Chapter 5
That evening, I had just sat down at home when a familiar phone. number appeared on my screen.
I almost doubted my eyes. We hadn’t been in touch for ages,
and today’s encounter with him at the restaurant was purely
coincidental.
Now he was calling me–did something happen? With this thought, I answered the call.
The moment the call connected, I heard a man’s voice on the other end–deep, raspy, and slightly intoxicated.
He got straight to the point, saying just two words: “Congratulations.”
I remained silent for a moment. Apparently, Link had told him about that day, and now he also thought I was getting engaged.
Holding my phone, I didn’t know how to respond and couldn’t be bothered to explain that it was all a misunderstanding, so I just made a vague sound of acknowledgment.
As soon as I did, I heard him laugh–not with any particular emotion, yet somehow tinged with an indescribable mockery.
Shortly after, he hung up.
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I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the call duration: fifty–four seconds, just two sentences exchanged, nothing more.
Setting my phone down, I went to take a shower.
When I came back out, my phone was ringing non–stop.
I walked over and picked it up, checking the call log. In that brief half–hour, James had called me eleven times.
I almost wanted to laugh. He was typically so composed, as if nothing in this world could disturb his calm, yet here he was, persistently calling me over a dozen times.
Just as I was thinking this, my phone rang again.
I stared at it for a couple of seconds before answering.
If I didn’t pick up now, with his determination, I had no doubt he’d show up at my doorstep the next minute.
“What is it?” I asked.
The other end remained silent for quite a while.
I found it bizarre and felt a surge of inexplicable anger. “Why are you calling so many times tonight? What exactly do you want?” I couldn’t help asking.
The man finally spoke. His voice was cold, his words slow: “Why didn’t you… answer carlier? Is someone with you? Are you with
Chapter
your fiancé?”
Three questions fired at me in succession left me momentarily stunned.
So just because I hadn’t answered his calls, he assumed I was doing something…
I pressed my lips together, saying impatiently, “How is that any of
your business
As soon as I finished speaking, I heard the click of a lighter from his end.
James gave a short laugh, his tone somewhat serious despite his slurred speech: “Is he richer than me? Does he treat you better than I did? Are you that eager to marry him?”
To be honest, answering these two questions wouldn’t be difficult.
In all of Aurora, few people were wealthier than him.
During those three years together, he truly gave me nothing to complain about. He always protected me and supported me unconditionally. Whenever I wanted to go somewhere, I’d just tell him, and by the next day, he would have everything arranged, never brushing me off.
I held my phone, speechless for a long while. James remained
Chapter 5 silent too.
4/5
After what seemed like forever, he finally sighed and said, “You divorced me because of Yvonne, didn’t you? You never even asked me what really happened before sentencing me to ‘death.” Ava, treating me this way isn’t fair.”
As he said this, perhaps it was my imagination, but the man’s voice actually seemed to choke up.
Realizing this, I panicked and instinctively hung up. I was almost certain James was drunk tonight–normally, he would never do something like this.
After I hung up, James didn’t call back. But his outburst left me unable to sleep.
I understood what James meant. He was humbling himself, trying to explain that there was another reason behind his relationship with Yvonne, that there was nothing between them.
When we divorced, I was too stubborn. But I was young then, never giving myself any room for compromise.
I’ve always been sensitive. I was the middle child, with both an older sister and a younger brother. Though my parents loved me, they never invested too much attention in me, barely involving themselves in my affairs.
When I was twelve, one Christmas, I broke my father’s favorite coffee set. He said nothing and simply bought a new one days. later. Yet when my sister made the same mistake, he would
Chapter 5
smile and gently tap her nose, saying she was such a handful.
5/5
I grew up cautiously, trying not to cause trouble. Later, when I married and divorced James, I was afraid of burdening him. I never dared tell him that I constantly heard people say we weren’t a good match. I never dared ask about Yvonne either.
By the time we divorced, I was still making decisions on my own -see how considerate I was? Not asking, not saying anything, just making room for the person he liked. So convenient for everyone.
I always felt I had no right to question these things. Pride and insecurity pulled me in opposite directions, ultimately making me awkward and unlikable.
B
