Chapter 10

Roxanne took out her phone to answer the call. "Hello—" "It's me." "Ambrose?" She was a bit surprised that he was reaching out to her. "Is something wrong?" Ambrose stood by the roadside, watching her back as she walked. "Tomorrow's my birthday. Are you coming to the party?" If she turned around, she would see Ambrose standing right behind her. She paused for a moment. If she went, she would run into Sebastian. But on the other hand, she and Ambrose were close friends. She had known Ambrose longer than she had known Sebastian, as they were all university classmates. "Alright," she finally replied. "Good. See you then. Same place," Ambrose said. "Mm." … After work, Roxanne went shopping for a gift and wrapped it carefully before taking a cab to the place they always went for birthdays—Mulberry Club. As she arrived at the door of the private room, she was about to push the door open when she heard the sound of women laughing inside, along with Henry's voice. "Seb, was it on your third wedding anniversary last year when you first slept with Lexi? Roxanne got drunk, and you and Lexi went to the underground garage..." "Haha, I remember that too. Lexi could barely walk when she came back. It's a good thing Roxanne didn't notice. By the way, was Lexi still a virgin?" Liam asked in a rather gossipy tone. Roxanne's hand clenched tightly. She had known about Sebastian's infidelity, but hearing it in person made her feel disgusted. A wave of nausea rose from her stomach. She hadn't expected he had been doing such disgusting things right under her nose all this time. She didn't hear Sebastian's voice, which meant he hadn't denied it. He must have admitted it. Seven years—seven years of love and devotion, and now she felt like it had all been for nothing. Seven years of loving and giving, and yet, she had gotten less than what she would get from feeding a dog. If she fed a dog for seven years, it would at least recognize its owner and wag its tail. But Sebastian? Her heart ached—not because she still cared about him, but because she had been so blind all those years. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open. As the door swung open, she smiled faintly as if nothing had happened. Everyone fell silent at once. There was a large round table with four men seated, while several women in revealing clothes danced around provocatively. "You're here." Ambrose stood up. Liam helped pull out a chair for her next to Sebastian. "Mrs. Smith, sit here." Roxanne smiled faintly. "No need." She walked over to Ambrose and pulled out a chair beside him. "I'm divorced from Sebastian now. Please just call me by my name from now on." The atmosphere grew cold in an instant. Sebastian's face darkened as he glared at her, while no one dared to speak, afraid of upsetting him. "Go ahead, keep having fun. Don't tell me you're all going to stop just because I'm here." Roxanne's gaze swept across the women dancing. "No, no. We're just messing around," Liam said as he ushered the women out of the room. Roxanne knew well that Liam and Henry were playful and didn't hold back in their behavior. She had only met them after getting together with Sebastian. They were childhood friends of his and were close to him. That was also why she had chosen to sit next to Ambrose. Now that she was divorced, her relationship with them had become more distant. If today had been Liam's or Henry's birthdays, she wouldn't have shown up. "This is your gift." She pretended not to notice Sebastian's menacing glare and smiled as she handed the gift to Ambrose. Ambrose glanced at Sebastian, then took the gift. "Thanks, Roxanne." "You're welcome," Roxanne maintained her smile, calm and composed. "Let's eat." Ambrose served her a bowl of soup. "You've lost weight." "Thank you—" "Ambrose, when did you get so considerate with my woman? What, you like her?" Sebastian finally couldn't take Roxanne's indifference anymore. He was seething with anger. Even the cup in his hand looked like it was about to explode with the intensity of his fury. He stared at Ambrose, his voice dripping with venom. "Are you trying to steal your friend's woman?" Ambrose met his gaze but didn't speak. He simply kept looking at Sebastian. "Roxanne, come here!" Sebastian barked, his tone commanding. Roxanne knew that she wouldn't be able to sit through this dinner. She stood up. "I'd better not spoil everyone's mood." She smiled at Ambrose. "Happy birthday. I'll get going now." Ambrose nodded. "I have something to do, so I won't see you off. Stay safe on your way home." "Mm," Roxanne responded, picking up her purse. She turned to Sebastian, her face cold and distant. "Don't speak to me in that tone, and remember, we're divorced now." She glanced at everyone. "Just so everyone knows, I'm officially divorced from Sebastian. We've divided the assets, and the divorce certificate has been issues. From now on, we go our separate ways." With that, she stepped forward. Sebastian, in a fit of rage, threw his chair, its crash echoing his fury. He blocked her path, his anger burning like wildfire. The atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense. "Roxanne, enough with the drama. You've embarrassed me enough in front of all my friends. You should be satisfied now, right?" He grabbed her wrist, his grip tight. "Sit down and eat." She forcefully shook off his hand. "Sebastian, marriage is not a game. When I married you, I thought it through. And when I got divorced, it was after careful consideration. I didn't do this to make a scene, I wasn't trying to get back at you. I'm serious about this." For the first time, Sebastian's controlling expression cracked. Ambrose stepped in, grabbing Sebastian's arm. He turned to Roxanne. "You should go first." Roxanne walked past them. "Roxanne!" Sebastian's eyes blazed with fury. "Once you walk out that door, it's really over for us!"