Chapter 3

Jonah didn't come home that night. Early the next morning, Pearl came across a post Cecelia had just shared on her social media account. It said, "I'm fortunate to have someone willing to drop everything for me and go on a spontaneous hike with me up Siren's Peak!" Although Cecelia was the star in her selfie, Pearl instantly recognized the silhouette behind her. It was none other than Jonah. Cecelia's followers commented on her post, all eager for the latest gossip. "As expected of the charisma of a free-spirited girl! I'm sure Cecelia must have suitors lined up all the way to Lis." "I knew it! I knew Cecelia wouldn't let her cheating ex-husband bring her down. She's truly the role model for all women." "That guy looks really tall. When are you going to let us see his face?" … Pearl couldn't help but let out a sardonic chuckle as she thought, "I wonder what those beloved fans would think when they find out that guy happens to be a married man." Cecelia herself had shown up in the comment section, replying, "Hey, darlings. Do any of you know the legend of Siren's Peak?" It was said that lovers who hiked all the way to the top of Siren's Peak would be together forever in loving matrimony. Last year, when Siren's Peak became a must-visit destination online, Pearl had begged Jonah to go there with her over and over again. Alas, he had only shot her a cold look and said disdainfully, "Pearl, here I thought you weren't the type to blindly follow trends." She had nothing to say at the time and had no choice but to drop the subject. It was the same thing now. Yet, when she did it, she was boring and lacked critical thinking. Meanwhile, when Cecelia did it, she was a free-spirited woman with freedom in her veins. It was clear then that the difference between them was that one of them was loved, while the other just… wasn't. Still, Pearl couldn't understand men at all. How could they still get it up when they didn't love the women sharing their bed? So, in order to avoid what happened the night before from happening once more, she decided to pack up her things and never return until the divorce was finalized. It wasn't much of a hardship. After all, she mostly spent her time on campus anyway and barely had any of her possessions here. In the end, one suitcase was all it took. Finally, she opened the drawer of the nightstand and took out a thick Polaroid album. It was filled with pictures she had taken of Jonah. Every single one of them was a candid side profile, as Jonah had never bothered to cooperate with her whenever she tried to take his picture. She had better luck hoping for pigs to fly than getting him to pose for her. It was a completely different thing when it came to the picture Cecelia had posted, though. Although Jonah had merely shown up as a silhouette, it was evident he had deliberately positioned himself just so for the shot. When Pearl left the apartment, she brought the album with her and threw it in a random bin in the lobby. After all, a love that wasn't valued was no better than trash. As graduation came knocking on her door, she became so busy that she barely had a moment to herself. Thus, she barely thought of Jonah for two whole weeks. So, she was caught off guard when she saw a missed call from Jonathan after her group meeting on Friday. She had always been the one to reach out to him first throughout their four whole years of marriage. Sometimes, she even had to make an appointment with his secretary just to see him. Jonah had said, "Phone calls are the most inefficient way to communicate. It's a waste of time." As she recalled how he used to reprimand her for calling him, she swiped the missed call notification away and decided to ignore it. Unexpectedly, Jonah kept calling her over and over again. He even sent her a message via Twitter, saying, "Dad wants us to visit him." Nathaniel had been in a slump ever since Marlene passed away two years ago. His health deteriorated almost overnight. Sure enough, he resigned from his position and decided to spend his remaining life in a nursing home. Back then, Pearl would visit him every ten days or so. However, she hadn't dropped by after what happened last month. A flicker of guilt stirred in her chest at that realization. She shouldn't have done so. Although her marriage to Jonah was gone with the wind, there was no denying that Nathaniel and Marlene had loved her from the bottom of their hearts. So, she really should have visited Nathaniel more often while she was still residing in Northriver. Jonah came to pick her up. The second he saw her, he asked, "Why haven't you been coming home lately?" "I'm busy with my assignments," Pearl replied succinctly. "That's good. Cecelia thought you were upset about how close she and I have gotten." Jonah tapped the steering wheel lightly and continued, "I told her you're not that petty, but she didn't believe me. She said she'll move out next month to avoid any unnecessary conflict." "Tell her not to bother. I don't care," Pearl said mildly, sounding as though she was merely reporting on a run-of-the-mill case during a hospital shift. Jonah couldn't help but frown slightly at her remark. That was precisely the answer he had wanted to hear, so why did he feel discomfited after hearing her say it so indifferently? As the car came to a stop at the red light, he turned to get a closer look at Pearl's expression. Unfortunately, Pearl had already fallen asleep in the passenger seat.