He stood in front of Annabelle Linton, his tall frame blocking her path.

Annabelle Linton walked around him and continued forward.

Leona Grant followed her. They walked a few steps together before he turned a corner, pulling her into a deserted alleyway.

The alley was flanked by a building on one side and a wide, railed-off river on the other.

The water rushed by, and a breeze carrying the scent of earth and river water washed over them, a strangely refreshing sensation.

Annabelle Linton’s long, wavy hair swayed gently in the breeze.

Leona Grant stared intently at Annabelle Linton’s exquisite, cold face and said dejectedly, "So we’re really divorced, just like that?"

Annabelle Linton shoved the divorce certificate in her hand into his, saying flatly, "You can open it and see for yourself."

Leona Grant tossed the divorce certificate aside, the rims of his eyes turning red. "But I don’t want a divorce! Can’t we start over? Everything was fine before. I can overlook you being with other men, and I can stop getting entangled with other women. Isn’t that enough?"

"This patronizing act of yours is truly disgusting."

Annabelle Linton scoffed. She glanced away mockingly before her eyes landed on him again, her expression flat. "Then how about this? I’ll continue seeing other men, and you can go back to flitting through a field of flowers. That way, neither of us gets in the other’s way. Wouldn’t that be better, Mr. Grant?"

"Don’t call me Mr. Grant!"

"Alright, ex-husband."

’Ex-husband.’

Leona Grant’s heart felt as if it had been stung by a bee—the pain was swift and sharp.

’It hurt so, so much.’ He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest, as if to soothe the ache.

Annabelle Linton tried to yank her hand back, but he only gripped it tighter.

She struggled a few more times, but his grip only tightened. The heat of Leona Grant’s palm was almost frightening, a stark contrast to her own ice-cold fingers.

’She hated these entanglements. It would be better to just say everything that needed to be said today, once and for all.’

Annabelle Linton leaned back against the railing. She glanced at the ground for a moment before turning her face away, her gaze falling on the water. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

In the brief silence that followed, she stared at the water, the flowing river reflected in her pupils, while Leona Grant watched her without blinking.

Wetting his dry lips, Leona Grant was the first to break the silence. "I know I was a bastard before. Can’t you give me another chance? I know I was wrong."

Annabelle Linton didn’t answer.

"If you can’t let go of what happened before, then let’s start over from the very beginning, back when we just learned each other’s names. We’ll let everything else go. We can get to know each other all over again, start dating again. Okay?"

Annabelle Linton still said nothing.

Leona Grant’s heart ached even more. He let go of her hand, pulled her into his embrace, and held her tight.

Annabelle Linton didn’t struggle. She knew from experience that fighting back would only make him hold her tighter.

Leona Grant just held her, lowering his head to breathe in the faint scent of gardenia from her hair. In that moment, he felt an indescribable sense of peace and satisfaction.

’An embrace like this... I’ll probably never have it again.’

His voice was hoarse as he said, "Believe me, we can go back to how things were. I can make you happy."

’But she didn’t need it.’

’He was always so forceful and domineering. When he didn’t love her, he wished she would drop dead. Now that he’s interested again, he just wants to pester her.’

’Who couldn’t see right through him?’

’The fool who loved him for more than twenty years suddenly doesn’t anymore, and now she’s getting close to another man. His pride and vanity can’t take it, that’s all.’

Annabelle Linton let out a cold laugh and said nonchalantly, "You’re always so arrogant. What do you expect me to say?"