6
In the middle of the night, Dominic texted me: “Work’s insane. I won’t be home tonight. Let’s grab dinner tomorrow to make it up to you.”
I was packing my suitcase when I casually replied, “Okay.”
Dinner would be the perfect time to discuss our divorce.
I thought back to the first time I met Dominic Blackwell.
I had brought homegrown apples to Blackwell Manor to thank Mr. Blackwell, but the security guard at the gate wouldn’t let me in.
It was Dominic who happened to pass by and brought me inside.
He sat on the couch, bit into one of the apples, and said, “This is so sweet. Did you grow it yourself?”
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I nodded shyly.
“That’s impressive,” he remarked casually.
Back then, the polite, distant boy left a deep impression on me.
The second time we met was at the Lakeside Mart where I worked part–time.
Dominic suddenly announced his feelings for me in front of everyone, saying he wanted to date me.
I didn’t take him seriously.
Between school and work, I barely had time to breathe, let alone entertain a relationship.
But Dominic started working at the store alongside me, silently helping out for an entire semester.
At the end of it, he used his earnings to buy me a necklace.
It wasn’t expensive, but it was thoughtful.
No one could say no to such sincerity, and neither could I.
It wasn’t until much later, after we’d been together for a while, that I learned the truth.
The store was owned by Celeste Monroe’s cousin.
Celeste had just gone abroad at the time.
Dominic’s elaborate courtship was simply a ploy to get her attention, hoping her cousin would spread the news and lure her back.
What he hadn’t counted on was that Celeste stayed away for four years.
By the time we graduated, Mr. Blackwell had arranged our marriage.
We’d argued about this after we got married, but Dominic always brushed it off: “That’s all in the past. Let’s not bring it up again.”
But it wasn’t in the past.
The moment Celeste showed up at our wedding, it all came rushing back.
Thinking about it now, I reached for the necklace around my neck, taking it off and placing it in the drawer.
I’d worn it ever since Dominic gave it to me.
Now, I didn’t want it anymore.
My luggage wasn’t much–just a small suitcase tucked in the corner.
Once I finalized the divorce with Dominic, I could leave anytime.
