Chapter 2

Willow had a sleepless night. At dawn, she woke up and made breakfast for herself. Unlike before, she didn't prepare Chad's portion. Chad walked out of the bedroom and wrapped an arm around Willow's waist out of habit. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, only for her to turn away slightly, avoiding his touch. "What's wrong? In a bad mood?" He keenly sensed that something was off with her. Willow looked down, feeling a lump in her throat as she almost couldn't hold back her tears. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to remain calm and replied, "I'm just hungry." Chad left it at that. After all, she'd been the one to request a morning kiss long ago. It didn't matter as much to him. He sat down, casually grabbed a slice of bread, and took a bite. "By the way, who did you secure that deal with yesterday? I don't think I even asked." Willow calmly replied, "It's with the Chancellors. Do you want to have a look at the contract?" Chad fell silent for a while. Her palms were starting to sweat when he suddenly smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair. "I trust you to handle things." A wave of bitterness washed over Willow as she lowered her head. She had even allowed herself to imagine that Chad might take an interest in her work—that he might offer to look it over for her and point out any risks. Unfortunately, it remained only as her fantasy. … They got into the car after breakfast. Chad's phone rang just then. It was a call from Laurel. She was sobbing on the other end of the line. Her voice trembled as she said, "My husband's family is blocking me from leaving the hotel, Chad. They were on their knees, threatening me not to proceed with the divorce. I… I don't know what to do…" Chad's expression immediately darkened. He slammed the accelerator and sped away. As he drove, he continued to comfort Laurel, "Don't worry, I'll be right there. Just stay in your room and wait for me!" Willow clutched her seatbelt tightly. Her face was pale when she said, "Slow down, Chad! It's too dangerous!" Only then did Chad seem to remember her presence. He slammed on the brakes and hurriedly said, "You can call a cab to the office—I have to rush over." Without waiting for her reply, he stepped on the gas and sped away. He even ran a red light, as if his own life didn't matter at all. Left alone by the roadside, Willow felt like an abandoned doll, feeling only emptiness within her. She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and flagged a cab. … Willow was swamped with work as soon as she arrived at the company. While coordinating tasks, she gradually handed off the work she had on her plate. Her marriage had already reached its end. She could no longer rely on Chad or their relationship anymore. It was almost time to get off work when he finally hurried back to the office. The faint smile on his face contrasted with his gloomy expression during the day. He was clearly in a good mood. When Willow walked into Chad's office to report on work, she caught a faint whiff of Laurel's perfume on him. He was casually flipping through documents when he suddenly looked up. His gaze landed on her empty ring finger. "Why did you take off your ring?" Willow calmly replied, "Didn't you say that we might get caught if I wear it? That's why I took it off." "Is that so?" Chad nodded, seemingly satisfied with her explanation. In fact, if he'd given it even a moment's thought, he would have realized how unusual it was for Willow—who had always insisted on making their relationship known—to stop wearing her ring. But Chad didn't put much thought into it at all. He merely smiled, looking as if he were still reminiscing about the earlier time he spent with Laurel. Willow scoffed mockingly as she walked out of his office. She took out her phone and, unsurprisingly, found a new vlog posted on Laurel's social media account. In the video, there was a fleeting shot of Chad's figure in the kitchen. He was wearing an apron, a spatula in hand, as he focused on cooking for her. He never liked cooking in the past. Willow was the one who gradually learned to cook, just to make sure he could eat well. But now, she realized he just didn't like cooking for her, yet he would gladly cook for Laurel. Willow stood by the lake behind the company, feeling a chill in her heart as she stared at the shimmering surface. She dug out the ring from her pocket and held it in her palm. She could almost still feel its warmth. "Goodbye," Willow whispered softly before hurling it into the lake. It traced an arc through the air before sinking to the bottom and vanishing without a trace. She took a deep breath and walked away in her heels, her head held high.