Chapter 14 It’s Over
I’d never seen her dressed like this before.
What the hell? Was this her post–divorce life, no more using Buddhism as an excuse, just desperately chasing her “authentic self” with Callum?
At that moment, I couldn’t even name what I was feeling.
It definitely wasn’t heartbreak. Why would I be upset about a woman who never loved me turning out like this?
But I wasn’t happy either. Seeing Elizabeth trashing herself like this only made me realize how blind I’d been.
Thank goodness we were divorced. Lucky I got out when I had
the chance.
Just then, my old classmate called. I immediately hit the answer button.
“Julian, what’s going on?” he blurted out without even saying hello. “I’m not mistaken, right? Your bride at the wedding was this Elizabeth, the rich hottie?
“Or am I seeing things? Didn’t you tell me your wife was into Buddhism or something? How is she-”
At this point, my old classmate’s voice grew hesitant as he
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2/7
explained, “Look man, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not trying to start anything. Just thought you should know.”
“Don’t worry about it. I won’t take it the wrong way,” I replied with a slight smile, keeping my tone casual despite the situation.
“Yeah, you’re not mistaken. The woman in that video is definitely her.”
“Wait, seriously? Then…”
Hearing my confirmation, my classmate was clearly shocked, his voice trailing off over the phone.
After a brief silence, he added helpfully, “I just happened to see this video while scrolling through the local feed. It was posted just now. I know where this bar is, so if you went right now, maybe you could…”
He was too embarrassed to finish his sentence.
No man on earth would be okay with his wife dressing provocatively to hit up bars at night, especially while cuddling. up to some other guy.
But for me, this betrayal–as good as catching her red–handed- wasn’t actually a big deal.
I was the one who filed for divorce.
A real man wouldn’t waste his life on a woman who was no good.
Chapter 14 It’s Over
I’d already wasted enough time on Elizabeth, and now I was cutting my losses.
3/7
As for her? Whatever. She could fool around with whoever she
wanted!
“No need to go there. We’re divorced,” I said, my voice calm and matter–of–fact. “I’m the one who filed. Whatever she does now and however she dresses, it is none of my business anymore.”
There was nothing to hide. I felt no need to pretend this bothered me.
“You got divorced?” my old classmate asked. “I’m sorry, I really am. I had no idea.”
He added, “Hey, Julian, want to grab a drink? I can keep you company, and we can talk about it.”
On the other end of the call, he extended an invitation.
In his mind, ordinary me must be devastated after losing such a gorgeous, wealthy wife, heartbroken and full of regret.
But the reality couldn’t be more different. I couldn’t be happier.
“No need, buddy. I’m seriously fine,” I replied. “There are plenty of fish in the sea. I’m not gonna sit around crying over one chick. when there’s a whole world of women out there.
“Besides, we were married for five years. I got my money’s worth,” I added with a chuckle, my voice unmistakably light and
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cheerful.
My old classmate’s tone shifted to one of pure admiration. “Julian, you’re something else, man. A true role model!
“I’m sure you’ll find another beauty like her in no time. No, scratch that! You’ll find an even better one.”
“Hah, thanks for the vote of confidence!”
After wrapping up the topic of Elizabeth, we caught up a bit. more before I ended the call.
As for that video he mentioned? I didn’t bother watching it again. Just laughed it off.
4/7
Elizabeth was nothing more to me now than an almost–ex–wife I barely cared about. I didn’t have any interest in spying on my former spouse.
Afterward, I spent some time looking up the divorce procedures online before getting ready for bed.
But just as I’d taken off my shirt and put down my phone to get ready for bed, the security door suddenly erupted with loud knocking.
I shot up from the bed, my expression freezing. At that moment, I couldn’t help remembering Lydia’s weird smile as she left earlier.
Crap! She couldn’t possibly have come back in the middle of the
Chapter 14 It’s Over
night, could she? Should I even open the door?
5/7
The knocking continued, each thud hammering against my heart and sending chills down my spine.
If I let Lydia in at this hour, there was absolutely no way I could get out of this mess.
After weighing my options, I decided to ignore the knocking and pretend to be asleep.
Tomorrow morning, I’d grab my bags and bolt. As for those few thousand bucks in rent… I’d figure that out later.
If I’d known she’d come back in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t have worried about losing that money. I should’ve just left immediately!
Now, I was trapped in the apartment with nowhere to run.
Thank god I’d locked the security door before going into the bedroom. Otherwise, Lydia would have used her key, and I’d be completely screwed.
The knocking stopped after a minute or so.
“Did she leave?” I perked up my ears and listened for a few seconds, thinking I’d dodged a bullet.
But the next second, the knocking started again. This time, accompanied by a voice calling my name.
Chapter 14 It’s Over
“Open up, honey! I forgot my keys.”
6/7
“Yeah right,” I muttered. “Calling me ‘honey‘ already? There’s no way in hell I’m opening this door. What about my reputation if I let you in?”
I scoffed at the demand from outside my security door, intending to continue pretending to be asleep.
But as the female voice kept repeating her request, I suddenly realized something. This wasn’t Lydia’s voice at all, but a much younger, clearer one.
“Not Lydia?” I frowned slightly, getting up from bed and tiptoeing out of the bedroom to the security door.
The knocking continued. The young woman’s voice kept pleading for me to open up, her tone growing increasingly desperate.
Now that I was closer, the voice was even clearer, confirming that whoever stood outside definitely wasn’t Lydia. The pitch was completely different.
So who was it? Had someone knocked on the wrong door? After weighing the possibilities, that seemed most likely.
I peered through the peephole to see who was outside.
One glance confirmed it wasn’t Lydia but a young, attractive woman. She looked anxious as she knocked, repeatedly glancing over her shoulder as if someone she feared might be following
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her.
7/7
This sight just made me furrow my brow harder. I pulled out my phone and opened the security camera feed.
Lydia’s apartment wasn’t just well–equipped inside. It also had security cameras at the entrance.
Before she left, she also gave me access to the security system.
One look at it and everything suddenly made sense.
From the camera’s angle, I could easily spot a man in all black, complete with hat and face mask, standing motionless in the hallway not far away. He was staring at the beautiful young woman at my door.
His feet seemed to hesitate, like he couldn’t decide whether to approach or not.
Maybe it was my background as a firefighter, but I knew trouble
when I saw it.
