Chapter 2

“I’m serious.” I sat up and met Henry's oppressive gaze. "It’s been five years since we married. You’re not going to fall in love with me anyway, so let’s just go our separate ways.” In another month, a large-scale business symposium will be held in Avonopolis. That was when Henry would meet Laurel, who would be working there part-time as a receptionist. It would be the start of their fiery love story, and I refused to be reduced to an unwanted party in it. In my previous life, I had done everything I could to save my marriage and had witnessed the outcome. In this life, I refused to become a laughingstock, and I did not want to put my family in another predicament. Thus, I decided to leave this marriage before Henry and Laurel began their relationship, which would soon be fraught with obstacles. Henry became solemn as a result of my serious gaze. He was always irritable and ruthless when provoked. “Hah! Am I your toy?” He laughed, but his eyes were cold. “You were the one who insisted on marrying me five years ago, and now you want a divorce. Zena, are you playing with me?” My family and the Pelhams had a good relationship five years ago, so our parents matched us. Henry was not the type to follow orders, but he eventually gave in when his terminally ill grandfather forced him to marry me. It was humiliating for Henry. Fortunately, Henry was not deeply in love with anyone at the time. He gradually took over his family business and required a dutiful wife, so he compromised and settled down with me for the past five years. I gave a wry smile. “Do you still want to continue this fictitious marriage with me?” “Fictitious?” Henry seemed to be pondering this word carefully. “Oh, are you lonely?” he mockingly asked, cocking his brow. “No, I just…” I deliberated over my word choices. Henry had already stood up and approached me. He leaned over and placed his hands on the sofa to encircle me. His voice was alluring. “Why didn’t you tell me when you were lonely? You want a divorce because you’re desperate for sex?” Henry liked to smoke, so his cologne was always tinged with a hint of tobacco. Henry, of course, never hugged me. I only recognized his scent because I had secretly sniffed his coat before. I should have blushed or been ecstatic to be so close to Henry and smell his complex and seductive scent. But in reality, I was just depressed. I was ready to leave this marriage, and I did not want anything to shake my resolve. “It has nothing to do with that!” I tried to explain that I was used to being alone. “Really now?” Henry straightened his back. He was not interested in me and was only teasing me earlier to embarrass me. He would never make a move on me. At 27 years old, I was still a virgin, and my pheromones were masked by my resentment. “Zena, I know that it’s our fifth wedding anniversary today, but I’m not interested in celebrating it. If you want to use this as an excuse to divorce me, I suggest you find another one.” Henry stood in front of me and gave me a condescending look. The coldness in his voice had returned. “We never celebrated our wedding anniversary, so there’s no need for me to kick up a fuss this year.” I got to my feet and looked up at Henry. “Think it over carefully. I’m sure you have gotten everything you can out of our marriage alliance by now. Don’t you also need more freedom than I do?” After that, I went up to my second-floor bedroom without looking back at him. I was no longer in the mood to talk to him. I heard the door slam before the car engine revved outside. I knew Henry had left, but this time I remained calm. My phone rang just then. Krystal Diaz, a friend of mine, had called. “Zee, come hang out with us! We’re at Trill!” Krystal’s booming voice washed away all my sorrows. Krystal was my age, but she had never been married. I rarely hung out with my friends after my marriage. I would decline nine out of ten invitations from Krystal, but she was persistent. “Sure!” I agreed without hesitation. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Is today not your wedding anniversary? Are you sure you want to hang out?” Krystal asked again, shocked and skeptical. I used to refuse Krystal’s invitations for the past four years, citing my wedding anniversary as an excuse. “Yeah. It’s a wedding anniversary, not a death anniversary. I’ll be right there!” I reassured Krystal before hanging up the phone. When I opened my wardrobe, I was greeted by dull colors such as white, black, and gray. Even blue was an uncommon color in my wardrobe. Every luxury brand had plenty of unique designs, but as a giant fool, I spent a lot of money on the drabbest style of them all. I spent ten minutes looking through my closet for the least boring outfit, which was a black halter silk dress with a plunging neckline that almost reached my belly button. It was fitted at the waist, emphasizing my slim figure. My arms and a large portion of my back were also exposed. I remember buying this dress specifically to seduce Henry, but he never returned home that month. My only complaint was the flatness of my chest, which did not go with the style of this dress. ‘I’ll just make do with it and eat more in the future,’ I consoled myself. After getting dressed and applying makeup, I went to the garage and drove the red Porsche to Trill. Trill was a popular Avonopolis nightclub known for its wild interpretations of art. I parked the car and went into Trill, where I found Krystal and the girls at a bar counter. Back in college, Krystal Diaz, Tessa Olsen, Yenna Lockhart, and I were dubbed “The Four Prodigies of the Music Department”. Everyone expected the four of us to have promising careers after graduation. As a result, I married young, Krystal became a nightclub hopper, and Tessa worked as a deputy manager for her family's business. Only Yenna stuck to her major and competed in music competitions all over the world, hoping to make it big as a singer. “What a rare sighting!” Krystal jumped off the bar stool and enthusiastically shook my hand, as if she were meeting a VIP. The other two girls nodded repeatedly in agreement because I pretty much vanished after I got married. I gave up my social life for Henry. Tessa sighed after a few glasses of wine. “Zee, if you hadn’t shown up today, I would’ve wondered if it was your funeral I attended five years ago.” I was completely disconnected. “That’s strange. Aren’t you supposed to have a candlelight dinner at home today?” Krystal inquired as she tried to pry my eyes open. “Come on, let me see if you cried. Did that scumbag Henry ignore you?” I slapped Krystal’s hand away and cried, “Don’t touch my eyes! I don’t want my falsies to fall out!”