Chapter 3

That night, Angelica received a call from Elliot. On the other end, Elliot said curtly, "Get over to Sunset Club. I'll make up for our second wedding anniversary celebration." Without caring whether Angelica agreed or not, he hung up right after speaking, as a show of dominance and arrogance. Worried that Angelica would be soft-hearted again, Lydia anxiously advised, "Angie, don't get soft-hearted! A jerk like Elliot will never have a change of heart." She nagged for a while, and Angelica smiled softly at her. "Don't worry, I'm not pinning any hopes on Elliot anymore." "That's great." Lydia patted her chest, relieved. "Phew! You're going to do so well after this that he's not going to be good enough for you." During college, Angelica had a mane of dark hair and dewy skin, coupled with a slim waist and curvy body. If it weren't for Elliot, the jerk, standing in the way, Angelica would have had a long line of suitors. Unfortunately, her weight soared to 160 pounds after marriage, for some inexplicable reason to Lydia. Despite gaining weight, her features were still beautiful and delicate. However, society was prejudiced against people with bigger bodies. They were especially against Angelica because she was sitting on the title of Mrs. Quigley, sparking people's jealousy. Angelica hung around Lydia's place for a while and was ready to leave when Lydia stopped her. Worried, she asked, "Angie, are you going to look for Elliot?" Sensing her worry, Angelica shook the divorce agreement in her hand. "I have to make him sign the agreement, right?" This was the perfect opportunity to get Elliot drunk. Then, she could fool him into signing the divorce agreement. … At eight in the evening, Angelica had reached the 17th floor of Sunset Club when she received a text from Elliot. "Are you here yet?" the text read. Instead of replying, she followed the number on the doors and found number 1704. The door was ajar, and light from the room poured out through the gap, along with the sounds of laughter and conversation. "Kudos to Elliot, who has the spirit to sacrifice himself. You have my admiration for staying with Angelica the fatso for so long. Here's one to you!" "By the way, isn't Rosie your type? Why did you marry Angelica back then? But I remember Angelica was quite a beauty during college and had all the right curves. She was so hot!" "We shouldn't guess what's on Elliot's mind. I think he's just too soft-hearted. Look, Angelica is as fat as a cow now. Maybe she contracted some dirty disease during the year she went missing after college graduation. "I heard that the old bachelors in rural villages aren't gentle at all. Was she destroyed during that time?" another jeered and chortled. Their condescending comments rattled on, stabbing Angelica's heart with every word. Every laugh from them was enough to suffocate her. Her palm gripped her shirt so tightly in front of her chest that her knuckles turned white, and her vision turned blurry from the anger. The painful memory, which was buried in the depths of her mind, slowly emerged and gradually became clear. Just as they said, she suddenly disappeared during the year she graduated from college. When she appeared in Mubathro again, a year had already passed. The police said that she was abducted by human traffickers to the rural villages in the mountains, but she had no recollection of it at all. After a checkup at the hospital, the doctor claimed that she had intermittent amnesia due to a traumatic experience. As for when she could regain her memory, the doctor couldn't provide a certain answer, leaving it all up to fate. Everyone assumed that she had married an old man in a rural village in the mountains and had lost her chastity, but Elliot didn't believe a word of it. Ignoring everyone's objections, Elliot proposed to Angelica without hesitation. He said that a woman's chastity wasn't limited to her body and none of this mattered to him. Angelica had no reason to turn him down, and her adoration for him ascended to another level. Again and again, she put up with Elliot's changes after marriage, shifting all the blame on herself. She thought that she didn't do well enough, resulting in getting a cold shoulder from Elliot. Tears rolled down from her eyes unwittingly, and her throat tightened. Just then, Angelica heard a man asking Elliot, "Elliot, sorry for asking this, but how do you do it in this marriage? How could you do it when Angelica looks like that?" Elliot sniggered sarcastically. "Nobody is interested in a swine. She's just a piece of used trash, and it grossed me out to touch her." Another bout of disgusting ridicule echoed, opening Angelica's wound again after it had finally healed a little. She headed out in a trance, her feet as heavy as lead. She was disappointed to find out about Elliot and Rosie's affair, but all she felt now was disgust. Elliot had trampled on her sincerity and rendered it worthless. She could bear with it and ignore it when others criticized her, but how could Elliot do this when she had never done anything to betray him? After she got into a cab, Elliot called her. "Angelica, I've already offered to make up for our wedding anniversary. Why are you still making a scene?" His tone was somber. "You only have five minutes to show up before me." Even though Angelica was amused, she couldn't put a smile on her face. "Elliot, I don't like your friends. So I'm not going over," she said. "They don't like you. Why didn't you reflect on your actions? Angelica, get down from the high horse when you don't have what it takes—" The sound of the dial tone cut Elliot off. This was the first time Angelica hung up on Elliot. In the past, only Elliot had done this to her. Now that she wanted to divorce him, she had no need to yield and compromise anymore. Angelica told herself not to cry, but she couldn't control her physiological reaction. Tears flowed freely, and she sobbed so hard that she could hardly breathe. The driver saw this and handed her some tissues. "Miss, everything will pass. It's not worth it to spoil your body by crying this hard. "Men come and go, and I'm sure a woman who looks as joyful as you will find a good man." Angelica choked and thanked him. Before hopping off, she gave him a fat tip as thanks. The villa was so silent at two in the morning that Angelica could hear a pin drop. The maids had already gone to bed, and Rosie wasn't home, either. Angelica had calmed down in the 40 minutes after she arrived home, and Elliot was back by the time she washed up. Reeking of alcohol, he burst into her room in unsteady steps, his eyes glassy. He was so drunk that he saw double when he looked at Angelica. "R-Rosie…" he murmured. Angelica was aware that he had mistaken her for Rosie. Instead of feeling upset, she hurriedly took out a pen from a drawer and pushed it into Elliot's hand before placing the signed divorce agreement in front of him. Suppressing her disgust, she mimicked Rosie's tone, softening her voice and saying gently, "Elliot, will you do me a favor and sign your name here?" Elliot's hand swayed while holding the pen, and Angelica had to hold his hand still, leading him as he signed his name. During the process, Angelica was so nervous that she broke out in cold sweat. Fortunately, there was no accident, and both agreements were signed. She released his hand and couldn't care less whether he was throwing up or not. As though holding something precious, she held the two divorce agreements to her chest with trembling hands. The heavy load on her chest was lifted alas. All she had to do now was quietly wait for the 30 days to pass. From then on, they would go their separate ways.