h1 ss="article-title"Chapter 4 His Calls No Longer Have Power/h1ul id="article-main-ul" ss="article-list"li ss="text"I turned to look at Shawn. It had been years since he’d shown any real concern for me, and I almost found itughable./lili ss="text"But, of course, his worry wasn’t about me—it was about maintaining his wife’s image./lili ss="text"“What’s wrong with my outfit?” I asked, unwilling to stay silent this time./lili ss="text"Shawn frowned, clearly displeased. But that was just how he was. As long as something didn’t interfere with his core interests, he would tolerate it./lili ss="text"“Nothing. Just don’t stay out toote.” With that, he turned and went upstairs. In the background, I could still hear my mother coaxing Yuna, urging her to eat a little more./lili ss="text"I watched the scene unfold, shaking my head. I wouldn’t stop others from doting on Yuna, but I had lost the ability to love. I could no longer spoil her the way a mother should./lili ss="text"Grabbing my car keys, I stepped outside./lili ss="text"Shawn had given me a silver Mercedes-Benz E-ss, but there were other options in the garage. I usually drove the Bentley when picking Yuna up from school. After all, it made a better statement./lili ss="text"I started the engine and pressed the gas./lili ss="text"Under the night sky, I had ns to meet a former university friend. Mnie Justice was awyer who had spent years building a career in this city. She was unmarried and had recently bought her home, inviting me to her housewarming party./lili ss="text"That day, Yuna had fallen sick. Her vomiting and diarrhea kept me at her side all day. When Shawn came home, he med me for taking her to an indoor yground, saying that was how she had caught a virus./lili ss="text"Thinking about thest time I had missed out, I took the initiative to invite Mnie tonight./lili ss="text"She arrived in a rush with a briefcase, looking surprised./lili ss="text"I handed her a blue gift box I had bought earlier. “I wasn’t able to attend your housewarming, so this is for you.”/lili ss="text"Mnie opened it and gasped. She lifted the gold bracelet inside and immediately slipped it onto her wrist./lili ss="text"“My God, Tiffany, this is too much … It’s too expensive,” she said, though her eyes sparkled with delight./lili ss="text"I pressed her hand before she could take it off. “If you consider me a friend, then just ept it.”/lili ss="text"Tears welled in her eyes as she hugged me. “Thank you, Tiffany. I love it.”/lili ss="text"Hearing her say that, I smiled and pulled out two movie tickets. “Come watch a movie with me.”/lili ss="text"Mnie shot me a teasing look, clearly surprised. “Oh? Why the sudden movie invitation? Did your husband and little princess finally grant you some time off?”/lili ss="text"“I don’t let them dictate my life anymore. From now on, I’ll be the one making my choices.” Thinking back to my past, I had always been caught up in endless tasks—so busy, yet never truly living for myself./lili ss="text"“Seriously?” Mnie eyed me with disbelief, though her excitement was unmistakable. “Well, I must say, I like this new, carefree version of you—reminds me of the old days.”/lili ss="text"I nodded. “I like it too.”/lili ss="text"As we stepped into the theater, Mnie suddenly reached out and touched my back. I turned to her in confusion./lili ss="text"Grinning mischievously, she lifted her hand. “Your back is gorgeous—I just had to touch it. It’s strange, though. You always used to dress so conservatively. What made you change your style today?”/lili ss="text"I smiled. “Do I look good?”/lili ss="text"Leaning in close, she whispered, “You’re practically hypnotizing every man within ten feet of you. Of course, you look good. That fair, delicate back of yours—such a little temptress!”/lili ss="text"I couldn’t help butugh. She hadn’t changed at all—still as bold as ever. She reminded me of my younger self./lili ss="text"“Let them stare all they want,” I murmured back. “A wise person once said that beauty is meant to be seen. Hiding it would be a waste.”/lili ss="text"“Won’t Shawn get jealous?” Mnie teased as if his jealousy mattered to me./lili ss="text"I chuckled. “If he feels the need to control what his wife wears, he isn’t much of a man.”/lili ss="text"Mnie burst intoughter at that, drawing curious nces from the people around us./lili ss="text"She quickly covered her mouth and shot me a re. “This is your fault. You just made me forget how to act like ady.”/lili ss="text"Smirking, I handed her the bucket of popcorn. “Here. Stuff your mouth with this and behave.”/lili ss="text"The movie didn’t hold my interest, but Mnie waspletely into it, her eyes gleaming with excitement./lili ss="text"I leaned back in my seat, resting my chin on my hand. Finally, I had a moment to process the reality that I had traveled back in time./lili ss="text"At 26, I was still young. I had my whole future ahead of me, and this time, I would live for myself./lili ss="text"For now, I was a wealthy wife, blessed with money, beauty, and a carefree life. In my previous life, I had believed that was the peak of sess for a woman. I had been satisfied with a life without ambition, devoting myself entirely to raising my daughter./lili ss="text"I had even dreamed of having a son—one as capable and charismatic as Shawn—so I could depend on my husband in my youth and my son in old age./lili ss="text"But in reality, ever since Queena entered the picture, Shawn and I had barely been intimate. A whole year could pass without anything happening between us, while I, young and full of desire, longed for more. During my ovtion period each month, I would wait eagerly for him toe home./lili ss="text"However, he acted as if he didn’t see the effort I put into dressing up for him. Without a second nce, he would disappear into his study, staying there until the early hours of the morning before retreating to the guest room./lili ss="text"I would lie awake, restless and frustrated, tossing and turning as I debated whether to gather the courage to knock on his door./lili ss="text"Shawn was gentle and refined, not particrly intense in bed. But when he did engage, he couldst an hour. He was quite restrained./lili ss="text"He filled my mind with expectations and fantasies, yet real moments between us were scarce, leaving me even more frustrated./lili ss="text"When the frustration became too much, I had no choice but to solve it myself, but it always felt hollow and unfulfilling./lili ss="text"“Tiffany, is your phone ringing?” Mnie’s voice pulled me from my thoughts./lili ss="text"I nced at the screen, seeing Shawn’s name sh./lili ss="text"Slipping the phone back into my bag, I said casually, “I don’t want to be bothered while watching the movie.”/lili ss="text"Mnie blinked at me in surprise before reminding me, “Tiffany, it’s Shawn.”/lili ss="text"Resting my chin on my hand, I kept my eyes on the screen and responded calmly, “I know. I’m not picking up.”/lili ss="text"Her jaw dropped as she gawked at me for a long time./lili ss="text"I understood why she was so shocked. In my previous life, Shawn’s calls had been likemands, and I had treated each one as urgent. Ignoring him had never been an option./lili ss="text"But now, after everything he had put me through—both emotionally and physically—I refused to obey him anymore./lili ss="text"The phone eventually stopped ringing. But soon after, a message came in./lili ss="text"Shawn said Yuna had a stomachache and needed to go to the hospital. He asked when I would be home./li/ul