Chapter 2
By the time we got to Southside City Hall, I was finally starting to feel a little better.
But then a scream ruined it all.
Lily was standing at the entrance, covering her mouth, her face pale as she stared at Andrew.
She was strutting in stiletto heels, a Chanel dress, and an Hermès bag, her makeup flawless.
Even her nails and hair were perfectly styled.
She looked so young and beautiful, practically showing off.
I couldn't tell if she was all dressed up to flaunt her victory at me, or ready to celebrate her new life with Andrew.
But whatever she had planned, it all fell flat now.
Lily threw herself into Andrew's arms, her eyes brimming with tears as she gently touched his face. "Andrew, did that awful woman hit you? How could she be so heartless? Why didn't you fight back?"
Andrew's voice was strict, but there was a hint of indulgence in it. "Be good, don't make a scene. It's only a scratch. I couldn't let her make you feel bad."
Lily pouted, looking all wronged, and buried her face in Andrew's chest.
Andrew immediately softened, whispering gentle words to comfort her.
The two of them clung to each other, acting all dramatic and making a scene. It made me want to puke.
I said, "Are we getting divorced or not? If not, I'm leaving."
Andrew immediately let go of Lily. "Divorce."
He probably didn't want all those slaps to be for nothing.
But Lily spread her arms out in front of me, blocking my way. "You need to apologize to Andrew first. No wonder he can't stand you. Why are you so mean?"
She was half a head shorter than me, looking up with teary eyes, glaring at me in anger.
She had that reckless, innocent courage.
No wonder Andrew liked her.
Being with a girl like her really did make one feel like one was back in the teenage years, both in mindset and intelligence.
I stuffed the divorce papers into my bag and nodded. "Fine. Then you can keep being the other woman."
Lily froze.
I gave her a once-over, my eyes moving from her dress, to her bag, her shoes, and finally the diamond bracelet on her wrist.
"You'll be living in the dark, always hiding," I said. "If I ever feel like settling scores, every dollar Andrew spent on you, I can take back. Including this whole outfit.""Including this whole outfit."
Lily's face changed instantly.
Andrew frowned. "Charlotte."
I looked at him. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
He stayed silent.
Lily finally gave up.
With Andrew comforting her, she stood off to the side, standing there all pitiful, watching us handle the paperwork.
But that day, we didn't end up getting the divorce papers, because I suddenly changed my mind.
Not that I didn't want the divorce.
I thought the deal could use a little more tweaking.
After all, I was not the type to take a loss.
That was what Andrew said.
As I walked out of city hall, the December chill hit me hard, filling my lungs.
The pain I'd been ignoring finally started to rise up from my chest.
I remembered what Andrew had said about me, selfish and cold. It wasn't the first time he'd called me that.
Andrew really worked hard to win me over. He chased me for two years, and I never gave him a straight answer.
Back then, he used to sigh a lot. "Charlotte, you look all gentle and sweet, but honestly, you're the most selfish and cold-hearted person I've ever met. You never let anyone get close, so you won't get hurt."
Funny thing was, someone like me, selfish and cold, ended up dropping all my defenses for him once we got together.
After graduation, we both wanted to go to grad school. But we couldn't afford it.
I happened to land a pretty good job, so I gritted my teeth and told Andrew to focus on his studies. I would work and support him.
Rent in Cloudview was insane.
With my paycheck, I could only afford a tiny room without a private bathroom.
We were seriously broke back then.
We had no money for restaurants, so I bought a little electric stove, set it up by the window, and cooked simple meals.
Whenever I got a bonus, we'd treat ourselves to that restaurant at the end of the street.
It was always winter, like now. Steak and red wine were the best things to warm one up. Andrew always picked out the best meat for me.
One time, he saw me searching for any leftover meat, and his eyes got red.
Andrew said, "Charlotte, I'm sorry for making you go through all this.
"Wait for me. One day, I'll make sure you can eat whatever you want, buy whatever you want, and never have to worry about the price.
"Trust me, I'll make every woman in the world envy you."
Promises always sounded so good. But reality turned on one in a heartbeat.
Last month, I passed out from acute appendicitis, and a random stranger took me to the hospital.
I called Andrew over and over, but he never picked up.
Later, some random account sent me a photo.
In the picture, Lily looked young and pretty, taking a selfie with Andrew's phone, acting all spoiled.
The caption read: [Hmph, confiscated Andrew's phone. No calls from anyone else.]
Behind her, my husband Andrew was leaning against the door, arms crossed, smiling indulgently at her antics.
Andrew didn't show up at the hospital until the next day.
He stood by my bed, looking tired while I stared at him calmly. "Charlotte, it's been ten years. People get tired of each other. Whatever you want, I'll make it up to you. Lily's still young, so don't take it out on her."
I didn't cry or make a scene. I simply felt something inside me slowly go cold.
When I got home, I started to regret my outburst.
Violence was never the answer.
Life was long. I could've played it cooler or found a cleverer way to get revenge.
As I was reflecting, my phone lit up with a post from Lily.
Probably to comfort her after the scene at city hall, Andrew took her to Starlight Plaza.
They dined lavishly and went on a luxury shopping spree. Lily's arms were loaded with shopping bags, almost too much to carry.