Chapter 7
When she got home alone, Yara saw dozens of messages from Yelena.
She replied with a single line, “I’m fine and already home. No need to worry.”
After hitting send, she exited the conversation and looked at Bryce’s pinned chat. He hadn’t sent a single message or called once.
It seemed he meant what he said about not caring about her at all.
At that moment, whatever love Yara had felt for Bryce was gone. There was nothing left to hold onto.
Bryce didn’t come home the entire week.
Yara didn’t ask where he went. Instead, she quietly focused on sorting and dividing the assets for the divorce.
Sometimes, she would come across Yelena’s travel posts on Instagram and spot Bryce in the background.
His fingers were shown in the photo by accident while he peeled a bowl of shrimp.
When he took photos of Yelena, his smiling face was reflected in her eyes.
And while she drew on the beach, his initials were written in the sand beside her.
Yara scrolled through each post and liked almost all of them.
Days went by, and then the lawyer called.
“Ms. Spencer, your divorce paperwork is finalized. When would you like to come to pick up the decree?”
Yara had waited for this day for far too long. She immediately headed out and came back with two copies of the divorce decree.
After leaving the law firm, she was about to deliver the other copy to Bryce, but his friend called first.
“Yara, Bryce is drunk. Can you come pick him up and take him home?”
Yara asked for the address and rushed over.
When she reached the private room door and was about to open it, she heard Bryce’s drunken voice.
“These past few days traveling with Lena have been the happiest time since I got married. It was just the two of us, and we didn’t have to pretend,” Bryce slurred.” We could show our feelings for each other freely.
“I wished time could stop right there so Lena could be mine forever. But the one thing I’ve always wanted turned out to be nothing more than just a dream.” The despair in his voice was so raw, and his friends couldn’t help but pity him.
“Bryce, you should stop with your drunken talk Yara is on her way, and if she hears this, it’ll break her heart,” one of his friends said. “She loves you so much. She stayed in Jedo for you, even though it meant being apart from her parents.
“You’re all she has, so you can’t let her down.”
“Yeah. Yara gave up the rare chance to study abroad just to marry you. All these years, she’s been utterly devoted to you,” another friend added. “She’d bring you food when you worked late.
“And when you had that car accident, she took care of you for a month without rest. There was also that one time when you were out of town for work, you got drunk, and your stomach acted up. She got on the next flight just to see you when she found out.”
“We know you only have eyes for Lena, but you’re siblings. There’s no future for the both of you,” one other friend in the room said. “You should cherish Yara. If you lose her, you’ll regret it one day.”
Bryce laughed softly at their advice.
“Regret? I’ve only regretted one thing in my life. I never should have listened to Lena three years ago and gotten married,
“If I hadn’t, maybe I’d still have a chance to be with her.”
