Chapter 13

Diana's smile froze, and her fingers curled into fists. Vincent and Gabriella were on a video call. "Vincent, you're so mean," Gabriella whined playfully. "You're cooking while I just sit here, starving and watching? That's torture." Her voice was sweet, flirtatious, laced with just the right amount of charm. From the kitchen, Vincent let out a throaty laugh. Diana's heart clenched. It took Gabriella no more than a few teasing words to make him laugh like that. Meanwhile, she—his wife—couldn't even remember the last time she had seen that kind of smile on his face. How pathetic. Ridiculous, even. She didn't know when she had walked to the kitchen doorway. Her hands were ice-cold. On the screen, Gabriella's face beamed like sunshine. "Vincent, when are you coming to see me? Things are quiet over here. I'm ready to get back to filming," Gabriella said. Her smile faltered slightly as her eyes caught sight of Diana on Vincent's end. Gabriella was younger than Diana. She still radiated that youthful glow, and her eyes sparkled when she smiled, like she could light up a room just by existing. She was playful, radiant, and effortlessly captivating. She was exactly the kind of beauty the entertainment world always longed for. In an industry flooded with pretty faces and heartthrobs, Gabriella still managed to stand out. She was the kind of beauty that people remembered. That was why the moment Vincent started backing Gabriella, she immediately shot to fame. She turned from a nobody to a rising star overnight. That sort of thing didn't happen often. No matter how powerful the investors were, things wouldn't work if one didn't have that charm, even with money and connections. Plenty of actors had all the backing in the world and still never made it. Vincent, with his back facing the kitchen door, hadn't noticed Diana standing there. "I'll finish up things at the office in the morning. I'll see you in the afternoon. How does that sound?" Vincent said warmly with a smile. Diana's fingers clenched tighter. She bit her lip hard until she tasted blood. Then, as if sensing a shift in the air, Vincent turned and met her eyes. "You're still up?" he asked, frowning slightly. The soft smile vanished from his face and was replaced by a flicker of unease. Diana knew exactly why he felt awkward. He had just been caught chatting sweetly with another woman while his wife stood right there. "I—" Diana said. But he cut her off before she could finish. "Be good, Diana. Don't throw a fit. There's nothing between me and Gabby." His tone was filled with displeasure. Upon hearing that, Diana sneered, "Oh? Why are you suddenly explaining to me then? I said nothing." Vincent was stunned for a bit. "I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea." Diana clenched her fists and forced a smile. "Go on. Sorry for interrupting." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away, not giving him the chance to say another word. On the other end of the call, Gabriella's voice sounded again. "Vincent, is Diana mad? I'm sorry. It's my fault. Go talk to her, okay? I'll be fine." Her voice was soft, sweet, and melodious. "She's a grown woman, not some teenager! Why should I coddle her?" Vincent snapped and picked up his phone. "Don't worry about it, Gabby." He had spoiled Diana long enough. She had been his wife for many years. Wasn't that enough? Vincent thought Diana got jealous easily and would always throw tantrums because of trivial matters. She was completely different from the thoughtful and sweet Gabriella. Meanwhile, after returning to her room, Diana didn't feel the slightest hint of hunger. People often said emotions affected the stomach. One would lose their appetite and not feel like eating anything when they were in a bad mood. Diana collapsed onto the bed and let out a long sigh. Her eyes wandered to the intricate chandelier above. She stared at it blankly as her thoughts drifted in silence. She hadn't said a word or done a thing. And yet, in Vincent's eyes, she was still the unreasonable one. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep. Lately, she had been dreaming more than usual. Vincent always appeared in her dreams. Sometimes, it was the current Vincent, but sometimes, it was the young man he used to be. She had even dreamed of the future Vincent. In one dream, Diana saw that many years later, Vincent lived happily with Gabriella, but Diana had aged and become unattractive. She found herself standing on a bridge. At one end stood the young Vincent, while the future Vincent stood at the other end. The future Vincent wrapped his arms around the young, beautiful, and bright Gabriella. He looked at her with disdain and said, "It'd be great if you didn't exist. Diana, you're getting between me and Gabby. You're just a clinging burden that refuses to let me go." The young Vincent stood at one end of the bridge and smiled at her, but there were tears of blood at the corners of his eyes. He pleaded, "Diana, don't leave me… Promise me that you'll never leave me." … The next day, bright light poured through the windows. By noon, Maria came knocking. "Mrs. Hendrix, will you be bringing Mr. Hendrix his lunch today?" After what had happened the night before, Diana was caught in a dilemma again. She had been considering what Jason had said and thought about starting over with Vincent. After all, they had been together for many years. She was reluctant to end their relationship. She had made up her mind once to divorce him, and she hadn't wavered until Jason begged her to give Vincent another chance. And for the first time in a long while, she waved, but it would also be the last time she felt so. It was more like she was reluctant to let go. She had promised herself to give their relationship one final chance. If it didn't work and they couldn't go back to how things were, Vincent would lose her forever. As usual, she brought the vegetable stew to Vincent's office. In the elevator, she watched the numbers light up one by one with the lunchbox in hand. Finally, the elevator reached the top floor. As the doors slid open, Vincent's assistant, Aaron Lowe, stood there respectfully. "Mrs. Hendrix, Mr. Hendrix wanted me to take the stew and deliver it to him myself," Aaron said and nodded politely as he reached for the container. Diana smiled. "That's alright. I'll take it to him myself." Aaron hesitated, looking a little uneasy. "Well… Mr. Hendrix is still in a meeting. It might not be the best time to go in." Diana blinked and lifted her wrist to check the time. "It's already lunchtime. He's still in a meeting?" Aaron opened his mouth, seemingly hesitant to speak. Diana didn't want to make things difficult for him, so she said, "No worries. It must be something important. I'll just wait for him in his office." Nonetheless, as she stepped forward to leave the elevator, Aaron suddenly raised an arm to block her.