Chapter 4

Marcus looked at how quietly I was taking it, and something in his face twisted with pity.

"Why bring up divorce all of a sudden?"

I lowered my head, thinking of the screen glowing on Marcus's phone the night before.

One text after another had popped up, all of them from Yasmine.

"Mom's so anxious at home she can't sleep."

"When exactly are you going to tell her?"

"Keep dragging this out and the baby will be old enough to call you Daddy. Do you want me to raise this child alone?"

"How much longer do you expect us to hide overseas?"

"My mother even faked her own death for us. Don't tell me you've gone soft."

One after another.

Every one of them pushing.

If this was the ending everyone was so happy to see, why shouldn't I give it to them?

"Marcus, there's no point dragging this out any longer."

"We might as well let each other go."

Marcus's eyes went red all at once, and he pulled me hard against him.

"No. I'm not divorcing you."

"Bella, if I hadn't handled things so badly back then, you never would have fallen into severe depression, and you never would have become the way you are now."

"You're at your most fragile right now. How could I ever let you go?"

He soothed me gently for a long time, telling me bedtime stories,

just like when we first fell in love.

He said that as long as he tried hard enough, cared enough, the two of us could go back to how we used to be.

Behind my closed eyes I smiled bitterly to myself.

But in the end, he had already had a child with Yasmine.

How could a man like that come back to me clean, back to how things used to be?

Since Marcus wouldn't agree to the divorce, then I would take action myself.

Set him free, and set myself free too.

But ever since he refused the divorce I'd proposed,

Marcus really did start to grow gentle, more thoughtful in everything he did.

He even brought home the sweet pastries I loved after work.

Doing everything he could think of to make me happy.

"Bella, I know things are strange right now."

"Your condition is serious, but I'll be here the whole time."

"Once we get through this stretch, everything will get better."

He coaxed me, gentle and patient.

"Bella, I love you."

But looking at that familiar face, I smiled on the surface.

The moment he couldn't see me, my stomach heaved, and I bolted to the bathroom and threw up over the toilet.

If he really loved me, how could he have gone behind my back and had a child with Yasmine overseas?

Seeing that my condition had improved so much these past few days,

Marcus spoke carefully. "The company's sending me on another trip tomorrow. I promise I'll finish it in two or three days and hurry back to be with you."

My eyes stayed on the book in my hands. I didn't lift my head.

"Go ahead. I'm fine."

I knew that the day after tomorrow was Yasmine's birthday.

She'd texted to push him three times. Marcus would definitely go.

While Marcus was overseas celebrating his first love's birthday,

I called on my best friend Stella to help me put on a show.

Stella looked at me, the words caught in her throat.

"Bella, are you sure you want to do this? Once it's done, there's no turning back."

My eyes moved to the props on the table, and I pulled out a pale smile.

"I'm sure. I never had a way back to begin with."

"Since I've decided to leave, I'll give them a surprise."

Just as they were blowing out the candles over there, Marcus suddenly got a call.

The color drained from his face.

"What? You're saying Bella slit her wrists?!"