Chapter 4

In my last life, I lived through this exact scene too.

Back then I panicked and begged him.

And he only watched me coldly, savoring the pleasure of holding all the power.

This time, I only looked at him calmly.

"How long I last is no concern of yours."

My calm landed like a fist sinking into cotton.

Isaac's face grew darker and darker.

Just then, a gentle male voice came from behind us.

"Excuse me, is there something I can help with?"

I turned around.

A young man in a white coat stood at the top of the stairs, a medical kit in his hand.

He looked like he had just come back from outside, with soft features and a clean air about him.

He was my next-door neighbor, a doctor.

I'd seen him a few times but never spoken to him.

Isaac turned to look at him too, his eyes turning wary and hostile at once.

"Who are you?"

The man ignored him, his gaze settling on me with a hint of question in it.

"My name is Piers Gilbert. I live next to you. I heard an argument over here just now."

I gave him a nod.

"Thank you. I'm fine."

Piers's eyes swept over Isaac's hand braced against the door, then over the wallet on the floor, and he understood.

He didn't press. He only said to me,

"If you need help, you can knock on my door anytime."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

Isaac's face went completely black.

He probably thought I was making eyes at another man right in front of him, wounding his pride.

"Stella, aren't you something."

He said it through his teeth, one word at a time.

"Lined up your next man this fast?"

The insult in that was vicious.

Before I could fire back, Piers spoke first.

"Sir, please show some respect when you speak."

His tone was still gentle, but it carried a force that left no room for argument.

"This lady has already said she's fine. Please stop harassing her."

Isaac's fury shifted onto Piers in an instant.

"I'm talking to my wife. What business is it of yours?"

"Get lost!"

Piers didn't move. He only looked at him calmly.

"If you keep this up, I'm calling the police."

"The police?"

Isaac acted like he'd just heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Do you know who I am? You'd actually dare call the police?"

The two men faced off.

One raging, one calm.

I bent down, picked up the wallet from the floor, and brushed the dust off it.

Then I lifted my head and looked at Isaac.

"Mr. Sanchez, if you think I'm your wife, then please sign the divorce papers."

"If you think I'm not, then please leave my doorstep right now."

"Otherwise, I'll be the one calling the police."

My voice wasn't loud, but every word came down hard.

Isaac stared me down, his eyes all but spitting fire.

In the end he shot Piers a vicious glare, then looked at me again.

"Stella, fine."

"You just wait."

He threw the threat down and turned, striding off.

His heavy footsteps echoed through the stairwell until they faded away.

The tension that had been drawn tight in me finally eased.

My body swayed, and a hand caught me in time.

It was Piers.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"You're very pale."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

He let go and kept a polite distance from me.

"Is he… your husband?"

"Ex-husband," I corrected.

"He will be very soon."

Piers nodded and didn't ask anything more.

"Get some rest."

He gave me a gentle smile, then turned and opened his own door.

I watched him go, and a trace of warmth ran through my heart.

…

Over the next few days, Isaac didn't show up again.

The résumés I'd sent out still got no reply.

I started to feel some anxiety.

With no income, I couldn't hold out here for long.

That day, I got a call from an unknown number.

The caller said she was from HR at Starlight, the country's top jewelry design company.

"Ms. Henson, we saw some of the design work you posted online. It has real spark."

"Would you be free to come in for an interview tomorrow?"

I froze.

I had only casually posted a few of my sketches on a designers' forum.

I never expected they'd catch Starlight's eye.

This was like a gift falling out of the sky.

I held down the wild joy in my chest.

"Yes! I'm free!"

I hung up and nearly jumped for joy.

It was the best news I'd heard since being reborn.