Chapter 5
Terence smiled in relief when he received the signed divorce agreement. Everything would be over soon- he only needed to wait for the month–long cooling–off period to pass. Then, he and Hailey would have nothing to do with each other.
A week later, he received a call from Rainer Manor on an annual family gathering. As the husband of the Rainer family’s eldest granddaughter, he had to attend
Terence didn’t want to be there–he and Hailey would soon be divorced, after all. It’d be best for them not to see each other. However, he ultimately chose to attend after considering the help the Rainer family had given him over the years.
A massive crystal chandelier lit up the main hall at Rainer Manor. It made everything glimmer. Handsome men and beautiful women mingled with drinks in their hands. They laughed and chatted.
Terence showed up in a white suit, smiling and nodding at the members of the Rainer family as he walked past them. Then, he headed upstairs to greet Hailey’s grandfather, Richard Rainer, and her parents, Harold Rainer and Nora Smith.
He felt like his face would seize up from all his smiling. He wanted to leave the main wing and head to the annex to rest before the banquet officially began. However, a voice rang out behind him, stopping
him. “Terence.”
He turned to see Hailey standing with her back to the lights. He couldn’t see the look on her face. She said, “You’re not a child anymore, Terence. You’ve stayed away from home for so long and haven’t bothered answering your phone.
“Whaǝ you think people will think of the Rainer family when they hear that you ran away from home? You have to move back in with me tonight.”
Hailey sounded like she was chastising a child who was throwing a tantrum. She’d always been good at, controlling her emotions; tonight was no exception. Her tone was nonchalant, composed, and sure.
Her words were rational and logical; she didn’t bring emotions into play–perhaps it was because she’d never felt anything for him. She sounded like she was advising him, but her warning was clear.
Terence lowered his gaze, his lashes concealing the mockery and glumness in his eyes. She wanted him to move back in with her? It was clear she was still unaware she’d signed the divorce agreement. She had no idea they were no longer married,
Terence was about to say something when the butler called Hailey away. He sighed deeply. There wasn’t enough time for him to rest at the annex, so he decided to take a stroll around the pond.
When he got there, a hand stretched out and stopped him. “Terence!”
He looked up to see Matthew scowling at him, the warning in his gaze evident. “Didn’t you say you would leave Hailey alone? Why are you here now? What do you mean by this? I knew you were lying! How could you possibly give up on being Hailey’s husband so easily?”
Terence remained calm and composed. “We’ve already signed the divorce agreement, haven’t we? Why would I continue to pester her? I no longer care about being Hailey’s husband, so you don’t have to worry. T’ll leave once the divorce cooling–off period is over.”
After that, he turned to leave. Matthew stomped his foot, wanting to chase after him. Just then, a scream tore through the air–it came from above the slope leading to the pond.
Chapter 5
“Out of the way!”
The two men looked up and paled when they saw two children hurtling toward them on skateboards.
“Watch out!”
Both the men fell into the pond; the icy water immediately surrounded them. Terence was afraid of the water and couldn’t swim. The more he struggled to swim to the bank, the more panicked he became. He kept sinking.
As he tried to get to the surface, he saw Hailey running to them out of the corner of his eye. She looked like she was going to jump into the pond, but he didn’t call for help–he only managed to swallow several mouthfuls of water whenever he opened his mouth.
His brain was starting to turn to mush, and it was getting harder to breathe. Just then, he saw Hailey jump into the pond and head straight to Matthew.
Terence wasn’t surprised by this, but it did make him feel woeful. No matter where and when, she would always choose Matthew. Terence would always be the one abandoned and cast aside.
The noise around him started to die down, and his energy depleted rapidly. Finally, he slowly sank to the bottom of the pond…