Chapter 2

2.

Gareth and I were neighbors since we were in diapers.

Our parents were products of cold, loveless corporate marriages. After we were born, they all found their own fun elsewhere.

Beyond the nannies, we only had each other.

In my memories, the young Gareth was incredibly possessive of me.

"Nora, only I get to hold your hand. No other boys allowed."

"Okay！ I'll only hold yours, Gareth."

"Nora, the housekeeper said only husbands and wives stay together forever. I'll be your husband, and you'll be my wife. We'll never be apart."

"Deal. I want to be your wife more than anything."

...

When we were sixteen, Gareth's parents' marriage finally imploded. They divorced without a second thought and moved abroad with their respective lovers.

They left Gareth behind in that massive, empty mansion.

That night, in the middle of a torrential downpour, he pounded on my front door.

The moment I opened it, a soaking wet Gareth pulled me into a desperate hug.

"Nora, I only have you now."

"I'll never become like them. I promise."

In that moment, two lonely hearts fused together.

After college, we got married. It felt like destiny.

In our social circles, marriages of convenience were the norm. A pair of childhood sweethearts actually being in love was a rarity.

At our wedding, people toasted to our eternal happiness.

But behind our backs, they whispered that we'd end up just like our parents, living separate lives with separate lovers.

That night, I whispered those rumors to Gareth.

Under a sky full of fireworks, he kissed my forehead gently.

"We aren't them. I'm going to love you for the rest of my life."

I believed him with every fiber of my being.

But reality eventually proved the gossips right.

A man's heart is the most fickle thing in existence.

I looked at the man in front of me, the one still pretending to be deeply in love.

"Gareth, I'm not going to remarry you. Not this time."

Gareth's expression went blank for a second.

Then his brows knit together in a frown.

"Nora, don't play games with me."

He leaned down, staring into my eyes, his aura turning cold.

I didn't flinch. I looked right back at him.

"I'm serious."

Gareth stood up straight and lit a cigarette. His face was blurred by the rising smoke.

"Nora, I thought you had grown up."

"It's just a paper divorce to get the kid into the trust. There's no need for empty threats."

The smell of the smoke made me feel nauseous. I reached out, took the cigarette from his hand, and crushed it in the ashtray.

"It's not a threat."

"I'm planning on marrying someone else."

Gareth let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Who？ That kid you hired to try and make me jealous last time？"

"His name is Lucian Reed. And I didn't hire him."

I corrected him calmly.