"Should I remind you that we are already divorced?" Unlike Emil, who was freaking out, I remained composed.
"Didn't I tell you that our divorce was only a temporary arrangement? You are the one and only Mrs. Carson. I haven’t even taken off our wedding ring. Have you been so eager to run off with another man all this time? Why would you do something like that to me?"
He showed me his right hand to back up his claims, flashing our wedding ring.
From the self-righteous way he was presenting himself, one would think he was the one who caught me cheating instead.
If it wasn’t for him locking my wrist in a death grip tight enough to hurt me, I would have burst out laughing in his face.
What was wearing a ring supposed to prove? His loyalty?
How ridiculous.
Even when we were married, a mere wedding ring did not stop him from sleeping with other women. Despite being a scoundrel, he insisted on presenting himself as a devoted husband.
I was done wasting time with him and heckled him to release me. "Let go!"
However, Emil was persistent. "You're not leaving until you explain everything clearly."
I tried to wring myself free, but he was far too strong for me to overpower him. No matter how many times I attempted to pull away, it was no use. It was at this point that I started to regret turning down the offer to have bodyguards escort me today.
I was furious by this point and shot him a vicious glare. "You were the one who cheated on me first, then wanted a divorce! Who do you think you are to question me?"
Emil retorted with what he thought was a bulletproof rebuttal, "I said it was a temporary divorce!"
I sneered, "I never agreed to something like that. It was just your wishful thinking. Like I said, we were through three years ago!"
His face darkened in an instant. "If you abort the pregnancy, I’ll pretend none of this has ever happened."
"You're insane!" I tried to pull myself away, but all that resulted from it was him clenching harder onto me.
At one point in the struggle, his expression suddenly changed.
"Watch out!"
Before I could figure out what was happening, he forcefully shoved me aside.
It was immediately followed by a deafening smash. It was the sound of a flowerpot smashing against his head.
A streak of bright red blood oozed from his forehead.
I broke out in a cold sweat. If Emil hadn't pushed me away, the flowerpot would have struck me instead.
"Don't worry, I’m here!" He pulled me into his arms to comfort me, his voice low and filled with bravado.
I was suddenly struck with a sharp impression. What was happening was a near reenactment of what happened many years ago,
Ten years ago, my father had an affair. He had taken everything valuable with him and ran away with his new lover, saddling us with a mountain of debt.
Soon, the creditors came knocking. Each one of them looked more hostile than the last. My mother and I had trembled with fear.
Since they were unable to find my father, they began to turn their attention to me. They planned to sell me into a nightclub for money.
My mother fought desperately to protect me, only to get beaten up by them.
Just as they were about to take me away by force, Emil happened to pass by and saved me. I remembered how he held me in his arms and comforted me just like he did now.
"Don't be scared. Nobody is going to hurt you now that I’m here."
My heart melted in an instant, and I sank into his arms.
We began dating when we were in high school until our adulthood when we got married. I stuck by his side while he built his business empire from the bottom up.
When we were at our lowest, we would share a single packet of instant noodles.
Back then, he’d held me close and sworn he would love and protect me for the rest of his life. He even said that if he ever betrayed me, he’d deserve whatever came to him.
I believed him. I naively gave him everything and married him for love. I remember how happy I was.
As his career took off, his world grew bigger—and so did the number of people in it. My mother warned me more than once that once a man has money, his eyes start to wander.
I wouldn’t hear it. I was certain Emil would never betray me.
I was wrong. Reality hit harder than I ever imagined, and I had no one to blame but myself.
Wealth and fame come with their own temptations, ones that are hard for most people to resist. Once he had both, he gave in.
In the end, the man who once swore to love me forever… changed his mind.
