Chapter 6

Five days passed before Daniel finally came home with Camille. The moment he walked through the door with bags of health supplements, he spotted the scar on Valentina's temple. "Val, what happened to your forehead?" he asked urgently. "You pushed me," Valentina said calmly. "When you went to see Camille." Daniel froze, then apologized guiltily. "I'm sorry, I was just so panicked that day. "Camille is my brother's widow. If something had happened to her, I could never face him in the afterlife…" He handed her the supplements. "Here, I bought these specifically for you. Please don't be angry with me anymore." When she didn't take them, he softened his voice. "If you don't like these, I'll make it up to you another way. Your birthday's coming up, and there's a new restaurant downtown. How about I take you there?" "No need." "Val, don't be like this." Daniel's tone was pleading. "You can hit me or yell at me, just please don't give me the silent treatment..." Valentina didn't want to argue anymore. She turned silently and went back to her room. Daniel thought she was starting to forgive him, so a few days later, he dragged her to the restaurant. But just as they sat down, Daniel seemed to spot someone and suddenly stood up. "Val, my aide is looking for me. It might be urgent. Wait here for a moment." Valentina watched his hurried retreat and lowered her eyes with bitter self-mockery. Maybe even he didn't realize that every time he lied, his right hand would unconsciously fidget with his cufflink. The restaurant's lighting was dim and golden. Valentina got up and followed him. At the end of the hallway, she found Daniel pinning Camille against the wall around the corner. "You know perfectly well today is Val's birthday." His voice was low, but he couldn't hide the urgency. "Did you have to come seduce me today of all days?" Camille looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "The doctor said... these next few days are when I'm most fertile..." Her delicate fingers clutched at the hem of his shirt. "If you don't want to... then forget it..." She made as if to push him away, but Daniel grabbed her wrist and pressed her back against the wall, kissing her deeply. "No, I'll take you right here." Valentina's feet felt rooted to the spot, frozen in place. She desperately wanted to turn and flee from this cruel scene, but her body refused to cooperate. Daniel's ragged breathing, Camille's flushed skin, and their entangled bodies… She bit down hard on her lower lip until she tasted blood, finally snapping back to reality. At last, she summoned every ounce of strength to turn around and stumbled away from this place that was breaking her heart. Every step felt like walking on knife blades, but she knew if she didn't leave now, the pain would kill her right there. Back at their table, her fingernails dug deep into her palms, but she felt no pain. All she could feel was her heart being torn apart, raw and bleeding. The server had come by asking a dozen times, "Ma'am, would you like to order now?" Valentina shook her head mechanically until Daniel finally returned. "Sorry about that," he said as he sat down, a trace of lipstick still visible on his collar. "The situation was a bit complicated. Hope you weren't waiting too long, Val." He signaled the server to bring their food, but just as the first course arrived, Camille "happened" to appear. "What a coincidence! Daniel, Valentina, you're eating here too." She feigned surprise. "My friend stood me up. Mind if I join you?" Without waiting for an answer, she slid naturally into the seat beside Daniel. He shot her a warning look but ultimately said nothing. At the table, Camille struggled clumsily with her steak, her knife and fork scraping against the plate with an awful sound. "You can't even do this?" Daniel frowned and pulled her plate over, expertly cutting the meat for her. "There, eat." Valentina watched the scene unfold, the food in her mouth tasting like cardboard. Near the end of their meal, the restaurant lights suddenly dimmed, and a server approached carrying a candlestick. "Congratulations, you two!" The server beamed at Daniel and Camille. "You're our 100th married couple since we opened. This is a complimentary gift." A silver bracelet set with rubies glittered in the candlelight. Camille gasped and covered her mouth in delight. "It's gorgeous! Thank you, I love it!" She eagerly fastened it around her wrist, the rubies making her skin look porcelain white. Daniel opened his mouth, his eyes flickering toward Valentina's pale face, but he said nothing. Only after the server had walked away did he speak quietly. "It's just a misunderstanding. Don't take it to heart." Valentina gently stirred her soup that had long gone cold, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. She didn't care anymore. After all, the man who had once said he would only love her for his entire life now had his heart divided between two women. And she was done fighting for her half.