Chapter 2

Sean was stunned by the rapid succession of bombshells. He sat there, frozen, unable to process it.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, held my lower back, and stood up.

"I've said everything I came to say. I won't disrupt your home any longer. I booked a hotel in town."

"Just sign the papers as soon as you can and let me know when to pick them up."

With that, I turned toward the door and left.

Just as I was about to exit the apartment building, frantic footsteps echoed behind me.

Sean caught up with me.

"Wendy! Wendy!"

I didn't stop.

Sean cut in front of me, blocking my path.

He grabbed my wrist tightly, his eyes bloodshot, his voice trembling:

"No divorce! We can't get divorced!"

"Don't you love me anymore? Why does it have to come to this? And... the baby. It wasn't easy for this child to come into the world. You can't abort it! I really can't bear to lose you both."

I looked at Sean.

A bitter ache surged through my chest, and I sniffled softly.

"Then submit an application to transfer back immediately. Sean, you've been absent for seven years."

"For the rest of my life, my home can't be without a husband, and my child can't have just a mother without a father."

Sean went silent.

I knew what he was hesitating about. He still couldn't let go of Tiffany and her daughter.

I pried his fingers off my wrist and kept walking forward.

"If you can't do it, then sign the divorce papers."

The word "divorce" seemed to trigger him.

He rushed in front of me again, his voice desperate:

"I can! I can do it! I want you, and I want our baby."

"Come on, let's go to HR right now. My three-year service term expired years ago. I can file an immediate transfer back to headquarters."

Sean said this, moving to pull me along with him.

Then his phone rang.

I caught a glimpse of the caller ID: "Tiffany." I averted my eyes.

I didn't try to stop him.

I used to stop him before.

Back then, Sean would just shove me away, his face hardening as he scolded me:

"Wendy, grow up. It could be work-related. Can you stop being so petty?"

Then he would answer and speak to Tiffany in the gentlest tone imaginable.

So now, I just watched him in silence.

Sean instinctively went to answer it, but seeing my cold stare, he offered a strained, awkward smile and declined the call.

He took my hand again.

"Wendy, let's go."

"I promise, from now on, nothing is more important than us."

Feeling the long-lost warmth of his palm, a small corner of my heart softened.

I managed a slight smile and let him lead me.

We barely took two steps.

The phone rang again.

Still Tiffany.

Sean's expression shifted, but he declined it once more.

Only, his footsteps slowed down.

Until the phone rang a third time.

Sean stopped completely, turning back to give me a strained smile.

"Tiffany wouldn't call this urgently unless something happened."

"Let me just take this."

Without waiting for my reply, Sean pulled his hand from mine and answered the phone.

Faintly, I heard Tiffany's hysterical voice through the receiver, mixed with a little girl's terrified wails.

"Sean, Lily got burned!"

"I don't know what to do! Please, come quickly!"

No explanation, no reassurance.

I watched as Sean turned and sprinted back without looking back once.

The faint smile from when he held my hand was still frozen on my lips.

It stretched wider and wider, grotesque and uncontrollable.

Until my face twisted into a mad grin, before I finally buried my face in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sean, I gave our marriage one last chance.

And you still ran away.

The last trace of hope inside me died.

I turned around and continued walking toward the hotel.

Back in my room, I booked a ticket to leave in three days.

I hit pay.

The moment the booking confirmation popped up, Sean's long-overdue text flashed on the screen:

[Where are you?]