Late at night, Ava drove home. After parking the car, she unbuckled her seat-belt and was about to get out when her gaze froze. Ethan’s car was parked under the phoenix tree across the street. He leaned against the car in an all-black outfit, tilting his head to smoke. His prominent Adam’s apple moved seductively as he inhaled. Pale smoke curled up, lingering around his noble, handsome face before being gently scattered by the night wind.
The night was thick, and he seemed to merge with the darkness. When he saw Ava, Ethan’s eyes deepened. After a moment, he dropped the cigarette, crushed it under his foot, and walked over. Ava didn’t want to see him. She got out of the car and hurried toward the elevator, but Ethan’s unhurried footsteps echoed behind her. Finally, he blocked her at the apartment door: “Ava, can we talk?”
“Talk about what?”
Ava took out her keys from her handbag, her attitude cold: “Is there anything left for us to talk about?” Those humid nights, the man’s coaxing words—they felt like a dream. Fortunately, she hadn’t taken them seriously!
She opened the door to go inside, but Ethan stuck a foot to block it. In a dizzying moment, Ava was pressed against the wall beside her. The man propped both hands on either side of her shoulders, staring at her deeply with an unusual seriousness in his eyes. After a moment, he leaned in, wanting to kiss her as he used to. Ava sharply turned her face away, refusing his touch.
Ethan stared at her, his voice slightly hoarse: “What’s wrong?”
Under the light, Ava’s face was as pale as snow. Without the title of Ronin’s vice president, she seemed much softer than before, drawing him closer. His Adam’s apple rolled seductively, his voice growing even hoarser. “Ava, it’s not what you think.”
Ava retorted: “Then what is it?” She despised herself. Her husband had taken a fancy to that young girl, parading around with her without a care for decency. The irony was that he was now clinging to her, pretending to be affectionate.
She felt utterly humiliated, her voice even tinged with sorrow—“Ethan, I told you we’re done. That night, you asked if I liked you! I didn’t answer then, but now I can. Yes, I used to like you, but not anymore. In fact, I feel sick. Are you satisfied with that answer?” After speaking, a faint wetness glistened in Ava’s eyes. She said: “That’s it. Don’t come again.”
She gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. A sliver of bright light from the room spilled out, casting a lonely shadow over Ethan. Ava softly closed the door,look at the crystal chandelier, holding back the moisture in her eyes.
snowball ran over, nipping at her trouser legs and barking. Ava slowly squatted down, stroking the little dog’s smooth fur, and whispered: “Are you hungry? I’ll feed you right away.” snowball barked twice.
After feeding snowball, Ava prepared to take a shower. When she went to get her bathrobe, she unexpectedly saw Ethan’s black shirt. For so many nights, she’d worn it while being held in his arms. Back then, she’d almost wavered. Ava stared at it for a moment, then pulled it out and threw it directly into the trash can.
Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom…
The moon sank westward. In the pitch-black night, the plane trees on the first floor swayed in the wind, rustling like a sad girl silently weeping. Inside the black RV, the noble man sat flipping through photos on his phone. It was their wedding photo—Ava leaned gently on his shoulder, smiling sweetly. At 22, Ava wasn’t yet Ronin’s vice president; she was still quite naive.
Ethan couldn’t help reaching out, brushing his finger over Ava’s image for the first time. Through the cold phone screen, he tried to feel her smile, recalling how she’d once loved him. Now, Ava didn’t like him anymore. When exactly had he lost her affection?
Three days later, in Ronin Group’s president’s office. Ethan was clearly in a bad mood. On his desk lay a court summons. The plaintiff was his wife, requesting a divorce and division of marital property. Ethan leaned back on the sofa, one long leg crossed over the other, picking up the summons with one hand. He asked Secretary Lena beside him softly: “Has she hired a lawyer?”
Lena answered truthfully: “She’s hired the famous lawyer Jonathan. He’s very capable. Even Benjamin might not guarantee a win against him.”
Ethan glanced at her, his tone calmly: “Who said I’m going to fight Ava in court? That’s her one-sided idea. I have no intention of divorcing.”
Lena: Huh?
Ethan set the summons on the coffee table, his long fingers tapping lightly on it. His eyes drooped slightly, and his straight nose caught the glow of the setting sun—a truly pleasing sight. After a moment, he ordered softly—“Arrange a dinner with Lawyer Jonathan for me. Also, leak the news…”
Lena’s heart skipped a beat. Ethan was serious. As a woman, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for Ava’s years of devotion.
With Ethan’s interference, Lawyer Jonathan returned Ava’s deposit and personally called to apologize, offering to treat her to dinner as a gesture of remorse.
Ava declined—not out of disrespect, but because she was too busy.
She asked Annie to find another lawyer. Annie pressed a tissue to her nose, her voice squeaky: “No one in Newglory dares take our case, Ava. I bet it’s Ethan behind this. No one else has that kind of power.”
Ava smiled bitterly. It seemed Ethan was determined to fight her. Four years of marriage, and in the end, she had nothing!
Ava didn’t blame Annie, only telling her to keep looking for a lawyer who would take the case. The fee she offered was high—2% of the divided property. Three days later, Annie finally found a promising young lawyer willing to take it.
Ava arranged to meet him at a café. In the afternoon, a high-end street café was half-shaded by towering plane trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting golden speckles inside, making the whole café shimmer like floating gold.
Ava sat across from the young lawyer. She took out her documents, ready to discuss the case, but the lawyer hurriedly said: “Margret, I’m so sorry.”
Ava paused, her hand on the file bag, then looked up at him. The young lawyer took a sip of coffee, then mustered the courage to say: “I didn’t check properly before. I had no idea who you were.” He continued, ashamed: “Margret, honestly, no lawyer in the city dares take your case. No one wants to offend Ethan or Ronin Group. And legally, the case is stacked against you.” With that, he stood up and bowed deeply to Ava, sincerely apologizing: “I really am sorry.”
Ava didn’t blame him. In this city, wasn’t everyone just trying to make a living? The young lawyer left, looking almost tragic. No doubt Ethan had given him a harsh lesson—using power and wealth.
Ava didn’t leave right away. She sat quietly, slowly finishing her half-drunk coffee.
Suddenly, a familiar male voice sounded beside her: “Meeting someone here for business?” Ava looked up and saw Benjamin…
