Chapter 4 A Hunch
Not long after Lenora returned home, she received a call from her cousin
overseas.
“Your fake death procedures and the visa are all done. I’ll pick you up in a week. By then, there will be no more Lenora Brandt in this world.”
Lenora flipped through the calendar, found the date a week later, and said softly, “Dane, come in the evening. That day is my birthday. I’d like to celebrate it before I leave.”
A light chuckle came through the phone. “That’s not your real birthday. It’s just a random date assigned by the orphanage. But it doesn’t matter. After searching for you for so long, one more day won’t hurt.”
After hanging up, Lenora circled the date on the calendar with a red pen.
It didn’t really matter whether that day was her actual birthday.
She and Zavier had registered their marriage on that date. It marked their fourth wedding anniversary and ten years together.
She planned to properly say goodbye to Zavier on that day, and then leave without looking back.
Just after ending the call, Zavier’s call came in.
“Nora, who were you talking to? I just realized you weren’t at the office. Did you see something? Why didn’t you wait for me to take you home?”
Zavier sounded flustered, like a child abandoned by his parents.
Lenora responded gently, “I got bored, so I came home. You were signing the contract, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Only then did his voice relax. “You never disturb me. You left without a word, so I was worried about you.”
Lenora smiled faintly and didn’t reply.
Who knew whether he was worried about her, or worried that she might have seen something she shouldn’t have?
That night, when Zavier returned home, he showered and climbed into bed, wrapping Lenora in his arms.
Unlike other men who smoked, drank, or played video games, Zavier’s only pastime was chatting with Lenora.
In the past, they could talk all night. But today, Zavier talked until his throat was almost hoarse, and Lenora remained silent.
She didn’t know what to say.
“My birthday is in a week,” she finally said, breaking the silence.
Zavier hugged her tighter with a smile. “Of course I remember my Nora’s birthday. It’s also our wedding anniversary. I’ll take the day off and spend it with you. Have you thought about how to celebrate it?”
Lenora had already decided how to mark her departure. She wasn’t materialistic. She wanted happiness and romance. “Let’s go watch the fireworks at Disneyland. You’ve promised me for years, but we’ve never gone.”
She had always wanted to see the fireworks at Disneyland. In the past, they were too poor to afford even the entrance tickets. Later, they had the money, but Zavier could never find the time.
Now that she was leaving, it was time to put an end to that regret.
“Alright, then I’ll reserve the entire fireworks show for you. I’ll let it go on all night.”
While Zavier was still immersed in the fantasy of the coming week, his phone on the bedside table rang. After glancing at it, he tensed up.
“Nora, something urgent came up at work. Go to sleep now and don’t wait for me.”
With that, Zavier got up and went to the study.
Lenora didn’t dwell on whether it was truly work or someone else he was dealing with. She didn’t feel like so.
After Zavier left, Lenora turned off the lights and tried to sleep, but the constant dinging of notifications kept her awake.
She picked up her phone and saw a message from Melany. “I’m pregnant. Zavier is really happy about it.”
Lenora stared at the message, expressionless.
She had always known that Zavier wanted a child. When she first got pregnant, he had practically worshipped her. At that time, he was eager to pamper her every moment. But no one expected that the baby wouldn’t
survive.
To this day, Lenora was still grieving the fact that she couldn’t have another child.
And now, Zavier was going to be a father.
In the darkness, the harsh glow from her phone made Lenora dizzy. She calmly typed a reply and sent it. “Congratulations.”
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Melany hadn’t expected Lenora to stay so composed after learning her husband was having a child with someone else.
She must be faking it!
“Let’s make a bet,” Melany sent. “Let’s see who matters more to Zavier. You, or me and this child? If you lose, walk away from the marriage and give up the title of Mrs. Velez to me.”
Melany’s eager power play made Lenora laugh out loud. She casually typed a few words. “No need to bet. I admit defeat.”
Lenora never believed she would lose it. She simply had no desire to compete with Melany.
Once she left, the title of Mrs. Velez would eventually be Melany’s anyway. What was there to gamble over?
But Melany mistook Lenora’s words for sarcasm and sent a more provocative message, a photo of her in bed with Zavier.
“Don’t be too confident. The baby will be the reason you lose completely.”
Lenora put away her phone without daring to take a closer look at the photo. She thought she was calm enough, but the moment she saw it, her heart still twisted with pain.
Maybe it was because of Melany’s pregnancy, Zavier had been leaving early and coming back late these days. Most of the time he used to spend with Lenora now went to Melany.
Even on the night before Lenora’s birthday, he didn’t come back until late.
Then came her birthday.
For the first time in a long while, Lenora felt a flicker of excitement. It
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was not because of her birthday or any anniversary, but because she was finally about to leave.
“Nora, something came up at work. I’ll go handle it. Wait for me downstairs in an hour. I’ll pick you up and we’ll spend the whole day at Disneyland and then watch the fireworks at night,” Zavier said
apologetically after taking a phone call.
Lenora nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll wait for
you.”
Zavier had always been reliable with timing when it came to work, so I enora didn’t doubt him. She waited at home for an hour before going downstairs.
It was already noon.
Lenora stood under the scorching sun for a full hour, but Zavier’s car never appeared. She called him, but he didn’t answer. The linked tracking app showed he was at a maternity and child hospital.
Only then did Lenora realize that he had lied to her once again.
She gave a mocking laugh. But there was no bitterness in it. After all, Zavier had been lying to her for half a year. She was already on her way out anyway.
“I’ll wait for you at Disneyland. Come find me after you finish with work.” Lenora sent the message, put her phone away, and took a cab to Disneyland alone.
On the way, she had a hunch.
It seemed like she and Zavier… wouldn’t get the chance to say a proper goodbye.
