Chapter 2

2.

"Serena? I'm talking to you, why aren't you responding?"

"The cake really was the bakery's mistake. See? I got you a new one. I also canceled my evening plans to come home early and celebrate with you. Please don't be angry."

Finn's slightly annoyed voice cut through my thoughts.

I knew he was getting impatient. Not just because I’d hung up on him, but because his attempts to smooth things over were being met with a wall of silence.

In three years, he had rarely come home this early. He claimed it was for our anniversary, but on this day the past two years, he always had an excuse―a board meeting ran late, a client dinner―returning late at night reeking of alcohol.

Looking back, he was probably splitting his time with Cora long before this.

I looked at Finn quietly. "I'm not angry. I was just thinking about the company merger."

He shot me a suspicious glance. "Really?"

I nodded.

Once I sorted out the company’s equity structure, he would be out of my life for good. So, it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Finn seemed to let out a huge sigh of relief. He quickly opened the cake box and placed it on the coffee table. The thought of the other cake, the one with his and Cora’s names, made a flicker of panic cross his face.

"I'm definitely going to complain to that bakery tomorrow!" He grabbed the "wrong" cake, about to throw it away.

A piercing ringtone stopped him in his tracks.

I glanced at the screen. It read "CC."

Cora’s initials.

At that moment, my already shattered heart felt like it had been stomped on again. I fought back the sting in my eyes, refusing to show any vulnerability in front of this man.

In his phone contacts, I never had a nickname. I was always just my full, cold name: Serena.

The call was short. Finn mostly listened.

After hanging up, he frowned, looking at me with a troubled expression, hesitating.

"I'm so sorry, Serena. There's an emergency with the company servers. The IT department can't fix it, and I need to go in to sign off on an authorization…"

I didn't say a word, just nodded lightly and flipped a page of the magazine in my lap.

Maybe my unusually cold attitude unsettled him. Finn seemed to make a great effort, clenching his jaw.

"Forget it! Nothing is more important than you. It's our third anniversary. I'm not going anywhere!"

However, in the five minutes after he sat down, his phone buzzed again and again.

I counted silently. On the seventh vibration, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Serena, this problem is really serious. It affects next quarter's financial report. I have to go."

On his way out, he grabbed the cake with his and Cora’s names.

"I'll toss this on my way out. Just looking at it pisses me off!"

With that, he rushed out of the apartment.

Watching his hurried retreat, I suddenly laughed. I laughed until tears streamed down my face.

Even now, he was still using the company as an excuse.

I wiped my tears away, my gaze turning cold and resolute. It was time to end this farce.

As soon as Finn left, I emailed my private attorney, Rebecca. I told her to draft the divorce papers. Rebecca was one of Manhattan's top marital lawyers, having handled countless high-profile divorces. She would ensure I didn't lose a single penny. In fact, she could probably make sure Finn left with nothing.

I don’t know how much time passed. Outside, the city was deep in the night. The cold Manhattan wind seeped through a crack in the patio door.

Finn finally remembered me and called.

His tone was the same perfect-husband voice, dripping with concern, utterly flawless.