~ANABEL'S POV~
Not even two months, I didn't want to wait three days. Unfortunately, the procedures for going abroad were quite complicated and couldn't be completed in just three days. My passport and visa were ready, and the director told me I could depart in a week. In seven days, Damien and I would never see each other again.
As I was immersed in packing, I received a video call from my best friend, Bella. She was yelling angrily on the other end, "Anabel, what's going on? Why did I see Damien and Sophia on a date at the Watercrest center? Aren't you two together? I mean married. How could he be dating someone else behind your back?!"
Hardly anyone knew about my secret marriage with Damien, and Bella was one of them.
"If I didn't know you and how much you've always loved him, I would've thought you were after his money. He's never acknowledged your marriage in front of anyone in these years. He's no good!"
Hearing my prolonged silence, she panicked and immediately apologized.
I smiled and reassured her, telling her I wouldn't be sad anymore.
Bella was surprised and quickly asked, "Don't lie to me. Are you really over him?"
"Really, don't worry about it, I..."
I thought back to the foolish things I had done. Whenever I saw Damien and Sophia together, I would masochistically snap pictures and endlessly look at them when alone.
Seeing them so intimately together, seeing how perfectly they matched, I used to cry my heart out in the dead of night. Every past struggle, self-loathing, and futile pleading, Bella knew it all. She tried to persuade me countless times to come to my senses. But continuing my secret relationship with Damien was like drinking poison to quench thirst. Even knowing I'd ultimately be the one in pain, I couldn't resist the temptation.
I put on my headphones, carrying a large box filled with the expensive but useless gifts Damien had given me over the years. I planned to throw them all away.
Bella's incessant chatter continued in my ears as I walked down the stairs, smiling and planning to tell her that I'd agreed to the exchange program. I was ready to participate in the movie and ask if she could see me off in a week.
To my surprise, I ran right into Damien and Sophia downstairs. Damien hesitated, intending to approach me, but Sophia suddenly grabbed his arm and slid her hand naturally around his.
"Anabel, what a surprise to see you here."
She stood there, dressed in an elegant pearl-white dress, looking so graceful and beautiful that it was hard to look away. No wonder every single time, Damien would leave me to choose her.
I had encountered this kind of situation more than once. In the past, seeing Damien and Sophia together would turn my face into a mask of pain. Damien, worried that I might stare hard at Sophia and scare her again this time, quickly stepped in front of her.
I took off my headphones and didn't end the call with Bella but switched it to speaker.
I glanced at her lightly, "This is downstairs, is a pathway I have to go through from my house. I just came to throw some trash."
Bella had already heard Sophia greeting me and couldn't wait to shout through the phone, "Anabel, hurry up and dump the stuff! I've lined up a date with a hottie from New York and the CRESCENT basketball team. Latecomers have to drink!"
I couldn't help but laugh, that little trickster, always coming to my rescue.
"Sorry, guys, I have plans and need to go now." With that, I ignored Damien's stiff body as I tossed the box into the dumpster.
As I turned, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Hey, these pieces of trash... aren't they the new Moonjade jewelry collection?"
"And look, JBL cooperation speakers are encrusted with diamonds..."
Sophia seemed to realize something, and her face turned bleak. She forced a smile and said, "Anabel, how could you bear to throw away such expensive things?"
Damien tugged at my hand. Initially, he didn't care about the trash I had discarded, but upon hearing Sophia's words, he glanced at the discarded items with a frown. They were all gifts he had given me. His expression darkened.
I looked at Damien's neck where the custom-made necklace I had given him was now missing. I had personally put it on him on his birthday, and had also taken it off myself.
"These are just things I don't need anymore. Some are still quite new. If you like them, feel free to keep them."
Among the discarded items, the necklace I had given Damien stood out. I finished speaking, freed my hand from Damien's grasp, put my headphones back on, and swiftly walked away. I fully expected Damien to reprimand me for disrespecting his 'goddess', but to my surprise, he let me leave without a word.
For the next week, I thought I wouldn't have to see Damien again, but unexpectedly, he cornered me at the gate to his mansion. He had left it immediately and moved in with Sophia.
His eyes shadowed, he startled me as I exited. I tried to bypass him and continue walking, but he grabbed my hand firmly. His gaze was full of impatience, a look I had never encountered before.
Damien's expression turned into disbelief as I seized the moment to pull my hand free and asked, "What do you want? Didn't we break up? Aren't you worried about what people will say, seeing us like this?"
Something I said must have hit a nerve. He seemed agitated. "Didn't we agree for two months? Sophia and I are just playing along! You're my girlfriend, why are you acting out like this?"
Not sure if he was being serious or just putting on a front, I looked at him, emphasizing each word: "I broke up with you as requested. We have nothing to do with each other anymore."
Damien started to panic. He moved closer to embrace me, but I stepped back and held up my hand to stop him
"Anabel what's going on? Are you jealous again?"
"Stop it. I know it was wrong of me to ask for a temporary break, but Sophia asked me for help, I couldn't refuse. And let's not forget, I publicly announced my engagement to Sophia. If people see us together, it won't be good for her reputation."
Even now, explaining and asking for my understanding, he couldn't stop talking about her. I was done listening.
"There's no need to explain anymore. You wanted to break up. I agreed. If you've loved Sophia for so long, and if she wasn't against marriage, wouldn't you have been together already?"
"Why not take this opportunity to turn your act into reality, and fulfill your long-held wish?"
Damien cut me off, looking irritated. "Sophia and I are not in a relationship! She's just a childhood friend. I help her when she's in need, that's all!"
His words didn't stir any emotions in me.
Whether she was a family friend or an unrequited first love, it no longer concerned me. If she was just a friend, why would he leave our dates midway to help her repeatedly? Disappeared when I lost the most important person in my life. Not even a call or text to apologize afterward.
"I don't care what your relationship with her is. You don't need to inform me. Just don't disturb my life anymore. We are divorced now."
Damien was about to say something, but the vibration of his phone interrupted him. I glanced at the caller ID—it was Sophia.Not wanting to linger, I turned and walked away. Behind me, I overheard Damien answer the call, his voice tender and gentle.
"Sophia, what's wrong… I'll be there right away."