Chapter 2
"She got jealous because I signed a female artist, and I was willing to take the heat from everyone just to tear up the contract. She got the flu once, and I ditched my business partners to stay at the hospital and take care of her, even though that deal was worth about 3 million dollars..." He pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh. "I've been the only one giving this whole time. How could I not be tired? Just because she gave me a hand at the start, am I supposed to spend my whole life beneath her?"
At that, tenderness rose in his narrow eyes. "Thank God I met Ava while I was smoking outside the hospital that day. She was the only one who saw how hard I was trying to hold everything together. She even danced for me and comforted me, telling me everything would be okay, even though she was sick herself. Only when I'm with Ava do I know what it feels like to be cherished..." His voice was soft, but it still dragged tears from Luna's eyes.
She had given him everything, and yet in his version of the story, he was the only one who had ever sacrificed? She didn't dare listen any longer. The early spring wind chilled her straight to the bone.
When she got back to the villa, she sat alone in the living room, staring at all the proof that she and Leo had once loved each other. Leo had wanted her to be the most beautiful bride, so he spent half a year handmaking her wedding dress. Leo had called her his queen, so he bought her a crown studded with a thousand diamonds at auction. Leo had called her his moon, so he spent about 3 million dollars to buy exclusive naming rights to a patch of the moon. The day Leo finally crossed into high society, he paid Luna back for everything he felt he owed her a hundredfold, a thousandfold. Even Luna, who had been doted on since childhood, thought he spoiled her too much.
But he had only stroked her hair, guilt filling his eyes. "Luna, you've suffered way too much by my side. No matter how much I make it up to you, it'll never be enough."
"I'm not afraid of you fighting with me. I'm afraid you'll bottle everything up and say nothing. If you get jealous, tell me. If you're upset, flip the table and walk out. As long as I'm here, I'll catch every bit of your temper. No one gets to say a word against you. You just focus on being a happy Mrs. Stone, got it?"
Even now, Luna still remembered how moved she'd been then. So for five years of marriage, because of that line about being a happy Mrs. Stone, she showed every emotion she had. She fought with him, made scenes with him, and acted spoiled with him. But never once had she imagined that the Leo who had sworn those vows five years ago would one day say he was tired, say he had always been the one giving, say only another woman could make him feel cherished. He had even called her a pathetic doormat for Ava Lynn's sake.
Back then, Luna never cared what other people said about her. But that one sentence from Leo crushed every ounce of sincerity she had ever given him. Fine. Then she'd let him go.
She grabbed her phone and called the lawyer she'd known for years, speaking slowly. "Draw up a divorce agreement for me. And get me as many photos of Leo's whereabouts as you can. Also..." After hanging up, she booked a plane ticket herself. Ten days later, she would return to Harbor City.