Chapter 2 The Wife, The Husband, Thieving Cat

Walking out of Marcus's private room, I felt confused and dizzy.

All I did was light a cigarette for a stranger. That was really all it was.

Then the mysterious man said four simple words to Marcus: "Stop in moderation."

Marcus laughed like he was going crazy, but he actually stopped whatever he was planning. Even now, I still can't relax. Something felt wrong about everything.

As a married woman, there were things I probably shouldn't be doing. But what was so wrong with what I did?

I walked downstairs and made it all the way to the front door. Only when the cold wind hit me did I realize I forgot to get my coat.

A black car was parked outside. It looked familiar somehow. A young, pretty girl sat in the back seat, staring at me through the window. On a freezing winter night like this, dressed in just my backless dress, I definitely stood out.

But soon, the girl looked somewhere else.

I heard elevator doors open behind me. The girl's eyes got bright and excited. She jumped out of the car like a playful little kitten, running past me while calling out sweetly, "Honey!"

It was kind of cute to watch, so I turned to see what was happening.

But when I saw who the little kitten was running to, I felt shocked.

The man stepping out of the elevator was tall with long legs, wearing a perfect black suit. He was incredibly handsome. As the girl threw her arms around him, he looked up and stared right at me.

When our eyes met, I almost wanted to scoff.

After so many days, I was finally seeing my husband, Damien Blackwood, again.

That's right. The little kitten's honey was also my husband. The legal, official kind.

The girl was hugging Damien's waist, looking up to give him a sweet kiss. "I missed you so much," she whispered.

Damien stayed cold, his eyes locked on me. I could see the coldness in his look turn to disgust.

I saw it clearly, but since we'd already run into each other, I waved at him casually. "Hi there. It's been a while."

The girl holding Damien immediately turned to look at me, then glanced up at Damien nervously. "Honey, do you know her?"

Everyone knew Damien and I were married. It wasn't a secret. But I'd stayed hidden for two years after our wedding, never showing up anywhere public. Even though Damien's cheating scandals were in every gossip magazine, I never said anything about it.

So while everyone knew Damien Blackwood had a wife, nobody really knew me. Even people who did know me just pretended Mrs. Blackwood didn't exist.

After all, Damien's attitude said everything.

Just like right now.

I could tell the little kitten wasn't going to get an answer from Damien, so I spoke up first. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

The girl immediately got defensive, holding Damien tighter.

"Talk to you? About what?" Damien finally spoke. His voice was ice cold.

I wanted the girl to leave so I wouldn't hurt her feelings, but seeing how Damien acted, I had to be direct. "You got the divorce papers, right? If you're too busy to deal with it yourself, just have your lawyer call me. I'm free whenever."

The girl's eyes went wide with shock, and she loosened her grip on Damien.

"Don't you like being Mrs. Blackwood?" Damien stared at me coldly. "What's this new trick? Trying to get attention by asking for divorce?"

"My family's problems right now aren't good for the Blackwood reputation."

Something bad had happened to my family recently. Our company was in trouble from every direction, and we were begging for help everywhere.

"I think you're planning something else." Damien kept staring at my face, his eyes sharp and accusing. "What is it? Ready to divorce me, make yourself look good again, and find someone new?"

I'd always been pretty, with bright eyes and nice features that naturally got attention. Even when I used to keep my hair short and plain, I couldn't hide it. Men were always drawn to me like bugs to light.

Damien had seen it happen many times before.

After we got married, I deliberately made myself look boring. I stopped wearing makeup and acted gentle and sweet, which fooled almost everyone.

Lucky for him, he never forgot what I was really like.

Now, with my long hair flowing and red lipstick on, I looked bright and alive like a blooming rose. It clearly reminded Damien of the old days.

He suddenly grabbed my chin, tilting my face up to look at me closely.

"Too tired to keep pretending?"

My face was trapped in his hand, and my eyes that had been dull for two years suddenly came back to life.

"Yes," I smiled. "I've been pretending for two years. Everyone must be tired of it by now."

I hadn't smiled for real in a long time. My fake gentle personality meant I had to look pleasant all the time, so fake smiles became normal.

But this smile was different.

I really couldn't pretend anymore. I felt like I could finally be free, so I smiled with complete honesty, bright and dazzling.

I could see anger starting to burn in Damien's eyes, getting stronger and hotter.

He squeezed my face harder. "So eager to leave. Have you already found your next target?"

The pain made me wince, but I still looked him in the eye. "No. I have morals. Some people call it self-respect."

Damien seemed to think this was funny. "Self-respect? Or is it that nobody wants you? If the Blackwood family won't have you, who else in this city would dare take you?"

I knew he was right.

Damien wasn't just talking about women and relationships.

The Blackwood family was so powerful that most people in the city had to do what they wanted.

Just like now, my family was having money problems, but everyone was watching to see what the Blackwoods would do. Everyone knew our families were connected through marriage. If even the Blackwoods wouldn't help, then nobody else would either.

As the son-in-law on paper, Damien had made his position very clear.

He wanted my family to crash and burn.

I'd figured this out a long time ago.

"After the divorce, I won't be Mrs. Blackwood anymore. I won't be part of the Blackwood family, and whatever happens to me is my problem. And you," I looked at the little kitten beside him, "you can have what you want. Isn't that better for everyone?"

"Better for everyone?" Damien repeated what I said quietly. "But Vera, the problem is I can't let go of how much I hate you. What should I do about that?"

I stared at him.

"Since you married into the Blackwood family, you should have been ready to be Mrs. Blackwood for the rest of your life." Damien let go of my face. "You can't save your family, and nobody else can save them either. Watch carefully and see how your family falls apart."

After saying that, Damien walked straight to the door.

The little kitten still looked shocked, following him out in a confused daze before getting in the car and driving away.

I stood there quietly watching the car disappear. I stayed in the hallway for a long time. That's when I noticed it had started snowing.

This was the first snow of winter in our city, and it was coming down hard.

I got distracted and found myself reaching out my hand toward the falling snow.

The moment the snowflakes touched my palm, I smelled that cedar scent again.

Thinking I was imagining things, I lifted my dress and stepped out into the snow.

Suddenly, something blocked the snowflakes falling on my head.

I looked up and saw a black umbrella.

A man who looked like a driver stood behind me, holding my coat in one hand and the umbrella in the other. "Miss Sinclair, it's snowing. Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"No, thanks." I took my coat and put it on, but I still felt cold.

"Then please take this umbrella. The snow is getting worse."

My car couldn't get onto the private road, and there was a long driveway to walk down to reach it.

I took the umbrella. "Thank you."

The wooden handle felt smooth and warm, with a faint, cool woody smell.

I couldn't help turning back to look at the windows on the third floor of the building.

The room was still half bright and half dark. I wondered if that mysterious man was still standing behind that dark window.