Chapter 5
Lionel grabbed the iPod.
Unlike his previous guilt–ridden behavior, this time his face was etched with disdain.
“I’ll get rid of it now,” he muttered.
He lowered the window and was just about to throw it out when I reached out to stop
him.
Chapter 5
“There’s no need to throw it away. I honestly don’t care.”
“But, Misha-”
“It doesn’t matter,” I interrupted him calmly.
“You’ll both be together in the future anyway. If you throw it away now, be upset.”
My words drained the color from Lionel’s face.
Ignoring his reaction, I turned my head to gaze out at the passing scenery.
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When we returned home, Lionel announced he had booked tickets to Andalusite for November.
“You’ve always wanted to see the snow there. Take this time to recover, and we’ll go together. I’ve arranged everything,” he said.
He had the air of a man desperately trying to repair something broken.
I had dreamed of pausing life’s chaos to visit Andalusite with someone I loved.
I imagined staying there for half a month, savoring the beauty of life and the snow- covered streets.
But during five years of our marriage, every time I mentioned it, Lionel dismissed it as childish and impractical.
A year ago, a close friend of mine opened a travel agency and invited me to join a tour group to Andalusite.
I had been thrilled, eager to finally fulfill my wish but Lionel caught wind of my plans and canceled my ticket.
“Why do you always create problems for other people? Do you realize your actions affect your friend’s business?” he asked angrily.
“What’s wrong with staying in our country? Is it not good enough for you? Why must you act like a sycophant, groveling to foreign ideals?”
Deep down, I knew the truth.
That same day, Sandra had cried to Lionel on the phone, effortlessly swaying him to her whims.
She had told me once, with a mix of envy and bitterness, that she admired me for being an independent woman, living the life she could only dream of.
All she could do was watch as I planned my next vacation spot.
Lionel, ever tender toward her, had rushed to console her.
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Chapter 5
To please her, he had canceled my spot on the tour.
“I’ve done all the research. I have a friend over there who can arrange a place for us, “Lionel explained eagerly.
“If you don’t like the house he picks, I’ll find someone else to arrange it.”
“Cancel the tickets,” I said softly.
“What?”
I fixed him with a cold, unflinching stare.
“Lionel, traveling with you would only ruin the trip for me. It would kill my enthusiasm.”
He blinked, stunned.
I continued, my tone sharp and deliberate.
“You’re inconveniencing me. Your behavior will only ruin my mood and distract me from what’s important.”
I parroted his own words back to him, the same ones he’d used to cancel my trip a
year ago.
Lionel’s face turned pale. His lips parted but no words came.
All he could do was stand there, frozen in place, his expression vacant.
Without a backward glance, I walked to the guest room and slammed the door behind me.
When I woke up, Lionel had already left for work.
I called my lawyer to have the divorce papers delivered.
After signing them, I left the document neatly on the coffee table.
I picked up my luggage and walked out.
During the three days I spent in the hospital, I didn’t waste a single moment.
I had already planned everything.
By mid–afternoon, my flight had landed in Amazonite.
When I turned my phone on, it immediately lit up with dozens of missed calls from Lionel.
I didn’t bother calling him back. Instead, I sent him two brief messages:
[Sign the divorce papers.
Chapter 5
[Let’s end this peacefully.]
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Arriving at the branch office, I threw myself into work, fully focused on my tasks.
Two days later, Lionel flew to Amazonite.
He showed up at the office with a massive bouquet of roses and two men holding a banner that read: [Misha, my love, please forgive me!]
The security guards tried to remove him but he refused to leave the premises.
Since I had already warned my employees during a meeting that if anyone dared let Lionel into the office, they’d face immediate consequences, my staff wisely steered clear of him.
They avoided him like the plague.
Lionel stood outside the building, enduring the cold and subsisting on whatever he could manage.
On the third day, as Amazonite’s temperature dropped dramatically, Lionel finally succumbed to his self–inflicted ordeal and collapsed.
The security guards rushed him to the hospital.
. When Lionel regained consciousness, the first thing he did was call the police to
force me to face him.
Standing in front of the officers, I held the divorce agreement in my hands and regarded him with the same cold indifference as before.
“Sign it. Let’s part ways peacefully,” I said, my tone firm and unyielding.
Lionel sat on the hospital bed, his face pale and lifeless. He shook his head weakly.
“I won’t sign it. Please, Misha. I’ve cut off all contact with Sandra. I told her never to come looking for me again. We’re not in touch anymore–please forgive me…
I knew he had indeed severed ties with Sandra.
))
After all, five days ago, she had gone hysterical, bombarding me with messages day and night, filled with curses and accusations.
[Did you force Lionel to leave me, Misha? No wonder God punished you with a miscarriage!
[Why do some women make things harder for other women? How can you be so heartless?
[Hah! You’re cunning, pretending to withdraw while secretly pulling him back to you. I underestimated you!]
Chapter 5
Reading her frantic words, I calmly replied:
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[To be honest, I hope you two stay together forever. If you can convince him to sign the divorce papers, I’d be very grateful.]
A week later, Felicia called me, practically laughing through the phone.
She told me that after being dumped, Sandra had become completely unhinged.
She camped outside Lionel’s house, crying and begging to see him.
When Lionel refused to open the door, she showed up in the middle of the night, kicking and pounding on it, causing such a scene that the neighbors called the police.
When the police arrived, Sandra arrogantly crossed her arms and declared, “This is my house! I can’t be accused of breaking into my own home.”
As for the noise complaint, she flatly denied it.
The neighbors, helpless, returned to their homes.
The next day, when Lionel left the house, he discovered that the neighbors had sprayed his front door with pee.
Unable to bear it any longer, he packed up and moved out that very night.
“I no longer have any feelings for you, Lionel. Just seeing you makes me feel physically ill.
“As for you and Sandra, even if you two were to sleep together right in front of me, I wouldn’t care. All I want now is a divorce.”
Lionel stared blankly at me, a flicker of hurt crossed his face.
“I don’t want a divorce,” he pleaded.
“What do I have to do for you to forgive me, Misha? Should I get on my knees and beg for you?”
Lionel forced himself off the hospital bed as one of the officers eyed him cautiously.
He dropped to his knees in front of me and slapped his own face.
The force of the slap turned his cheek red, and a drop of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“I beg you, Misha. I can’t live without you.”
In the quiet room, his desperate pleas sounded pathetic.
The nurses passing by in the hallway stopped and stared at the dramatic scene unfolding before them.
Chapter 5
I looked at him calmly, unfazed by his crocodile tears.
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On the night I first learned of his affair with Sandra, I had begged him to stay and probably looked just as pathetic as he did now.
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