He fell silent for a moment.
Until the car was almost at my destination.
Only then did he find his voice again.
His tone was probing:
“Rachel, you’ve misunderstood. I can explain everything. I don’t know anything about what you’re saying.”
“Lily just fainted from the shock of your lawsuit and was sent to the hospital. She’s still not out of danger. After all, she is my subordinate, so I came to check on her.”
“And since you didn’t show up at the wedding venue today, she ended up pretending to be the bride to help out, so I wouldn’t lose face in front of the guests. She was just trying to help, I didn’t expect you to misunderstand…”
As he spoke, I completely lost patience.
They had already held the wedding as they wished.
Now he still wanted to play dumb in front of me, not giving up on the idea of swallowing up my house.
As he started to speak again, I coldly cut him off:
“Enough, don’t say anymore. We’ll see each other in court! My house will never be your marital home! I’d rather let homeless people use it for shelter than give it to you!”
“I’ve thrown out all your things from the house, along withLaila’s underwear you forgot in the washing machine. Go buy new ones. And please don’t contact me individually in the future. After all, you’re a married man now. I wouldn’t want Laila to misunderstand.”
After saying this, I didn’t wait for his response and hung up immediately.
Just before I confirmed blocking his number, another incoming call from him popped up on the screen.
I immediately hit block.
The world finally fell silent.
The car arrived at the apartment building right at that moment.
My colleague from this branch office had kindly waited at the entrance for me.
As soon as I got out of the car, she had the driver take out my suitcase.
Her enthusiasm made me feel bad about refusing, so I simply followed her into the elevator.
After entering the apartment, I didn’t stop but went straight to tidying up the room.
By the time the place was in order, night had fallen outside.
Thinking I should thank my colleague for her help, I knocked on the neighboring door.
I invited her out to dinner, and to show me around the area.
As we walked and chatted, I heard her talk about her own relationship.
Because of moving abroad for work, she had broken up with her boyfriend back home.
The sadness in her voice was obvious as she spoke, instantly bringing down the mood.
But she still forced herself to remind me that if I had a boyfriend, I should be careful to maintain the relationship.
If this had been before, perhaps I could have comforted her.
Saying she just hadn’t found the right person yet.
But after experiencing betrayal, I could no longer say such things.
What counts as the right person?
I don’t know.
James had once been called my soulmate by me beforeLaila appeared.
For two years, we were in the honeymoon phase the whole time. I didn’t feel any disconnect.
But people can change in an instant.
From my initial doubts to final compromise, it only took three months.
In a daze, I couldn’t help but wonder.
If I had broken up with him as soon asLaila appeared,
Would he have cut ties withLaila to get back together with me, or would he have started a new relationship with her right away?
This meaningless question will never have an answer in this lifetime.
And the world has no “what ifs”.
Perhaps there are no completely correct choices.
There is only the choice of loyalty under human nature.
During dinner, she briefly introduced me to the situation at this branch office.
When we returned to the apartment, I had just said goodbye to her and opened my own door.
When a message from my lawyer came through.
Even through the cold text, I could see his hesitation and uncertainty.
