Chapter 2

Rosalind was Mrs. Salvador’s niece, so she stayed and enjoyed a nice family dinner with the Salvadors. Justin was the only one with a frown. He had no appetite because Anna left with Asher Thompson. She did not even take anything with her, nor did she accept his $20 million compensation or the villa. “Where’s Anna? Why didn’t she come down for dinner?” Gregory Salvador, Justin’s father, asked in surprise. “We’ve already signed the divorce papers.” Justin lowered his eyes and replied, “I will finalize the divorce as soon as possible.” Gregory was stunned. “Divorce? Why?!” “Oh, Greg, I already told you a long time ago that Justin and Anna aren’t suited for each other. Your father was the one who forced them to get married.” Justin’s stepmother, Shannon Quarry, sighed and continued, “That poor child has been suffering for three years. Now that she’s willing to let go of Justin, they could both live their own lives. This is actually a good thing for them. As you know, Justin has always been in love with Rose.” “Justin, marriage is not child’s play. Anna is also…” “Dad, we have signed the divorce papers, and Anna has already left.” Justin frowned in frustration. “Wow, I didn’t expect that country bumpkin to have the backbone to leave.” Bethany Salvador, Justin’s half-sister, sneered. “Is she just trying to play the pity card? Will she go around saying that our family mistreated her?” Justin was infuriated when he heard this. “Justin, you’re too rash. Your grandfather is still ill. How are you going to explain this to him without aggravating him?” Gregory was afraid of angering his father and felt a little anxious. “I’ll just tell Grandpa the truth. I will also publicly announce my marital news with Rose next month.” Rosalind stared at the man’s handsome side profile, completely smitten. “That’s absurd! Your reputation will be ruined if word gets out that you abandoned your wife of three years!” “I never cared about my reputation, and I never loved Anna.” Justin was resolute. He showed no trace of regret. “Uncle Greg, please don’t blame Justin. It’s all my fault.” Rosalind leaned her head on Justin’s broad shoulders and added, “I shouldn’t have come back to Justin... I’ll go back to Meridan first thing tomorrow. Justin, you should get back together with Anna. I don’t want to be the one who breaks you up…” “Rose, none of this is your fault.” Justin’s eyes darkened as he held her slender hand and said, “Anna and I are over. You’ve been patient enough to wait for me for three years, so I won’t let you suffer for another day.” * The evening breeze was cool and rejuvenating. Asher took Bella on a yacht on the Moon River to enjoy the city’s magnificent night view. “Ash, are you trying to rub it in my face?!” Bella looked at the couples around her, feeling dejected. “This is a popular dating spot! I don’t even dare to come here because of all the PDA.” “Oh? Well, you can blame your second brother for that. He said that he would set off fireworks here at 8:00 p.m. sharp.” Asher elegantly raised his wrist and looked at his watch. “Five, four, three, two, one...” “Boom!” A huge display of purple and red fireworks bloomed in the sky. All the young couples on the deck gradually gathered on the river bank. “This is so lame.” Bella clicked her tongue and shook her head, but she was touched. “Think about all the weird gifts you’ve received from him over the years. This is quite an improvement.” Asher put an arm around his sister’s shoulder and gently pulled her closer. “You have more gifts piled up in your room. Bella, there are a lot of people who love and care about you, so you should focus on that instead.” Bella suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her nose. She was touched by her brothers’ support. At this moment, a black Maybach stopped on the roadside. Justin took Rosalind’s hand and stepped out of the car. It was chilly at night, so Rosalind stuck to Justin’s chest. “Wow, those fireworks are beautiful! Justin, look!” Rosalind was always so cute and innocent in front of Justin, which was what he liked most about her. On the other hand, Anna was plain boring. Justin did not like her at all. In their past three years of marriage, the only advantage was her obedience and subservience. But to Justin, that was not worth anything because he was in love with Rosalind. Justin and Rosalind walked to the railing and saw that the fireworks formed the words “Happy Birthday!”. “Oh, it’s someone’s birthday! I wonder who’s so lucky to get such a gift.” Rosalind sighed enviously. Justin narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line. He felt a little frustrated. It was Anna’s birthday. Did Asher prepare this fireworks show for her? Suddenly, a familiar and pleasant voice reached Justin’s ears. A yacht passed by in front of them, and Justin saw the outstanding couple that was standing on the deck. It was none other than Anna and Asher. “Huh? Isn’t that Anna? Who is the man next to her? He looks really familiar. They also look very close,” Rosalind said innocently. Justin’s face turned glum. The veins on the back of his hand were bulging from holding onto the railing too hard. He thought, ‘I knew it! We haven’t finalized the divorce, but that woman couldn’t wait to run into another man’s arms! Why did she have to cry so pitifully this afternoon then?’ The yacht went around the bay twice and docked at the shore. After the crowd dispersed, Asher put an arm around Bella’s waist and led her down the steps. “Anna Brown!” Upon hearing that name, Bella felt her body tense up. She looked back slowly and saw Justin striding toward her under the dim street lights. His handsome face still stunned her every time. But even so, her 13 years of infatuation for him were over. Justin had completely broken her heart. “Who is he?” Justin’s expression was cold and oppressive. “Mr. Salvador, it seems like you have a poor memory.” Asher hugged his sister tightly and smiled handsomely. “We’ve met more than once, being rivals in the industry.” “Anna, answer my question.” Justin ignored Asher and pressed forward. “We are divorced, Mr. Salvador. Who this gentleman is has nothing to do with you,” Bella retorted in a cold voice. Justin looked shocked. He could not believe that the submissive Anna would talk to him in such an indifferent tone. "We haven't officially divorced yet, and you can't wait to be with another man?" Asher thought, ‘How could this jerk sound so righteous when he was the one who had an affair first?!’ Asher’s eyes darkened. Just as he was about to step forward, Bella stopped him. Seeing this, Justin became more upset because she defended another man. “Mr. Salvador, we’re not officially divorced yet, but you couldn’t wait to bring your sweetheart back home. I didn’t even say a word about that, so what right do you have to stop me from being with someone else?” Bella’s black hair swayed in the wind. Her red lips curled up into a sneer, but she was so stunningly beautiful. Justin had never seen her so untamable and bold. Bella continued, “Don’t you think that’s a double standard?” Justin was rendered speechless. Rosalind, who had lost track of Justin earlier, finally caught up. She was angry when she saw Justin with Anna, so she stomped on her high heels and accidentally sprained her ankle. She fell to the ground and screamed. “Ah! Justin! My feet hurt so much!” Justin returned to his senses and hurriedly turned around to help Rosalind get up from the ground. When he turned back, Bella and Asher had already disappeared.