Chapter 5

The whole night of searching was in vain, and Luca's temper had reached its breaking point. Dawn was approaching, and the entire villa lay in complete disarray. Luca's white dress shirt was wrinkled and clung to his body, and the stray hairs at his forehead were damp with sweat. His long, normally pristine hands were now covered in grime and blood. He was completely unhinged. He stormed into the bedroom and snatched the emerald bracelet Lorraine's grandmother had given her before she passed from the vanity. He asked in a hoarse voice, "This is the last time I'm going to ask you. Where are my cufflinks?" "I told you I didn't take them!" Lorraine's voice trembled as she stared at him, her eyes stinging with tears. "Give me back the bracelet!" "If you won't give it to me, then you won't have this bracelet either!" With that, he smashed it hard. The emerald bracelet shattered into three pieces, bouncing twice on the floor. Lorraine collapsed to her knees, suddenly struggling to breathe. She managed to choke out, "You care so much about what she gave you that you'd smash my grandmother's keepsake?" He looked at her coldly. "What I care about is that you touched my things, and this is the price you have to pay!" Lorraine's heart ached terribly, yet she suddenly laughed. And the more she laughed, the more uncontrollable her tears became. "Luca!" she shouted. "You know exactly what matters to you in your heart!" He froze. In all eight years he had known her, this was the first time he had ever seen her cry. His Adam's apple moved as if he wanted to say something. But at that moment, his phone rang. "Lene? The cufflinks are with you? Okay, I'll come get them now." After hanging up, he gave Lorraine a complicated look. "I misunderstood you." He hesitated for a while before adding, "I'll have someone repair your bracelet." Then, he turned and left, not even glancing at the emerald bracelet that had shattered into three pieces on the floor. Lorraine kneeled on the ground, clutching the keepsake her grandmother had left her as her tears fell hard onto the shattered bracelet. Even now, he still couldn't be bothered to apologize. Did he think that she would forgive him no matter what he did just because she loved him? He wouldn't touch her because of his cleanliness obsession, but she still loved him. He neglected her for Elene, but she still loved him. So after he smashed her grandmother's bracelet for Elene's gift, he assumed she would still love him just the same. That's why he didn't even say sorry. But this time, he was completely wrong. … For the next few days, Luca didn't come home. Lorraine didn't care, instead quietly packing her things alone. Time passed, and soon, it was the last day before the waiting period ended. She had already booked her flight when she suddenly received a friend request from Elene. "Ms. Reid, can we talk?" She stared at the message for a long time before finally replying with a simple "Okay". At the cafe, Elene sat by the window, her hair falling in soft curls, her makeup impeccable, and her every gesture refined. Lorraine sat across from her with a calm expression. Elene looked up with a gentle smile. "Ms. Reid, sorry for asking you out like this." "Is there something you want to say?" Lorraine asked coolly. Elene stirred her coffee lightly, her tone apologetic. "I only recently realized that you and Luca are married." The corner of Lorraine's lips tugged at that. "Not for much longer." Elene was momentarily stunned, then furrowed her brows. "What do you mean? Are you getting a divorce?" "Yeah. The divorce will be finalized tomorrow." A fleeting smile appeared on Elene's face, but it quickly vanished. She looked down and said softly, "Is it because of me?" Lorraine said nothing. Elene sighed and explained, "Luca and I did have an unforgettable relationship before. He loved me very much back then," she said softly while tracing the cup's rim with her fingers. "I was spoiled and had a bad temper, but he never got angry and just indulged me unconditionally. "One time, for my birthday, he flew abroad overnight to surprise me. The flight was delayed, and he ended up waiting at the airport all night. "The day I broke up with him, he got drunk almost to the point of alcohol poisoning. "Later, when I went abroad, he pretended not to care, but in fact, he would secretly visit me every year and send gifts through friends." Lorraine sat quietly as she listened, feeling as if her heart were being cut open, piece by piece, with a dull blade. So, Luca hadn't been on business trips but had instead been with Elene on all those occasions when he disappeared. All those nights he drank too much hadn't been because of the work-related stress but because of Elene. He was never incapable of loving someone; he just never loved her. Lorraine had always thought that he was born cold, that his obsession with cleanliness made even the slightest touch from her feel unbearable to him. But it turned out that his gentleness was simply not for her. Elene went on, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "He loves me a lot, so—" "So?" Lorraine suddenly cut her off, lifting her gaze to meet Elene's eyes. "Are you here just to flaunt it?"