Chapter 4

I knew it. There must be a reason he called me.

They all liked to come and take my house.

Maybe the taxi had the heat on, and it was stuffy.

I felt a splitting headache, and after a long while, I took a breath and spoke.

"Has Nora been there?" I said.

There was a rare hint of guilt in Jonah's voice. "It was accidental. She just happened to pass by once."

It was a high-end gated community with security thick enough to stop a fly; no outside car or visitor got in. How could Nora have just happened to be passing through?

I wanted to laugh a little, but I couldn't.

I slowly took a deep breath.

After a long while, I responded, "No."

Jonah's fake amiability immediately faded a little.

He said, "It's just a house. I'll give you two other villas in exchange; you'll only profit from it."

"I won't exchange it," I answered without any hesitation.

My chest felt like it was blocked by a thick fog, and I almost couldn't catch my breath.

Jonah couldn't pretend anymore, and his voice became a little impatient. "Ella, why are you doing this?"

Fury flooded every inch of me. For a moment, I couldn't control my emotions and shouted, "I said I won't change it. I just won't change it."

The driver looked back through the rearview mirror.

I clenched my hands, my palms aching, and tried to calm myself down.

Jonah, on the other end, seemed to be a little annoyed and angry, "Ella, we're splitting the divorce property 70/30, and I don't think I've treated you unfairly.

"If it weren't for you, why would Nora and I have had to wait until today to be together again?

"It's just an apartment. Do you have to be so possessive of something Nora likes?"

After seven years of marriage, this was the first time I had heard Jonah say so much.

The hatred hidden in his heart had been hidden for too long, and there would always be a day when it would be vented.

I tried my best to calm down, but I couldn't stop myself from shaking violently.

With a stinging in my eyes, I sneered, "Then go ahead and sue me. See if you can get the house."

They didn't have the patience to listen to me and interrupted me directly, "I'll talk to you in person tomorrow."

Before I could say another word, the call was hung up.

The breath that rushed to my throat wouldn't come out or go down.

With a stabbing pain in my chest, I opened the window, my hand shaking as I wanted to smash the phone out.

But in the end, I slowly lowered my hand.

I wouldn't change anything even if I smashed it.

I put down my phone, raised my trembling hands, and buried my face in my palms.

I felt like crying for some reason, but no tears came out.

Everyone accused me of taking their things.

But clearly, they promised first and said they would treat me well.

My heart ached, and I couldn't stop coughing.

The phone rang again.

My vision blurred. I answered and burst out in anger. "I won't talk to you. It's no use you looking for me. Just sue me."

After a long silence, a gentle and puzzled male voice came from the other end. "Ella, what's wrong?"

I was stunned for a moment.

Looking at my phone again, I realized it was Dominic Atherton calling.

It wasn't Jonah.

When my mother was still alive, she and Dominic's mother were close friends for many years.

Therefore, I had had a lot of interactions with Dominic.

Now he was considered my partner.

We were classmates at the Academy of Fine Arts in college, and we opened a gallery together after graduation.

It just occurred to me that there is an art exhibition in Sealion tomorrow.

I originally made an appointment with him to go together tonight.

I tried to calm down and apologized to him, saying that because of something urgent, I couldn't go to the art exhibition over there.

I made another appointment with him to chat in person when he has time another day.

Given my current situation, I definitely didn't have the energy to manage the gallery.

I was thinking of telling him to liquidate the gallery's assets and then transfer the gallery to his name alone.

I was very tired and didn't want to say more about the reasons now.

Fortunately, Dominic didn't press the issue.

After a few simple words of concern, the call ended.

I returned home and saw the tire tracks in the snow near the entrance.

Jonah had been here not long ago.

He must have come with Nora, and they saw the potted flowers blooming in the front yard amidst the heavy snow, just beyond the iron gate.

But I changed the door lock password, and they couldn't get in.

Nora had always loved flowers and plants.

No wonder Jonah would call me late at night to ask me to give her the house.

I opened the door and went inside.

My phone made a sound, and Jonah sent a message.

Jonah: [See you at the usual cafe tomorrow at 3 PM.]

I gripped my phone tightly in my palm, the edges digging painfully into my fingers.

Jonah's words echoed in my mind again.

"If it weren't for you, why would Nora and I have had to wait until today to be together again?"

A sweet, metallic taste surged in my throat, and with trembling hands, I slammed my phone into the snow.

Then, I picked up the pots of flowers and smashed them onto the ground.

Let's destroy everything, destroy it all.

No one should have anything.