Chapter 2

Wyatt came home very late that night.

When he walked in, he carried the scent of Hayley's signature Marc Jacobs perfume.

I lay in bed with my back to him.

I didn't want to listen, but I still heard the voice leaking from his phone perfectly clearly—Hayley's coaxing, playful tone.

"Please, Wyatt, come pick me up tomorrow, okay?"

Wyatt gave a resigned "Mm" and hung up.

He showered and came to bed. Soon, the steady, even rhythm of his breathing filled the room.

I slowly turned over, my gaze tracing his features from his brows to his jaw.

Just like on our wedding night, I couldn't sleep.

The year we got married, I hadn't even finished college.

On my twenty-second birthday, Wyatt took me straight to City Hall.

By then, he had made his first real money through his tech startup, launched with a college entrepreneurship grant.

Before we signed the papers, the lawyer handed me a document.

It was a postnuptial agreement. The terms were ridiculously skewed in my favor—if he cheated or initiated a divorce, I got half the company shares and all joint assets.

He said he wouldn't feel secure unless I signed it.

I laughed at him for being crazy.

But he was dead serious.

He cupped my face and said, "Cora, I can't wait to have your name on every document in my life. But I know you're still in school, and your future holds endless possibilities."

"This document is my bottom line. Put on these handcuffs and marry me—I'll be your hostage forever. That should be enough to get you to say yes, right?"

I laughed, and then I cried.

That day, we became husband and wife, legally. That night, we truly had each other for the first time.

Thinking back, I pulled the yellowed agreement out of the nightstand drawer.

Then I took the divorce papers I had drafted long ago—the ones where I voluntarily walked away from everything—signed them, and placed them together with the agreement.

It wasn't that I didn't care about the money.

I just didn't want to leave him any trail to find traces of me again.

After lying back down, I finally fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the space beside me was already cold. He must have left a while ago.

I didn't dwell on it. I packed my bag for the retreat and went downstairs.

The moment I opened the door, Hayley's chattering laughter blasted into my ears.

"Cora—"

The second she saw me, her smile vanished.

She called my name in a small, timid voice, then ducked behind Wyatt like a frightened deer.

Wyatt immediately stepped forward, shielding her from my sight with his body.

"We're leaving as soon as you're ready."

He didn't explain. I didn't ask.

When we walked to the garage, Hayley rushed ahead to the passenger side, pulled the door open, and then turned to look at me.

"Cora... I get a little carsick, and there are still some project details I need to go over with Wyatt on the way, so..."

I glanced at Wyatt, who stood there in silence, and spoke flatly.

"Get in."

Then I pulled open the back door and climbed in myself.

Wyatt froze for a second.

His eyes landed on my face, his expression complicated in a way I couldn't quite read.

In my earpiece, my younger self was crying.

"How can he do this? Why didn't he refuse? He used to say the passenger seat of his car was mine forever!"

I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.

"That was a long time ago."

The two of them got in.

Wyatt leaned over to fasten Hayley's seatbelt for her.

The entire drive, they talked about things I wasn't part of.

The Seattle business trip scenery, funny moments from their projects, their private jokes.

Every piece of it excluded me.

"Cora," Hayley suddenly turned around from the front seat, smiling like a carefree girl, "that time Wyatt and I went to Aspen for work, he actually forgot to bring you a gift. Good thing I reminded him and helped him pick out a really pretty necklace for you. Did you wear it?"

I lifted my eyes.

I remembered how naive I'd been back then, thinking that necklace was a sign our relationship was warming up again.

So that was her masterpiece all along.

"You're carsick," I said, my voice very calm. "Then talk less."

Hayley's smile froze on her face.

Wyatt immediately frowned and said my name, his tone full of displeasure.

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to say a single word more.

In my earpiece, my younger self went quiet for a moment before speaking, her tone also flat, but unable to hide the sadness.

"Cora, don't be sad."

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, my eyes softening for just a split second.

I murmured, "I stopped being sad a long time ago."