Chapter 5

In the evening, Maria brought me a bowl of soup, and it reminded me of my weekly habit of sending soup to Damon.

Thinking of Lily, I decided I should talk to him directly.

So I drove to his company.

Night slowly fell. The lights in his office were on, the entire top floor glaringly bright.

The door was ajar. The moment I reached out to push it open, the voices from inside made me stop.

“…What do I have to do to make you stay with me?”

Damon’s voice was low, filled with earnest pleading.

“Stay and then what? Be your mistress?”

Chloe’s eyes were red as she spoke softly.

“Don’t I have any self-respect? Yes, I fell head over heels in love with you. I couldn’t stop myself from getting close to you, from depending on you.”

“But every time I see another woman sitting next to you, I know you can’t give me the kind of relationship I want.”

“I want a love that’s seen.”

“So, we’re over.”

Her voice choked with what sounded like deep grievance. Damon, however, sighed and pulled her into his embrace.

My hand tightened on the doorknob. Just as I was about to leave, I heard his voice again:

“What if I divorce her?”

My heart plummeted into a bottomless pit. Falling, falling endlessly.

When I came to, I was already in my car.

My hands trembled uncontrollably on the steering wheel, and tears streamed down my face.

I cried and laughed at the same time, like a pathetic fool.

He said he wanted a divorce, and my first thought was to run.

That night, Damon didn’t come home. Watching the sky slowly lighten, I suddenly wanted to go find him and make things clear.

Was he really going to divorce me? At the very least, I had to protect Lily from being hurt.

Having not slept for two days, my head was heavy as I did my makeup. Then I drove to Damon’s company building. His exclusive elevator went straight to the top floor. I heard he was in a meeting.

I sat in his office, and unexpectedly, I saw Chloe.

She politely brought me a cup of tea. The moment she bent over, I caught a familiar scent: cedarwood mixed with smoke. Just as Lily had said, it was Damon’s scent.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” I suddenly asked.

Her hand visibly twitched, and hot water splashed onto her hand, immediately turning it red. Her eyes darted around, looking terrified.

She frantically squatted down to wipe up the spilled water. But she avoided my question.

I watched the top of her head coldly. Suddenly, a man’s hand grabbed her, gently pulling her up.

He spoke, his tone unkind. “Elara, did you come here this early just to show off?”

“She’s my employee, not your servant.”

“Mr. Thorne, Mrs. Thorne didn’t mean to…”

I suddenly laughed. Perhaps he had forgotten that during my time as his wife, I was never someone to be easily manipulated.

“Mrs. Thorne? I don’t recall when you became his sister.”

“I just…” Chloe’s eyes were terribly red.

“I just wanted to get closer to you. Perhaps you don’t know, but as a secretary, you have to be thoughtful about everything—”

“And how exactly were you trying to get closer to me? By having the boss’s family drive you home? Did you feed your ‘thoughtfulness’ to the pigs?”

He stood in front of her, his eyes chilling. “Apologize to her.”

The people who had just emerged from the meeting room, whispering, all fell silent.

I steadied myself and said calmly, “Damon, I have no reason to apologize.”

His voice hardened further. “What did you say? Apologize.”

It felt like a cold snake slithered down my spine, sending shivers through me.

Yes, this was Damon. Once he made up his mind, no one could change it. Just like when he insisted on marrying me.

Now, he was stubbornly infatuated with this new secretary.

I had been slow to realize that leaving him was an inevitable outcome.

I smiled faintly. “Damon, let’s get a divorce.”

A flicker of surprise crossed his face. But it quickly morphed into a sarcastic smile.

“Are you trying to use divorce to force me to compromise?”