Chapter 7

Zoe.

He liked to call me that.

But after being reborn, he hadn't called me that once.

...

I'm a light sleeper, so I woke up when he came home.

I lay there, wanting to see what he would do when he saw me completely defenseless,

But nothing. He walked past me, not even willing to cover me with a blanket.

I sat up and threw the divorce papers at his back.

The man paused slightly, the line of his back attractively eye-catching.

"Don't damage it."

"If I have to draw up another one, you might not get as much."

In the faint moonlight, I sat there watching him speak calmly.

A cloud of darkness hid in his eyes, mixed with obscure coldness.

"I won't sign it."

I stared at him hard.

He seemed to have expected this, nodding, "Fine, then we'll go to court."

"James, you fucking bastard."

I lunged at him to grab him, but he subdued me easily.

That crescent of moonlight curved, and I was pinned to the sofa.

His hand gripped my neck, not gently at all,

So I bit the base of his thumb, but he didn't seem to feel the pain.

But at some point, he suddenly let go.

A gentle touch brushed my cheek.

"So you can cry too."

He left this cold and ambiguous sentence.

Leaving me alone in the living room, I pressed my eyes hard.

As if this would stop the tears from spilling out.

"Don't leave me."

This sentence, I had sworn when I was ten years old,

To never say out loud again.