Chapter 2

"It's a friend of mine who wants a divorce." Lorraine kept her expression calm as she lied, her fingers secretly tightening on the corner of the bedsheet. Luca nodded indifferently. "She can come to me. I'll handle the case pro bono." "There's no need to go to such trouble," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Both parties are willing to get a divorce, so just help draft the agreement." Luca didn't suspect a thing and gestured for his assistant, Taylor Smith, to prepare it. Once the ward door closed, the air became stiflingly quiet. "Lene and I were just old friends and met for dinner yesterday," he said suddenly. "Don't overthink it, and don't make things difficult for her." Lorraine suddenly laughed. She was spoiled and headstrong, but she had never been unreasonable. Back then, if he had admitted that he had someone else in his heart, she would never have persisted for so many years. A sharp pang hit her chest, but she forced it down and looked up at him. "Did you come just to say that?" "And…" His tone softened a little. "Thank you for saving Lene. She has a bleeding disorder that makes even minor cuts risky. As compensation, you can make a request." She stared at him steadily. "Do you love her so much that you have to give your wife compensation for it?" He frowned slightly, not catching her meaning. "What?" Just then, Taylor pushed the door open, handing Lorraine the drafted divorce agreement. She took it silently, flipping straight to Luca's signature line, and pushed it toward him. "Sign here." "It's not here." His long fingers hovered above the page. "This is where the party involved should sign. I'm the attorney, and I should sign the witness page." He was about to turn the page when his phone rang abruptly. The name "Lene" flashed brightly on the screen. "Turn to the next page," he said to Lorraine, then answered the call in a gentle voice. "What's wrong?" She stayed completely still, the tip of her pen hovering over the paper. "Okay, I'll be there right away." After hanging up, Luca signed without even looking. The moment his pen hit the paper, Lorraine's heart sank into an icy pit. "Something urgent happened at the firm. I'll go first." He left with so much urgency that he didn't even notice he had signed in the wrong place. Lorraine watched him go, trembling as she signed her name on the other line. Once the 30-day waiting period ended, they would have nothing to do with each other anymore. … During her week in the hospital, Lorraine's bedside remained empty. She learned to change her own dressings, to grit her teeth and turn herself in pain, and to monitor the IV and call the nurse. It wasn't until the day she got discharged that Luca finally appeared. "I've been busy at work," he said, standing at the door of the ward in a sharp suit, carrying a faint hint of jasmine. It was the same fragrance Elene had worn that day. Lorraine lowered her eyes and packed her things, not exposing his lie. To her surprise, he didn't take her straight home. Instead, he took her to a newly opened shopping center. "What do you want to eat?" He stood in the elevator, swiping on his phone screen with long fingers, patiently suggesting, "Their lobster rolls are supposed to be amazing." From lunch to a movie, he had planned every detail. He pulled out her chair before she sat, reminded her that the soup was hot, and draped his jacket over her shoulders when the theater air conditioning was too cold. "Is it too cold?" "Is your seat comfortable?" "Does this dish suit your taste?" His attentiveness left Lorraine dazed. In all eight years she had loved him, this was the first time they had gone on a date like ordinary lovers. "I thought you hated crowded places because of your cleanliness obsession," she finally said in the dim light of the theater. Luca paused while adjusting his cuff. "You must be bored after so long, so I'll make an exception." His voice was so gentle that it didn't sound like him at all. The dissonance peaked when he drove her home but insisted he had to "return to the office to work overtime". On impulse, she hailed a cab to follow him. The shopping center was brightly lit at night. She saw Luca meet Elene and repeat the day's routine. He took her to the same restaurant and the same theater and even bought her the same dress from the same store. "It's been a long time since I've been back," Elene said, linking her arm with his. "I don't know my way around. Luckily, you're here." She tilted her head. "But I remember you hated shopping before and always tried to avoid malls. Now, you know which lobster rolls are perfect, which theater seats are best, and which dress suits me. Did you secretly do your homework?" Luca's expression was indifferent. The man who found others' touch filthy now naturally took the handbag Elene handed him as she turned to try on clothes. "Yes, I did my homework." Through the shop's window, Lorraine's heart tightened sharply, like an ice pick piercing her chest. Each beat tore through her flesh, and even breathing felt like torture. She became painfully aware that, in Luca's eyes, she was nothing more than a tool he used to please his first love.