Chapter 5
After finishing my meal, I headed to my study.
There was a photo of Emily and me on my desk.
It was taken on our first anniversary together.
In the picture, Emily's smile was pure and innocent as she leaned close to me.
I picked up the photo and stared at it for a long time.
Then I tore it into pieces.
Just then, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.
"Hello, is this Mr. David Carter?"
"Yes."
"This is Mark Evans."
I gripped my phone tighter, feeling a sudden tension in my chest.
"Why are you calling me?" I asked, my voice cold.
"I want to talk to you," Mark said.
"What's there to talk about?" I shot back.
"It's about Emily," he replied.
"She's with you now. She's got nothing to do with me," I said, my tone icy.
"It's not like that, Mr. Carter," Mark said.
"So what is it then?" I shot back.
"Emily and I really love each other," Mark replied.
"If you really loved her, why didn't you show up earlier? Why wait until she was already married?" I shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"We didn't even meet until after she got married," Mark said.
"So you think it's okay to just wreck someone else's marriage?" I shot back.
"You can't force love," Mark replied.
"Mark, I'm warning you. Don't call me again," I said, my voice cold.
"Mr. Carter, I hope you'll let us be together," Mark said.
"Let you be together?" I almost laughed out of sheer anger at that word.
"My wife is sleeping with another man, and you expect me to just let it slide?" I shot back.
"Emily's really hurting. She said you froze all her cards yesterday," Mark said.
"So what?" I replied, my tone icy.
"She's completely broke," Mark said.
"She can earn her own money," I replied coldly.
"Mr. Carter, you were husband and wife. Do you really have to be this ruthless?" Mark pleaded.
Furious, I hung up on him.
Husband and wife? Who was really ruthless first?
After a moment, my phone rang again. This time, it was Emily.
I hesitated for a few seconds, but I still answered.
"David." Her voice sounded exhausted.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice cold.
"I know Markie called you," she said.
"So?" I replied, my tone icy.
"I didn't tell him to call you," she said.
"I don't care," I replied, my voice cold.
"David, can you just unfreeze one of my cards for now? I'm really short on cash," she said.
"What do you need money for?" I asked, my voice cold.
"Just to eat and get some things I need," she replied.
"Why don't you ask your lover for it?" I shot back.
"Mark's struggling, too, right now," Emily said.
This whole conversation was just ridiculous.
"Emily, do you really think this is right?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
"What?" she asked, sounding confused.
"You cheated on me, and now you're asking me for money?" I shot back.
"I just..." she started.
"What? You really think I should be the one supporting you and your lover?" I shot back.
"No, David. I just need a little money for now," she said.
"Tomorrow, I'll give you the divorce papers. Sign them, and you'll get a house and half a million in cash," I said coldly.
"Divorce papers?" Emily echoed, her voice shaky.
"Yes. Be at the law firm at ten tomorrow morning," I said coldly.
"David, can't we please talk this over?" she pleaded.
"There's nothing left to talk about," I replied before hanging up on her.
Then I blocked her number.
The next morning, I arrived at the law firm right on time.
Emily was already there, with Mark by her side.
She looked completely drained, her eyes red and puffy—she'd obviously been crying.
"Mr. Carter, you're here," Richard said as he stood up to shake my hand.
I nodded and sat down across from them.
"I've already confirmed the terms of the agreement with Mr. Carter yesterday. Ms. Foster, please review it," Richard said.
Emily took the agreement and read through it carefully.
After a few minutes, she looked up at me.
"An apartment and half a million?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"Where's the house?" she asked.
"It's in a neighborhood in the East District. Two bedrooms, one living room, well renovated," I replied.
She nodded and turned to Richard. "Can I think about it?"
"Of course," Richard said.
Emily and Mark went over to the corner, whispering to each other.
I stayed where I was, staring out the window.
The weather was gorgeous, sunlight streaming in.
But my mood was anything but sunny.