Chapter 2

I turned to Ian, meeting his gaze with nothing but cold indifference. "Because I'm done caring."

The carefully constructed mask of calm that Ian always wore finally began to crumble, his face collapsing into a mess of exposed pain.

His voice was heavy, laced with disbelief.

"Rachel, what are you saying?"

A dark storm was brewing in his eyes, but I just gave a cold little smile. "Was I not clear enough yesterday?"

I tilted my head, my smile turning into a smirk. "Or did you just not see the divorce papers I left on the table for you?"

The agony on his face looked real, but I had outgrown the starry-eyed girl who lived to chase him five years ago. He had no memory of what I said yesterday. I guessed that's because he had been occupied with Susan since then.

I was done discussing it. This marriage was over.

As I turned to leave, my gaze fell on the forensic report lying on the floor.

It was a copy, but I could see the conclusion clearly. The result had been changed from "Homicide" to "Accidental."

So he had done it. He had actually sold out everything we ever stood for.

My mind wandered back to the beginning.

We were both just starting university.

But Ian was in a league of his own. With his incredible talent, it took less than a month for him to rise above the rest and become the star pupil of our class.

Being in the same program meant we saw each other constantly.

I was irretrievably captivated by him, and he didn't reject my advances.

We naturally fell into a relationship. At the time, it all seemed so logical and right.

Then came the little things. One day, he sneaked out of bed to look at that photo.

On top of that, he had a strange obsession with a cold case from ten years ago.

He sacrificed his dream of joining the police force solely to reopen that investigation. Instead, he chose to return to our alma mater to serve as a visiting professor.

When he came to me that day, asking me to re-analyze the evidence, I genuinely believed it was about his relentless pursuit of the truth.

I was so wrong. He told me it was to see someone important.

At the time, I didn't think much of it, innocently believing he was looking to connect with some prominent figure in academia.

Only when I discovered who the victim was did I fully grasp what he had really meant.

When I got home, the divorce papers were still on the dining table, untouched.

It was obvious Ian hadn't come back.

I was about to head to the bedroom when I heard the front door open.

I wondered why he was here now.

I stopped, grabbed the divorce papers off the desk, and prepared to hand them over.

His eyes landed on the papers in my hand instantly.

"Rachel, are you serious about this?" he asked. "You still want to go through with it?"

There was a note of pleading in his tone that scraped against my nerves.

"Rachel, I know I messed up," he said, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I shouldn't have hidden Susan's return from you."

He took a step closer, trying to explain, "But I..."

"Enough, Ian," I cut him off. "You don't have to explain. It's clear you and I were never on the same path."

I shot him an icy stare. "So from now on, whoever you want to be with, or whoever you need to impress, it has nothing to do with me."

He looked at me with the wounded expression of a chastised child. "Rachel, please don't be like this. Just tell me what I have to do to make it right.

"Yell at me. Hit me. Whatever you want. I'll take it."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but laugh.

It was just so pathetic. He really thought this was me throwing a tantrum?

He thought all he had to do was placate me, and I would fall back in line?

Maybe the old me would have. I used to be such an idiot.

Every time he made me angry, all it took was a hug, a few soft words, and my favorite takeout, and I would melt.

He always used to tease me, saying I was the easiest person to win over. He never understood that it was only because I was so desperately in love with him.

I stood there with a cold look on my face, ignoring him completely.

He must have never seen me this remote before because he suddenly closed the distance between us, pulling me into a desperate hug.

A year ago, my heart would have hammered against my ribs. Now, I felt nothing.

"It's no use, Ian," I said flatly against his chest. "You know me better than that."

My words seemed to finally break through his denial. He pulled back, his voice trembling.

"How can you be so cruel, Rachel? It's been five years. Not five days.

"How can you just throw it all away?"

I almost laughed again.

Who was the one throwing it all away?

And he, of all people, knew my lines. He knew how much my integrity, our shared belief in the truth, meant to me.

"Rachel, just give me a little more time," he begged. "I swear I'll explain everything."

His voice dropped, full of desperate sincerity. "I didn't betray our principles. I didn't..."

Didn't he?

Then what about that report?