Chapter 2

2 　　"Chase, listen to me, it's really just―"

"Save your breath, Rowena. Stop making pathetic excuses."

"I might not be the sharpest guy, but I'm not blind, and I'm not an idiot."

"I know you two have never truly broken things off. You've been meeting behind my back countless times."

Ever since Luke returned from abroad, Rowena had used the excuse of working overtime every single week just to meet up with her golden boy.

I only found out because Luke intentionally added me on social media just to flaunt their secret dates.

His goal was obvious: he wanted to steal Rowena back.

Now, I was just too exhausted to care. If he wanted her, he could have her.

"Your mind is absolutely filthy! I told you a hundred times that Luke and I are just regular friends!"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you getting jealous and paranoid! And look at you now, losing your mind like a psycho!"

Rowena had been spoiled rotten by her wealthy family since childhood, and she couldn't stand being questioned.

Her face darkened as she screamed back at me, twisting the narrative so that her cheating became my irrational madness.

"Fine. Call me filthy-minded. Call me crazy. I don't care anymore."

"Let's get a divorce. I'm setting you free so you two can be together out in the open without any moral backlash."

I stood up and turned to walk toward the guest bedroom.

Rowena snatched a throw pillow from the sofa and hurled it at my back, trembling with rage.

"You want a divorce over some stupid misunderstanding? Do you think our marriage is a fucking joke?"

"You're being completely unreasonable!"

I scoffed inwardly. It was rich coming from her.

Wasn't she the one treating our vows like a joke?

Flirting and sleeping around with Luke behind my back while still married to me, treating me like I was invisible.

I didn't say another word, nor did I look back.

My mind was set. I was going to cut ties with her once and for all.

Rowena stared at my calm demeanor, unsettled that I didn't rush to apologize like I always used to after our arguments.

"Can you stop making a scene? Fine, I'll keep my distance from him from now on, okay?"

She reached out to grab my hand, but I pulled away cleanly.

I walked into the guest room and closed the door. The moment I brought up divorce, I refused to share a bed with her again.

"Chase Fowler! You really want to push this?"

"Let me tell you right now―I will never sign those papers!"

Rowena kicked the sofa in frustration before stomping back to the master bedroom.

She slammed the bedroom door with a deafening thud, expecting me to come crawling back.

She sat on her bed for an entire hour, convinced I would sneak in to beg for her forgiveness.

When I never showed up, she went to sleep in a seething rage.

Meanwhile, I stood by the guest room window, smoking one cigarette after another.

Staring out into the dark city skyline, memories of our past flooded my mind.

Rowena and I had first met on a remote highway.

She was street racing with her rich friends, lost control at high speed, and smashed into a concrete barrier.

The front of her sports car was crushed, her forehead was bleeding profusely, and she was pinned inside, paralyzed with agony.

With fuel leaking and the engine on the verge of exploding, she had screamed in utter despair.

I happened to be driving by, pulled over immediately, and risked my life to pry her out.

Barely seconds after I carried her a few yards away, the vehicle burst into flames.

When Rowena looked up at me back then, she had cried tears of overwhelming gratitude.