Chapter 6

The next morning, I met Edward at the civil affairs office with the divorce agreement my lawyer had prepared, and we made it official.

I reclaimed all the money Edward had spent on Sophie, since it was marital property. Then we split everything fifty-fifty. The whole process was smooth and straightforward.

No screaming matches or tangled drama like you see in TV shows, and I didn't need some soft-hearted, lovesick second male lead to swoop in and rescue me.

As we walked out of the civil affairs office, Edward cut me off, blocking my way with a smug, mocking grin.

He sneered, "You think I'll beg and grovel for you like I used to? Forget it. I'm done letting you walk all over me."

I ignored him completely and headed for my car, feeling light and genuinely happy for the first time in ages.

Thirty days later, Edward and I were officially done.

When Edward saw I wasn't even fazed, his face kept getting darker and darker.

*****

I drove back to my hometown and made a beeline for my company, barely pausing for a breath.

I spent a week tagging along with Mark, getting hands-on with every part of the business, starting from the bottom. Luckily, I'd already learned the ropes ahead of time, so things went pretty smoothly.

After a few days, it hit me that the company was in trouble. They were still stuck in old-school ways, totally missing out on new trends and innovation, so it was no wonder they were losing their edge.

These past few days, I'd been running around nonstop. I was indeed wiped, but honestly, I loved it. No divorce blues, and Edward hadn't crossed my mind once.

I realized the company was seriously short on skilled 3D modelers, so all the characters and backgrounds ended up kind of rough around the edges.

Out of nowhere, I remembered an old classmate who graduated from the top university in the country.

He'd always loved design and had real talent, but since he couldn't afford art school, he had to take a different path. Still, he never gave up on his passion and kept learning on his own whenever he had a chance.

I'd seen his work pop up in my feed before, and honestly, I was amazed that his stuff could totally go toe-to-toe with the best anime out there.

I was determined to go back and recruit him for my company.

I drove back that same day, and as luck would have it, he was free, so I set up a meeting right away.

At the café, I gave him a quick rundown of my company and offered him the highest salary I could, asking him to seriously consider it.

To my surprise, he agreed immediately, smiling as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I've been thinking about switching careers lately, even though I'm not exactly young anymore," he said, his cheeks flushing a little. "But I still want to chase my dreams. If you don't mind my age, I promise I won't let you down."

I was honestly amused and a little speechless that he really thought he was old.

"Hey, it's never too late. We shouldn't give up on ourselves so early. Life's still full of endless possibilities, no matter our age. We all get to go after our dreams," I encouraged him.

Once we nailed down his start date, I took off.

To my surprise, as soon as I stepped outside, I bumped into Edward. He was leaning against his car, his hair a mess, a cigarette between his fingers as he blew out slow smoke rings.

He spotted me and immediately stubbed out his cigarette, walking over quickly.

Up close, I could see he'd lost a lot of weight. His eyes were bloodshot, stubble covered his chin, and he looked dirty and totally out of it, like he'd completely let himself go.

After his finances improved, Edward became a neat freak. Seeing him like this was something I never would've imagined before.

"So, moving on to your next date already?" Edward sneered.

"You haven't even got the divorce papers yet and you're already rushing to find your next man? Bet he'll freak when he finds out you're used goods," Edward sneered.

He was absolutely insane. Only someone totally out of their mind could say something so vile.

I shot him a look and smiled, "No need for your concern. Trust me, life's way better without you."

I turned to leave, but Edward grabbed my hand like a lunatic, refusing to let go.

"Who says I need you? I'm living it up. I can have any woman I want. I don't have time to think about you, much less chase after you," he snapped.

"So what are you doing here, then?" I retorted, giving Edward a cold stare.