Chapter 2
Lewis walked in holding white lilies, his sleeve reeking of alcohol, but his eyes were disturbingly clear.
“Babe, look.”
He knelt on one knee and opened a box. Emerald earrings glimmered under the chandelier light. “The emerald earrings you said you liked last week.”
Looking at the stunned Sienna, Lewis playfully pinched her cheek.
“Want me to help you put them on?”
Sienna heard Lewis‘ syrupy voice.
Her phone was vibrating wildly. Lewis glanced at the caller ID and quickly stood up.
Sienna stared at the contact name “Tracy My Love” and remembered the name he saved for her–just the cold, plain “Sienna“.
“There’s an urgent matter at the company.
He walked out while adjusting his tie, leather shoes crunching over the glass shards.
Sienna suddenly grabbed his sleeve, an unfamiliar perfume scent drifting into her nose.
“Come with me to withdraw from school tomorrow, okay?”
Lewis didn’t think much of it. He frowned and pulled his sleeve back as he said, “Let the secretary…”
Before he could finish, another ringtone cut him off. He glanced at the screen and rushed out.
Sienna rubbed the ring mark on her ring finger. The phone screen lit up with Lewis‘ message: “Overnight meeting.”
Tracy’s X popped up in the Super Follows tab.
In the photo, a silver fork was stabbed into a lobster claw. The caption read, “It’s been ten years, and he still remembers I’m allergic to seafood.”
Sienna zoomed in on the platinum button in the corner of the photo–from the shirt Lewis loved to wear.
“Mrs. Mcclure, the hangover drink prepared for Mr. Mcclure….
Ada’s voice caught in her throat.
Sienna snapped the laptop shut. The wool shawl swept over a glass teacup, knocking it over.
The floor–to–ceiling window reflected her reddened eyes. She grabbed the charity foundation ledger and retreated into the study. “Keep it warm. If I’m done checking the scholarships for the mountain girls and he’s still not back, then throw it out.”
On the eighth day, Lewis still hadn’t returned.
Sienna, restless, went to the nail salon alone.
Halfway through the rhinestone application, her phone suddenly vibrated.
At the top of the trending search list was a photo of Tracy leaning in front of a champagne tower, captioned, “Someone took 28 shots of tequila for
me.”
Sienna looked at the smudged nail polish the manicurist had painted out. of bounds and recalled how at last month’s wine banquet, Lewis coldly
Chapter 2
watched as she was forced to drink until she collapsed. In the end, it was her assistant who drove her back to the empty home.
At 3 a.m., after donating eight limited–edition bags, the blue light from the electronic receipt reflected in the vanity mirror.
Sienna made a gesture in the air as if rejecting someone. Her master’s advisor’s email trying to persuade her to stay still lay in the spam folder. “That was an offer from a top global university… Forget it.”
She stuffed the withdrawal certificate into her satchel, her fingernails digging bloody marks into her palm.
Moments later, her Instagram exploded with cake emojis–only then did she realize it was their anniversary.
The backup phone was formatting, its lock screen still a candid shot from Santorini.
In the photo, Lewis frowned and dodged her attempt to kiss him. Her veil had been swept into the waves by the sea breeze.
At the entryway, the fingerprint lock beeped.
Lewis leaned against the doorframe, loosening his tie, his suit reeking of unfamiliar perfume.
Sienna ignored him and continued stuffing the last cashmere sweater into the suitcase.
She heard the sound of him tossing the car keys and shattering the hangover drink on the coffee table.
