Chapter 6
"You really got divorced?" Matthew asked.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Hey, man, it's not a big deal. Honestly, when your ex-wife made you quit your job, I knew she wasn't good news. You're better off without her.
"Let's team up and create something epic again. Let's take down those damn big companies!"
I laughed and cut Matthew off before he could get carried away. If I let him keep going, he'd probably talk for days.
"Alright, enough about me. How about you?" I asked.
Matthew scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, and showed off the ring on his finger.
"Look at you, man. Got engaged without saying a word. So, where's your fiancée from?" I teased.
"Just engaged. Not married yet," Matthew said.
We kept chatting as we got into the car.
Once we were inside, Matthew suddenly went quiet, gripping the steering wheel.
Then, out of nowhere, he said, "William, I think maybe Zoey's been waiting for you all these years."
I stared out the window, silent for a long moment before finally saying, "Matthew, I just got divorced.
"Right now, I'm just not in a place to give anyone what they're hoping for emotionally."
Matthew shifted into gear and started the car, slipping back into his usual carefree self.
"Hey, I'm just saying. Zoey's got plenty of great guys around her these days. Maybe she's just keeping her options open," he said.
Matthew took me to his studio.
It was more like a full-blown company than just a studio.
It took up an entire floor in the heart of Corandorn.
He walked me through the games that kept the studio running, and then saved the best for last, a brand-new AAA project they'd just kicked off.
When I saw Zoey again, she greeted me with that same sweet smile, calling me "William."
I just nodded back, nothing special.
Like I told Matthew, right now, I couldn't give anyone what they were hoping for from me emotionally.
Honestly, I was not even sure I had the courage to try.
For the next month, I threw myself into the project.
Chasing after my dreams was honestly a blast.
It almost made me forget about her lively ponytail, those three years of marriage, and that ice-cold CEO.
That was until my sister called.
"William, why hasn't Sophie been coming to see me lately? Is she doing better?" Mabel Sinclair asked.
Back in college, Mabel studied psychology just to help me with my social anxiety.
Now she was a well-known therapist in Luruaakar.
Mabel's question left me a bit confused.
In the three years we were married, Sophie only came home with me three times.
Once for our wedding, once for the New Year, and once for Mabel's wedding.
They never really spent time together on their own.
But the way Mabel spoke, I'd think they'd actually spent time together.
But now that we were divorced, there was really no point in digging into this stuff anymore.
"Mabel, we're divorced," I said.
"Divorced? No way!"
Her reaction was so over the top. I instinctively moved the phone away.
Mabel asked, "When did this happen? Why didn't I know? William, when did you become such an asshole?
"You want to divorce Sophie? She's such a great woman.
"William, don't tell me you cheated on her?
"Scumbag!"
Her rapid-fire questions and accusations made my scalp tingle.
But that was just how Mabel had s always been. She would say whatever was on her mind. I'd gotten used to it over the years.
All I could do was explain things as calmly as I could.
"About a month ago. We haven't officially finalized the divorce yet. As for why we split..."
I told her how Sophie had been cold to me for three years, and what went down with Benjamin on our anniversary.
Mabel shot back, her voice sharp and certain. "No way!
"Sophie loves you so much. There's no way she'd ever do something like that."
Even though she was my sister, I felt my temper flare up.
I shot back, "Mabel, how can you be so sure? You've only met her a handful of times. What do you really know?
"I wasn't the one who cheated. Why don't you ever listen?"
When I snapped, Mabel went quiet for a moment, then let out a cold snort.
She said, "Honestly, from what you've told me, I might actually know Sophie better than you do, even though you've been her husband for three years.
"Do you even realize Sophie has severe anxiety? I'm her therapist.
"William, I can't believe you didn't even know your own wife was dealing with a serious mental health issue.
"I'm telling you, Sophie hasn't come to see me in a month. You need to get her here within 24 hours!"
I didn't even notice when the call ended.
I thought, 'Sophie has severe anxiety? That frosty CEO who acts like she doesn't care about anyone? Seriously?'
I sat down by the flower bed outside the office and lit up a cigarette.