Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I took it off."

"That's the wedding ring I made for you with my own hands. It's the witness to our love."

Declan's tone carried a hint of confusion and disappointment. "Why did you suddenly take it off?"

I gave a casual excuse. "I've gained some weight recently. The ring is too tight, and it hurts to wear it."

Declan's expression softened upon hearing this, and his gentle smile returned.

"Then I'll take it to the jewelry store another day and have them adjust the size for you."

"We'll talk about it later."

Declan's gaze landed on the exquisite jewelry box on the living room table.

A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes. "By the way, what is that gift box on the table? Did you specially prepare a gift for me, Maddy?"

I replied faintly, "Yes."

Inside the gift box lay a small, cold piece of silver.

I had completely melted down the wedding ring that carried fifteen years of feelings.

It had been reduced to this cold, lifeless lump of silver.

Declan was overjoyed, his eyes full of anticipation.

"What special day is it today? It's rare for my Maddy to proactively prepare a surprise gift for me."

His leaping joy made my already cold heart sink a little deeper.

"Today… is our wedding anniversary."

The smile on Declan's face froze instantly.

His expression suddenly turned ugly, and he quickly switched to a flattering posture to coax me.

"I'm sorry, Maddy. I've been so bogged down by work lately that I actually forgot such an important day."

He grabbed my hand. "How about I book a high-end restaurant tonight, and we go out to celebrate?"

"There's no need. I've already eaten."

"Then I'll take you to the river to see the night view! We can take a walk, enjoy the breeze, and relax your mood."

"I'm a little tired and want to rest early."

Declan gently wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

His tone carried a bit of a spoiled, aggrieved whine. "Let's go, Maddy. We haven't taken a walk and talked alone in a long time."

He kissed my hair. "I feel like you've been exceptionally cold to me lately. If this continues, I'm going to suspect my Maddy has had a change of heart."

A change of heart?

Who was the one who entertained other thoughts first?

Who was the one who made room for someone else in their heart?

His feelings had derailed first, abandoning our years of love.

And this time, I would completely take back my true heart.

Along with this humble love, I would withdraw and leave everything behind.

After we left the house, Declan drove the car forward.

Along the way, he chatted enthusiastically about interesting things at work.

I sat quietly in the passenger seat, my face turned toward the fleeting street scenes outside the window.

I turned a deaf ear to his words.

Just now, when I buckled my seatbelt, I felt something in the gap of the passenger seat.

It was a pair of used women's stockings.

The seam of the stockings had been violently torn open, leaving a large hole.

There was even some dried sticky residue left on it.

I remained calm, secretly stuffing the stockings back into their original place.

I pretended I hadn't discovered anything.

Since I had already made up my mind to leave, I couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

Any further debate would only result in a mouthful of meaningless lies.

Since I couldn't get his true heart, I would simply stop forcing it.

The car arrived at the riverwalk.

Declan got out first and thoughtfully opened the car door for me. "Maddy, we're here."

I had no desire to come here.

But this riverside area was the place we frequented the most when we fell in love in our youth.

Our destiny started here, so let it completely end here.

"Oh my god, isn't that Mr. Hayes from the exclusive interview today? The one who made a wedding ring to spoil his wife!"

"I remember! The whole internet is praising him for being a peerless good man, so gentle and devoted!"

"He's so considerate! He even raised his hand to protect the car roof when she got out, afraid she might bump her head."

Amidst the crowd's discussions and praises, Declan's phone suddenly rang.

He looked at the caller ID on the screen.

A barely noticeable flash of gentleness and pampering crossed his eyes.

Then he turned to me with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Maddy. Could you wait for me a moment? It's a work call. I'll be right back."

"Go ahead."

"Be good and wait here. Don't wander off."

The surrounding crowd let out another wave of sighs.

"Mr. Hayes spoils her too much! He treats his wife like a little girl."

"Such a gentle and devoted man is truly rare. I'm so jealous!"

Only I remained expressionless.

I stood indifferently by the river, watching the sparkling water under the night sky.

My heart was completely devoid of ripples.

Just now, when Declan saw the caller ID, the unconcealable smile on his lips betrayed him.

That pampering and teasing expression meant it couldn't possibly be a work call.

I had seen through it long ago. I was just too lazy to expose him.

The evening breeze by the river was a bit chilly, carrying a biting coldness.

I simply turned around and went back to the car to wait.

The car's large screen automatically synced with Declan's logged-in social media account.

Chat records kept popping up and refreshing.

The contact's nickname was glaringly harsh: 【Bri-baby】.

Declan: Missed me?

Bri-baby: On the nights you aren't by my side, my heart always feels empty. I feel a bit lonely.

Declan: You greedy little kitten. We hooked up seven times during the day, and you're still not satisfied?

Bri-baby: It's not enough, baby. I still want more.

Declan: Don't rush. Wait until we get to the office tomorrow. I'll satisfy you properly then.

Bri-baby: Hehe, then I'll specifically wear black stockings to work tomorrow for our date.

The subsequent chat messages became even more explicit and indecent.

They were filled with vulgar flirting words, completely unbearable to look at.

I felt freezing cold all over.

The chill spread from my limbs to the bottom of my heart.

I reached out and turned off the car's screen display.

My body trembled uncontrollably.

I couldn't tell if it was from the cold wind or the anger sparked by these filthy conversations.

My nails dug deeply into my palms, leaving shallow crescent marks.

Declan returned very quickly. It took no more than fifteen minutes.

Getting into the car, he patted his chest, pretending to be scared.

"When I turned around after the call, I didn't see you. It scared me to death!"

He smiled. "Thank goodness you stayed in the car and didn't run around."

I was too disgusted to look at his hypocritical face anymore.

I lowered my eyes and stared at my own palms.

"The wind outside was too strong and cold, so I came back to wait in the car."

"That's good. You can stay wherever you want, whatever makes you comfortable."

I suddenly looked up, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

After seeing those explicit chat logs between him and Brielle, this casual consideration took on a different, dirty meaning.

Stay wherever I want?

Did those stockings in the gap of the passenger seat mean they had hooked up right here in this car too?

At the thought of this, my stomach churned violently.

I felt incredibly nauseous, abruptly pushed the car door open, and bent over to dry heave.