Chapter 4

Alice let out a little shriek, as if she had tripped over her own feet. The cup of hot coffee in her hand splashed straight onto me.

The brown liquid soaked through my white shirt in seconds. The heat burned through the fabric and stung my skin.

I instinctively stepped back, my expression turning icy as I stared at the coffee stains covering me.

Before I could say a word, Daniel rushed to steady Alice. His voice dripped with concern. "Alice, are you all right? Did you burn your hand?"

Alice shook her head. Her eyes turned red and teary as she looked at me. Her voice trembled. "I am so sorry, Sophie. I did not mean to. My hand slipped."

She looked so pitiful, as if I were the one at fault.

Daniel did not look at me. He did not ask if I was burned. He did not say a single word to Alice.

The people watching in the lobby grew more uncomfortable. Some looked sorry for me. Some smirked. Others were simply waiting to see what would happen next.

In that moment, my heart cracked. The last bit of feeling I had left for our ten years together was burned away by that coffee.

I looked at Daniel and made sure he heard every word. "Daniel, from today on, we are done. We are even. There is nothing left between us."

Then I turned and walked straight to his office without looking back at either of them.

The coffee kept dripping down my shirt. The sting on my skin came in waves. But that pain was nothing compared to what I felt inside.

When I pushed open the office door, what I saw crushed any last hope I still had.

The fountain pen I had bought for him sat in the trash.

The Lego decoration I had built myself lay broken in the corner.

The desk lamp I had picked out to protect his eyes had been replaced with a cartoon one from Alice.

His desk was covered with Alice's things. Her mug. Her photo frame. The cushion she had bought for him.

There was nothing left of mine in that office. It was as if our ten years together had never happened.

I took a deep breath and forced down the lump in my throat. I walked to the locker, opened it, and started taking out my things one by one.

My books. My coat. My spare keys. And the scarf I had spent so many nights knitting for him. He had never worn it once.

I gathered everything in my arms and walked out of the office. As I passed Daniel and Alice, I did not slow down.

Daniel's expression shifted when he saw what I was carrying. He stepped forward and tried to stop me. "Sophie—"

"Do not touch me," I said, moving around him. My gaze was cold as ice. "I am taking my things. Everything I left here.

"From now on, we go our separate ways. No more ties. There will be nothing between us.

"You and anyone around you had better leave me alone. If you do not, you will not like what happens next."

Then I walked out the front door with my arms full of my belongings.

The sun was shining outside, but it could not melt the chill in my heart.

I took out my phone and texted Eric. [About what you mentioned earlier. I am in. Let us work well together, Mr. Carter.]

He replied almost immediately. [The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Carter.]

When I saw "Mrs. Carter," my heart skipped a beat before I could stop it.

All right then. Since Daniel and Alice wanted to cause trouble, I would give them a real show.

Let them find out what happens when they push a good soul too far.

*****

Over the weekend, my mother kept insisting I come home for dinner. She said it had been too long since the whole family sat down together, and she would not take no for an answer.

I knew exactly what she was up to. She wanted to convince me to make up with Daniel and divorce Eric, the man she thought was a stranger.

I did not want to go, but my mother would not stop calling. So I gave in and said yes.

When Eric heard about it, he offered to come with me.

I thought about it and said no. I did not want him dragged into my family mess. I would deal with them first and handle everything else later.

But not long after I arrived at my parents' house, someone knocked on the door.

My mother opened it and froze.

Daniel stood there with his arms full of gift bags. Right next to him was Alice, looking as sweet as ever.