Chapter 2
Edward didn't move.
He leaned back in his chair, eyeing me like I was some gadget that had suddenly glitched out.
"Charlotte, did you forget who was practically begging to marry me back then?" Edward said.
His words cut like a knife, but I didn't even blink.
After all, that blade had long since lost its edge.
Owning up to it without a second thought, I said, "It was me.
"I was seventeen when I first fell for you.
"When I was twenty-one, my dad asked your dad for a marriage alliance, and I was so excited I stayed up all night.
"On our wedding day, you didn't even show up. You had your secretary sign the papers for you, and I didn't cry.
"For three years after we got married, you never once ate a meal I cooked at home. I kept reheating the food over and over, only to end up throwing it away, and still, I didn't cry."
As I said all this, my voice was so flat it was like I was just reading off a grocery list.
A young couple waiting nearby kept sneaking glances at us, and the girl's eyes were already rimmed with tears.
Edward's expression finally cracked.
"So, what are you trying to say now?" he asked.
I said, "What I mean is—"
I stood up, turned the contract to the last page, and pointed at the signature line.
"I'm letting go of what shouldn't have been mine.
"I'll take the road I should've walked on my own.
"Edward, you're free," I said.
The silence was deafening.
The whole hall fell silent for a few seconds.
Edward stared at me, and suddenly, I seemed like a stranger to him.
He picked up the pen. "Alright, if you want out, let's end it."
He pressed the pen to the paper and signed 'Edward Payne.'
Clean and decisive, just like every business decision he ever made.
I looked at his signature, and a small smile tugged at my lips.
It wasn't a bitter smile. It was pure relief.
I took the contract, folded it carefully, and slipped it into my bag. "Thank you."
I turned sharply and strode toward the exit.
The sound of my heels echoed through the hall, each step firm and full of resolve.
Edward remained seated, his eyes fixed on my silhouette.
I wore a fitted white dress, long golden hair cascading down to my waist, my figure slender, my back perfectly straight.
His phone buzzed.
It was a text from Vivian: [Edward, are you done yet? I booked your favorite restaurant. Hurry up and get over here.]
Edward glanced away, got up, and headed off in another direction.
Outside, I stood on the steps.
The July sun beat down, so fierce the air itself seemed to waver from the heat.
I squinted and took a deep breath.
It was scorching, almost searing.
But for the first time in three years, breathing felt easy, like I was finally free.
My phone rang. It was my assistant, Emily Clark.
"Hey, Charlotte, your flight's booked. It's tonight at ten, heading to Ravencroft," she said.
"Got it," I replied.
"Do you need to go back to the Payne family's house for your luggage?"
I looked down at what I had with me, just a bag with the divorce papers and my passport. "No need. There's nothing of mine in that house."
I knew that, in Edward's eyes, my leaving was nothing more than something trivial.
It was like a missing plant on his desk, or the AC changing from 75 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was a bit unfamiliar, but nothing that truly mattered.
Vivian had moved into the villa.
Emily texted me to say that Vivian had pulled out all the flowers I'd planted and replaced them with her own elaborate courtyard style.
The oil painting by a little-known artist I'd hung in the living room was gone, too. Vivian said it was too gloomy and put up a mirror instead.
Edward didn't even bat an eye.
Nothing really changed.
The company kept running smoothly, projects stayed on track, and Vivian was even better at handling things than I ever was, always smoothing things over for him.
Things were fine until trouble hit the company.
Emily was painting a vivid picture over the phone.
She said, "Charlotte, did you hear? The Dawson Corporation deal is off.
"Mr. Dawson said they can't find the original contact anymore, so there's no one they trust now."
That contact was me.
Emily added, "And the government's urban renewal project has hit a snag, too.
"Mr. Lewis's secretary said the woman who used to handle everything isn't in touch anymore, so it's hard for them to move things along now."
That woman was me, too.
I knew Edward was finally starting to realize something was wrong.
He'd definitely have his secretary look into everything I'd actually done for him behind the scenes these past three years.