Chapter 4

Judy and Waldo had been childhood friends. Everyone could see the sparks between them from early on.

But Judy was just a girl from a humble background, while Waldo was the heir to a rich family. There was no way the Nash family would ever let Judy become one of them.

To put an end to their budding romance, Waldo's mom, Lucy Nash, handed Judy 3 million dollars and sent her overseas for school.

To Waldo, it was like Judy disappeared from his world without so much as a goodbye.

So two years later, when the Nash family arranged a marriage between him and Robin, Waldo just settled for it, even though he didn't have any feelings for Robin.

Only a month after the wedding, Judy's mom was struck by a sudden, fatal illness and passed away.

Judy returned home for Veronica's funeral and reunited with Waldo.

She moved into the villa, claiming she was there to continue taking care of the Nash family, just like her mother had done.

After seeing all this, a trace of sarcasm flickered in Robin's eyes.

Her best friend's voice rang out. "Robin, what are you gonna do about that woman? Do you want to throw money at her and kick her out, or..."

Robin gave a bitter laugh. "Obviously, I'm divorcing Waldo."

There was a dead silence on the other end of the line.

After a brief pause, Robin's friend finally spoke up again. "Are you sure? You've liked Waldo for years and given so much for him. Are you really okay with just letting it all go?

"I'm telling you, think it through. If you get divorced, you're just handing the homewrecker a free pass. Once that happens, it'll be too late to regret it!"

Robin couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

She wondered how obsessed she was with Waldo back then for her best friend to say something like that.

Robin took a deep breath, got to her feet, and said, "I've made up my mind, and I won't regret it."

An hour later, Robin showed up at City Hall.

She called Waldo nine times, but he ignored every single call.

Finally, on the tenth try, he picked up. Robin jumped right in. "Didn't we say we'd do the divorce at ten?"

But she didn't hear Waldo's usual deep, magnetic voice on the other end.

Instead, she heard deafening rock music, shaking the whole place.

Waldo, who always said he couldn't stand loud noises and hated rowdy crowds, was actually in a bar where the music was blasting way past a hundred decibels.

Robin gripped her phone tight, her breath felt like needles, pain spreading through her chest.

Waldo must've picked up by accident. He didn't respond to her at all.

His patient, deep voice cut through the blaring rock music and reached Robin's ears. "Judy, stop messing around.

"If you stay in a place like this for too long, you'll have an even harder time sleeping tonight."

The two of them slipped away to somewhere quieter.

Suddenly, the noise dropped to almost nothing. Robin could hear every breath they took, mingling in the silence.

Judy said softly, "Waldo, you never really understood me, did you?

"It's not just the noise that keeps me up at night.

"Honestly, if you're with me, I could sleep through anything, no matter how loud it is..."

Waldo's voice was strained, holding back. "Judy, I have a wife now."

Judy choked out. "Waldo, I'm not asking you to marry me, or to stay with me forever. I just want you to be here for a few hours. Even half an hour would be enough! Can't you just stay with me so I can finally get some sleep?

"If you're just here with me, that's all I need."

Judy whimpered softly, "Waldo, I haven't slept well in ages."

Robin couldn't help but hold her breath in the tense silence.

At last, Waldo sighed, sounding defeated.

"Alright," he said.

Judy's breaths soon grew calm and steady, soft and peaceful.

Robin just stared at the screen. The call was still going, but her hands were shaking so much that she nearly dropped her phone.

Finally, with a ghostly pale face, Robin reached for the end call button.

But then Waldo's voice came through again, hoarse and low, full of regret. "Why did you have to come back, only after I got married?"

He held back his feelings so much, only daring to let his true emotions escape when Judy was finally asleep.

Robin felt like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, the pain so intense it left her breathless.

If Judy had come back sooner, Robin wondered what Waldo would have done.

She wondered if he would have ignored his family's warnings and walked away from being the heir just to marry Judy.

She wondered if he would give up everything just to grow old with her.

Robin didn't dare let her mind go any further.

She hung up, then dialed Waldo again, her voice shaky and on the verge of breaking.

She asked, "Are you coming or not? Weren't we supposed to get the divorce done at ten?"