- 8.
After ten hours, I landed in Italy.
The second I got off the plane, my professor
greeted me with the law firm staff.
It was my third time in Paris.
Before, I’d been called back the same day
after signing the contract for business trips.
Now that the pressure of work was gone, I
felt incredibly light.
<
From today on, I just needed to live for
myself.
And Frank would never find me here.
“Ashley, I’m so glad you’re joining us.”
My return made my professor emotional.
I was the most promising of all his students,
second only to my classmate, Simon Hunter.
I went with Frank, turning down his offer to
go abroad with him.
I had given up the future he had made for me
before he left the country.
Before leaving, he looked at me with regret
Г
“Ashley, you shouldn’t limit yourself to family,
you were meant for bigger things.”
I was lucky it wasn’t too late.
Luckily, everything was possible.
“I’ve sent the divorce papers, and I’m having
your classmate help you with the case. I
promise… it will be fair.”
At the end, the always composed teacher
showed anger.
I smiled, winking at Simon.
“Then I’ll have to ask my classmate to work
hard. When I get the money, I’ll take everyone
on a trip!”
く
Seeing that I was back to my playful self, my
teacher’s heart finally settled down.
“Let’s go, let me show you your new office.”
But I didn’t expect Frank and I to meet so
soon.
On my first day of work, I saw Frank
downstairs.
At first I couldn’t believe it, I rubbed my eyes
a few times to convince myself I wasn’t
dreaming.
Frank looked a lot more gaunt, and it looked
like he was about to pass out. He was
stubbornly standing at the door.
L
He quickly walked up to me when he saw me,
and I stepped back to put distance between
- us.
Sensing that I was leaving him, he looked
hurt.
“Ashley, don’t be mad, I was wrong.”
“These last two years, I paid too much
attention to Jessica because I saw you in her
nine years ago, and mistook myself for liking
her.”
“It wasn’t until you left that I realized it was
just an illusion, the person I love in my heart
is still you.”
I gave him a sarcastic look, barely keeping
the nausea at bay.
く
The man’s fake sincerity continued.
“I’ve been watching your performance all
these years, and maybe it was the ability you
showed in your work that made me feel
pressured. I feel like you’ve changed.”
“Rational and powerful, like a cold and
ruthless machine.”
“So when Jessica appeared, I wanted to get
closer to her. I seemed to see you again when
we first met…”
“Ashley, I don’t want to get a divorce, and I
don’t want to lose you. Can you forgive me
this once?
As he spoke, Frank broke down in tears, but I
く
This was the man I loved, clearly having an
affair, but still trying to excuse himself.
He even wanted to blame the affair on me.
Because of my strength and rationality, he
said I’d changed.
Because I made him feel pressured, he liked
Jessica.
Those qualities he used to praise were now
the root of his cheating.
How ridiculous!
“Wrong is wrong, and you have to be willing
to pay the price for betrayal.”
“If an apology was all it took to be forgiven.
く
what would we need the police for?”
“Frank, we’re over.”
I went past him and walked into the firm.
Frank didn’t push it.
He knew my personality.
Once I made a decision, I never looked back.
But I saw him standing outside the building all
day, ignoring the weird looks he was getting.
But what did it matter?
Some relationships, you miss the chance, you
miss the chance.
<
I gave him 99 chances, he missed them all…
He wasn’t worth forgiving.
