she had not bothered with for a long time. With the sweater and makeup, she looked exactly as she had two years ago. At 10:00 am, she arrived punctually at the courthouse entrance. Miguel Zucker was already waiting for her there. It was currently early spring, so he was wearing a light gray windbreaker. As he had a tall figure and handsome features, him just standing there was enough to draw the attention of the surrounding people. "Did you bring your identification card?" he asked. She nodded. "I did." "Good," he said before promptly walking into the courthouse. She absentmindedly recalled the day they had picked up their marriage certificate two years ago. They had walked into the city clerk's office hand-in-hand with happiness in their eyes. And back when they had made their marriage vows, Miguel's eyes had been red from trying not to cry. He had grabbed her hand and vowed emphatically that he would treat her well for the rest of their lives. Now, however… The judge asked, "Are both of you certain that your relationship has broken down and that there is no possibility of reconciliation?" "Yes," replied Enrica. "Yes," echoed Miguel. They neither had children nor did they raise any property disputes, so the judge formally granted the divorce and they signed the relevant documents. The entire procedure was smooth and easy to an almost abnormal extent. Enrica looked at the divorce certificate in her hand with bitterness in her heart. They got their marriage certificate two years ago. Now, time had passed and they had aged. The man who had promised to take care of her for the rest of her life had backed out midway in the end. It was just as well that they had gone through with the divorce. After all, there had not been a single day in which she was happy throughout the past two years. The Zuckers were a wealthy family while she came from an ordinary background, so her marriage to Miguel had been a great step up. In order to carve herself a place in the Zucker household, she quit her job and became a housewife who fretted over matters both inside and outside of their family. However, despite trying for a child for two years, she simply was not able to conceive. Her mother-in-law was hypercritical of her while her sister-in-law liked to make things difficult for her. The tense relationship between her and her mother-in-law, Jilliana Chappell, eventually caused the relationship between her and Miguel to become tense as well. For Miguel's sake, she could endure it. However, Miguel's first love, Sheila Quinn, returned to the country not long ago. In the end, she was nothing but a dim, insignificant star compared to the brilliant moon that was Sheila in Miguel's eyes. Stuck in a three-way relationship where she was the one who received no love, she finally chose to end the relationship between her and Miguel with dignity. As the two of them walked out of the courthouse, one walking ahead of the other, they did not exchange any words. Sheila was waiting right outside. She was wearing a white dress that, paired with her long hair, made her look like a goddess. She did not look at Miguel. Instead, she looked at Enrica with reddened eyes and said guiltily, "I'm really sorry, Ms. Schubert. I didn't know that things would turn out like this… I really didn't intend to ruin your marriage." In a voice as quiet as a whisper, Enrica replied, "There's no need for you to apologize—" Before she could finish her sentence, Miguel looked over at her in displeasure. "The divorce was my decision and has nothing to do with Sheila. If there's anything you're dissatisfied with, you can come to me about it, but don't blame this on her." She fell silent. Kicking up a fuss, begging and pleading… She had attempted them all. In the end, just as it had been during their month-long cooling-off period before their divorce, all she was ever met with was numb silence. Sounding slightly unhappy, Sheila said, "Ms. Schubert didn't do anything wrong, Miguel. We're the ones who did her wrong, so I won't allow you to speak to her like that." The displeasure in Miguel's eyes melted into helpless affection. "You're too kind. What are you going to do without me around?" Enrica's heart twisted painfully as she watched them flirt with each other. On the day of her and Miguel's second wedding anniversary, she had caught him and Sheila red-handed in a hotel bed. When Sheila cried and kneeled on the floor begging for her forgiveness, Miguel had defended her in the same way. In his eyes, Sheila was kind and innocent. However, would a truly innocent person book a room with him with the intention of being intimate while clearly knowing that he was a married man? Just because she was unwilling to call Sheila out on it did not mean that she was not perfectly aware of the situation. It was just that, in a relationship, when one person had already moved on, there was no point in trying to get them to stay. She smiled bitterly. "Fate determined that the two of you are still meant to be together, so I should be congratulating you. I wish the two of you happiness." Her acceptance and lack of argument made Miguel look at her in surprise. She nodded at him. "Goodbye." Just as she was turning to leave, he suddenly asked, "You neither asked for a car nor property during the divorce procedure, so what are you going to do from now on?" She paused. He took out a check and offered it to her. "Take it. Consider it compensation for keeping you tied down for the past two years." He added with a complicated expression on his face, "Live a good life from now on. If you encounter any obstacles that you can't overcome, you can give me a call. As long as it doesn't inconvenience me, I'll make it easier for you." She looked at the hand extended toward her. It was slender and well-defined, just as it had been when she used to hold it in hers back then. However, he had already taken off the wedding ring that he had worn for two years. She pushed his hand away. "No thanks." Sheila looked distressed. "Please accept it, Ms. Schubert, even if it's just to make me feel slightly better about this—" Enrica shook her head. "I really don't need it." Miguel's hand hovered in mid-air, frozen. As he watched her getting farther and farther away, an inexplicable feeling of discomfort rose in his heart. "Do you think Ms. Schubert will blame us for this, Miguel?" Sheila asked guiltily. He ruffled her hair and said reassuringly. "She won't." Her eyes were slightly red, and her voice was sad but firm. "Even if she blames me for it, I'll accept the blame. I'm willing to make an enemy of the entire world for your sake." Looking faintly touched, Miguel hugged her and sighed. "Silly." There was no room for a third person in love. With her back turned to the two of them, Enrica allowed her eyes to redden with tears. In the end, she could not bring herself to feel nothing. Love did not operate on a first-come-first-serve basis, but if she had known beforehand that Miguel's heart yearned for another woman, she would never have agreed to marry him in the first place. He had clearly been the one to confess first, and he had also been the one to propose. He had declared that he would give her a family and take care of her for the rest of her life. It turned out that not only could love disappear, but it could also be faked. She stopped by a pillar and lifted her hand to wipe away her tears. She then took out her phone to make a call. "Hello? Have you arrived yet? I'm at the entrance, wearing a red sweater." A few minutes later, a tall man walked up to her with his back against the sun. "Ms. Schubert," he greeted. "Mr. Fulcher?" she asked uncertainly. She was stunned for a moment. The lighting had been dim in the bar yesterday, so she had not seen his face clearly. Therefore, it was only now that she realized how unfairly handsome he looked. He was dressed in a black suit and matching suit trousers. He had elegant facial features, a sharp jawline, and a pair of eyes as dark as a bottomless pool. He appeared enigmatic and seemed untouchable to the average person. After momentarily losing herself in thought, she averted her gaze and asked politely, "Is it convenient for you right now?" Her eyes and nose were still red, and her voice was slightly hoarse. Zayne Fulcher gazed at her for a few seconds before nodding and replying, "Yes." "Then let's go," she said. Side by side, they walked into the city clerk's office nearby. Unexpectedly, they encountered Miguel and Sheila, who were just about to leave. Sheila let out an exclamation and covered her mouth. "Is this your new boyfriend, Ms. Schubert?" Enrica could not help but pause. Miguel gave Zayne a once-over. His expression darkened as he frowned at Enrica. "What are you trying to pull this time? The relationship between us is over, so I advise you to behave more respectably. I don't want to have to make things ugly." He did not think Enrica was capable of finding herself a new boyfriend. After all, just a week ago, she was still asking him why they could not go back to how they used to be with tears in her eyes.