Chapter 2
Whenever Damien brought up divorce, Autumn would usually leave for a while before coming back without a fuss and trying to please him in whatever way she could.
There had never been an exception in the past.
Of course, this time would be no different.
For her to leave that determinedly that day was probably because she had just lost the baby.
As for the child…
A look of disgust crossed Damien’s gaze. Autumn didn’t deserve to bear his child. The pregnancy had been purely an accident.
Now that the child was gone, it was for the best.
…
Her compensation from the divorce was five million dollars.
The bank card and the divorce papers had always been placed together.
If Autumn had signed the papers three years ago, she could have had it all without needing to sacrifice anything.
In the three years she’d spent chasing a fantasy, she had not only wasted her time, her energy, and her feelings, but she had also impaired her fertility.
Whatever.
Dwelling on regrets was pointless and would only make her feel hopeless. Life was about moving forward.
Besides, it was better to have money than not at all.
With the bank card in hand, Autumn called for a taxi in the middle of the night, which took her straight to the entrance of Flery Residences.
This was an upscale luxury development where the price started at 30 thousand dollars per square foot.
Each condominium was generously sized, with just two units occupying each floor.
And one was under Autumn’s name.
The property used to belong to her uncle, Darius Green. Ever since what happened to Virginia Green, Autumn’s mother, he had settled abroad and left the condominium to her.
Autumn had thought she would never need it, but plans never keep up with changes.
Now that she was divorced, having a place to go was pretty nice.
Autumn dragged her suitcase inside Penthouse No. 1, which was located in Building 7.
She had scheduled a cleaning earlier that afternoon. The place was spotless at a single glance, but the nearly 300-square-foot condominium felt empty.
If it had been before, Autumn would have found living alone in such a large space too cold and lonely.
However, after enduring three years of Damien’s cold indifference, she feared nothing now, and she even felt a sense of peace she’d never known.
Feeling both relaxed and completely exhausted, Autumn quickly washed up and fell asleep.
At 6:00 am, a familiar alarm woke her up.
The alarm label read, “Time to make breakfast for my husband.”
Autumn was instantly wide awake.
Damien usually ate breakfast at 8:00 am, but since he was picky and would not eat anything simple, making breakfast would always take her one or two hours to prepare.
Even if he got home late from drinking the night before, Autumn would stay up to care for him, sleep around two or three, and still get up early the next morning.
Sometimes, even after all that effort, Damien wouldn’t eat, so the lavish breakfast would just go straight to the trash.
But now, she didn’t have to get up early anymore, and she no longer had to worry about her efforts being wasted.
Autumn deleted the alarm, put on her eye mask, and went back to sleep.
Though she believed she’d have a hard time falling back asleep, she succumbed to slumber almost instantly.
…
At 8:00 am, Damien opened his eyes with a pounding headache.
He always got headaches after drinking if he didn’t take anything to help with hangovers.
Damien had been too tired last night to drink Autumn’s soup, so now he was in agony.
On the nightstand, there was a steaming glass of water.
An unperturbed smirk appeared on his face.
Even though she’d left so decisively, she still came back in the end.
Drinking the warm water helped ease his headache. Then he sent a message to Barry. “I won the bet.”
Barry was speechless but impressed. “Can’t Autumn stand her ground just once? She spoils you more and more each time!”
Then he began to whine. “Losing sucks! Damn, the more I think about it, the angrier I get! Damien, hurry up and introduce me to a woman who loves me to death, please! I want to have a taste of what it’s like!”
Damien smiled a little. “Stop acting up.”
Then he tossed the phone aside and got up to shower.
He made his way downstairs, but unlike usual, the busy figure he was used to seeing was nowhere in sight.
“Where is she?” he said coldly.
Rosetta Braun, his housekeeper who would occasionally cook for him, came out of the kitchen with breakfast. “Mr. Caldwell, you’re up. Breakfast is ready.”
Damien frowned at her. “It’s you?”
“Yeah?”
“Were you the one who placed the water on my nightstand as well?”
Rosetta nodded. “Last night, Mrs. Caldwell told me she wouldn’t be home today and asked me to come early.”
Damien was speechless.
Seeing his dark expression, Rosetta became nervous. “Mr. Caldwell, maybe you should have some breakfast first…”
Damien stood there for a moment, then reluctantly walked over.
But on the table were only a glass of milk, two slices of toast, a fried egg, and some cheese.
Autumn usually made him a full breakfast spread. There would always be seven or eight different dishes that were all beautifully presented and sumptuous.
Moreover, the dishes were different every day.
In comparison to that, this was the saddest breakfast ever.
The fire in his chest that had just died down flared up again.
Damien asked coldly, “Is this all you made for me?”
Rosetta trembled from his question. “I… I’m sorry, Mr. Caldwell! Mrs. Caldwell has always been the one making you breakfast, so I don’t know your tastes…”
“If you don’t know, call and ask!”
Rosetta stammered, “I tried, but I couldn’t reach her…”
Damien stared at her wordlessly.
Well played, Autumn.
Still, Damien wasn’t worried at all. He believed Autumn would be back sooner or later.
Maybe she’d even show up at his office by noon.
This was her usual roundabout approach to come crawling back.
Regardless, the misunderstanding had already ruined his appetite. He turned and stormed out.
Damien slammed the door behind him, causing the confused Rosetta to wonder what was up with him.
She anxiously called Autumn, but after several attempts, there was still no answer.
Rosetta was puzzled, but then figured it was probably because Damien had brought up divorce again.
In the past, Autumn would usually check in with her about Damien and return at just the right time.
But this was the first time she hadn’t answered her phone.
After a moment of thought, Rosetta assumed Autumn had just gotten good at playing hard to get and was just being gone longer to make Damien feel uneasy without her.
That wasn’t a bad move at all.
Everyone knew Damien never really cared about Autumn.
Damien was an outstanding man, and temptations were everywhere. If Autumn didn’t try harder to get his affection, how could she possibly win over his heart?
…
Since Autumn didn’t have to work on Saturdays, she could sleep in until noon.
She hadn’t gotten groceries yet, so she ordered a large takeout meal.
After eating, Autumn browsed a technology forum. Some familiar faces had already become industry leaders, but she couldn’t find any news about her mentor.
If she were not mistaken, her mentor was busy with research.
What she remembered most vividly was how warm her mentor’s gaze was. It was just like Virginia’s.
Yet, she had let her down…
As Autumn’s eyes reddened, she hesitated for a moment before making a call.
“Olivia, let’s meet up.”
Olivia Clements was Autumn’s friend from university.
She would always be so happy whenever Autumn called, but now her tone lacked enthusiasm.
“I swear you cancel our plans nine times out of every ten invites. I may be your friend, but that doesn’t mean you can keep wearing me down like this.” She then coldly asked, “Think it through. Are you sure you want to meet?”
After getting married, Autumn had devoted herself to domestic life.
She hadn’t meant to neglect her friendships, but she had.
As for Olivia, she had been focusing on her career. Her tech company had already made a name for itself and was a rising star in the industry.
The growing gap between them made Autumn less confident, so she reached out even less.
Taking a deep breath, Autumn slowly said, “I’m getting a divorce.”
There was a pause on Olivia’s end before she bluntly asked, “Give me the time and place.”
…
Autumn went to the courthouse to file the divorce papers. The divorce would be finalized after a month, and only then would she get her divorce certificate.
She was done before three in the afternoon, arriving early at the café where she was meeting Olivia.
She ordered a coffee and drank half of it when her whole body suddenly tensed, making her clutch her cup.
She hadn’t expected to run into Damien within less than a day of divorcing him.
