CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 2: LONG-AWAITED REUNION

"I’m serious." I sat up straight, meeting those oppressive eyes head-on, "It’s been five years. Since you won’t fall in love with me anyway, let’s give each other a way out."

In a month, City A will host a large-scale business forum. Henry Preston will be there and will meet Azure Vaughn, who’s working as a greeter, and fall in love at first sight, determined to have her at any cost.

Such an intense story, I don’t want to be a part of it as the scapegoat in their legendary love story.

What I want to do, can do, and should have done, I already completed in a past life, and got the final result. In this life, I won’t turn myself into a joke or drag The Hathaway Family into an abyss.

I’ve decided to step away before Henry and Azure meet, giving them the first move on their rocky road to love.

Maybe it was my genuinely serious expression, but Henry’s face turned immediately sour and ugly. He always had a bad temper, and whenever someone ticked him off, he never spared any feelings.

"Haha, so now I’m Henry Preston, and I’ve become someone else’s plaything?" He laughed, but his eyes were cold, "Five years ago, it was you who insisted on marrying me, and now it’s you who wants a divorce, Zoe Hathaway, are you playing with me?"

Five years ago, The Preston Family and The Hathaway Family had good relations and pushed for our marriage.

Given Henry’s personality, it was impossible for him to be so obedient, but things changed when his grandfather from The Preston Family fell gravely ill and forced him to marry me.

To Henry, it was an extremely humiliating thing. Fortunately, he didn’t have a deeply loved ideal woman, and he happened to be gradually taking over the family business and needed a good partner, so we made do for five years.

I gave a bitter smile, "Do you still want to continue this marriage in name only with me?"

"In name only?" Henry seemed to be mulling over those words carefully, then raised an eyebrow and asked sarcastically, "Oh, are you feeling lonely and empty?"

"No, I just..." I was choosing my words carefully.

But Henry had already stood up and walked over to my side. He bent down, placing his hands on either side of the sofa, creating a circle with his embrace, trapping me inside, his voice somewhat alluring, "If you were lonely, why didn’t you contact me? Instead, you’re asking for a divorce, are your desires that strong?"

Henry loved smoking, always carrying a faint fresh scent blended with tobacco.

Of course, he never hugged me; I had secretly smelled his coat before.

At that moment, the complex and enchanting scent surrounded me. Logically, I should have been excited and flushed, but in reality, I just felt oppressed.

I was someone ready to leave, and anything that might sway me felt like a bad omen.

"That’s not why!" I tried to explain, but after so many days and nights, I had already grown accustomed to loneliness.

"Is that so?" Henry straightened up. He was never interested in me anyway, and that earlier flirtation was just to embarrass me, so he wouldn’t lose control.

I’m a 27-year-old married woman, giving off an aura of resentment rather than charming allure.

"Zoe Hathaway, I know today is our fifth wedding anniversary, but I’m not interested in celebrating these things. If you intend to use this as a reason for our divorce, I advise you not to bother." Henry stood in front of me, looking down with a cold voice.

"After not celebrating for years, I’d hardly start fussing about the anniversary now." I stood up too, looking up at Henry, "Think it over carefully. By now, you should have pretty much exhausted my usefulness, and more than me, you need freedom, don’t you?"

Having said that, I headed upstairs to the bedroom without looking back, not wanting to say anything more.

Downstairs, there was the sound of a door slamming, followed by the roar of a car engine outside. I knew Henry had left, but this time I felt very calm inside.

At that moment, my phone rang. It was my friend Crystal Dawson calling.

"Zoe, come out and have fun, let’s hit The Nightingale Garden!" Crystal’s booming voice shattered my gloom. She’s about my age but still single.

Since getting married, I seldom went out. Crystal could invite me ten times, and I could refuse her nine times, yet still, she was very persistent.

"Sure!" I readily agreed, so much so that there was a long silence on the other end.

"Today is your anniversary with Henry Preston, are you sure you want to go out and play??" Crystal finally spoke again, her tone full of doubt and shock.

For four years in a row, I had used the wedding anniversary as an excuse to refuse Crystal.

"Yes, it’s an anniversary, not a memorial. I’ll be right there." I answered Crystal with certainty, then hung up the phone.

Opening my closet, I saw a sea of black, white, and gray, with blue being a rare color. Each luxury brand had a variety of brilliant designs, and I, the poor fool, spent big bucks on the dullest styles.

After ten minutes, I picked out a halter black dress that wasn’t so dull, with a silky texture and a plunging V-neck that went almost down to the navel. The waist had an elastic band accentuating my overly slender waist, leaving my snow-white arms exposed and most of my back bare.

I remembered buying this dress specifically to seduce Henry, but that month, he didn’t even come home.

The only thing I’m displeased with is that my chest is too flat, somewhat unworthy of the dress’s allure.

I’ll make do with it, eat more, and it will be fine, I comforted myself.

After getting dressed and putting on makeup, I went to the garage, got into a red Porsche, and headed straight to The Nightingale Garden.

The Nightingale Garden is a nightclub in City A, with a wild artistic name.

After parking, I went inside and found Crystal and the others at a designated bar area.

In college, Crystal Dawson, Tiana O’Connell, Leah Lane, and I were known as the four great talents of the Music Department. Everyone thought that after graduation, we would all make our mark. Instead, I got married young, Crystal became a nightclub Casanova, Tiana climbed to a deputy manager position at her company, and only Leah remained steadfast, participating in music competitions everywhere, vowing to become a singer.

"Long time no see, long time no see!" Crystal treated our meeting like a state affair, leaping down from her high stool and shaking my hand with excitement.

The other two nodded repeatedly because I had almost disappeared from the scene after marriage.

For Henry, I gave up my social circle.

After a few drinks, Tiana sighed, "Zoe, if you don’t come out this time, I would have doubted if the event I attended five years ago was your wedding or your funeral."

Completely dead.

"Strange, no candlelight dinner at home today?" Crystal asked curiously, pulling open my eyelids, "Come on, let me see, did that jerk Henry ignore you again, did you cry?"

"Could you not pull off my false eyelashes?" I swatted Crystal’s hand away.