Chapter 5

I had no choice but to help William onto the couch in the living room.

He kept mumbling something, but I didn't pay any attention.

His phone started buzzing like crazy.

I glanced at the screen. The caller ID read, "My Kitten".

It was Emily calling.

Thinking she should come get William, I picked up the call.

Emily's voice came through, choked with sobs. "William, where are you? Why aren't you picking up? Are you leaving me? You said you'd be good to me forever."

I cut her off. "William is here with me. He's drunk. You should come pick him up."

There was a long silence on the phone. After a moment, she hung up.

An hour later, Emily showed up at Blue Bay. The first thing she did when she walked into the living room was check on William, making sure there was nothing between us.

When she saw him passed out on the couch, she looked relieved. Then she turned to me. "I want to talk to you."

We went outside the villa.

Emily said slowly, "I know you probably hate me right now, but I never wanted to come between you two. When I met William, I had no idea he was married."

She lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers. "I never imagined I'd meet a man like him. He was so gentle and considerate. He always gave me whatever I asked for.

"I only went to community college, and my family wasn't well-off. I got a job as a waitress and was almost assaulted. Mr. Carter was the one who saved me."

A community college graduate. A poor family. Almost assaulted.

That was exactly the kind of person William was. He was especially good at taking care of the vulnerable, and he liked being needed.

I looked at Emily's youthful face and suddenly asked, "How old are you?"

Emily was caught off guard, not expecting me to change the subject. "Twenty."

She was ten years younger than me. No wonder she looked so bright.

I looked up at the dark sky. "It must be nice being that young."

Emily didn't get what I meant, so she tried to cheer me up. "You're still beautiful. You're a famous actress. Even without William, there will be plenty of people who want to be with you.

"You'll find someone else who loves you soon."

I wouldn't. I'd once said that I would only marry once in my life.

It wasn't about staying loyal or anything. I simply thought marriage carried too much risk.

I had to constantly worry about whether the other person might leave. I had to constantly make sure I stayed faithful to the marriage.

I had to give up some of my freedom and become the kind of understanding, devoted wife my husband wanted me to be.

However, now, I didn't want to be anyone's wife. I only wanted to be me.

Emily kept talking to me. She said that ever since William got together with her, he seemed much happier. It was as if he'd become young again.

She also said William promised to make it official and marry her after the divorce. She said he wanted to have a child with her, to build a real family together.

She also said, "You know, William is a very decent man. Even after he fell in love with me, he didn't accept me at first. He said he had to tell you about us. Until then, he couldn't betray you.

"We only got together when he started the divorce process with you, so I'm not the homewrecker."

She said so much that, by the end, I couldn't remember most of it. All I could do was watch her support William as she led him out of my home.

That night, I had a dream. I found myself back at twenty again.

I was discovered by a talent scout and landed my very first TV role. The show became an instant hit, and I shot to fame overnight.

Back then, William would lie awake night after night. He would hold my hand tightly, afraid that I might leave him.

I told him, "Don't be silly. Even if I become a famous actress someday and you're still an ordinary person, I won't leave you. Once I've chosen someone, I won't let go unless he stops loving me."

Back then, William told me, "If I ever can't make you happy, or if I ever stop treating you right, I want you to let go."

When I woke from the dream, a tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

*****

William texted me the next morning. [Sorry about last night. I was drunk. If Emily said anything out of line, I'm sorry.]

I didn't reply. I got myself some milk and fried eggs.

After breakfast, I saw that William had sent me another message ten minutes ago. [There are eleven days left. If you don't want to go through with the divorce, we can call it off.]

Another message came right after. [I'll send Emily abroad and keep her in my heart, but I'll let her go.]

Reading those words, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

William, after all these years together, how could you still not understand me?

Once someone I loved betrayed me, no matter how hard they tried to make it right, I would never take them back. How could I ever accept you, knowing there was another woman in your heart?

I texted back. [Don't bother. I'll see you at the courthouse in eleven days.]

He finally went quiet. A long time later, he said Okay.

*****

Eleven days passed. Outside the courthouse, I met up with William again.

Emily was standing nearby. She kept watching us, concern written all over her face.

"She insisted on coming," William explained.

I shrugged. "Come on, let's get this over with. After today, she won't have anything left to worry about."

William paused for a moment, then walked inside.

We sat down with the attorney together. Unlike the other couples around us, who were arguing and getting worked up, we remained polite to each other throughout the entire process.

The attorney looked at us and asked one last time. "Are you both sure you want to go through with this? Once you sign the final papers, there's no going back."

William was about to speak, but I answered first, "We're sure. Please go ahead and finish this."