Chapter 2
After returning home, Holly retrieved a business card from a drawer and called the number on
- it.
“Emily, I’d like to go to Aldrike and join your interpretation team.”
Emily Bane was elated to hear that. “That’s great, Holly! A genius like you who’s fluent in eight languages should showcase your extraordinary abilities at the international level. When are you coming over? I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
“I have to get my visa and passport ready. It’ll take about two weeks.”
“Alright, sure. Contact me when you’ve settled it all. Welcome to the team!”
After ending the call, Holly felt slightly reassured
In the year of her graduation, she received an offer from Emily to join her team. She had a bright future ahead of her. However, she canceled her plans to study abroad and turned down Emily’s offer because she wanted to marry Jasper.
Everyone else felt sorry for her, but she never regretted her decision. It wasn’t until she learned the truth behind Jasper’s lies that she had to admit that she had indeed made a wrong call.
However, no one could turn back time. She could only accept the consequences and start anew.
That night, she slept restlessly, flashbacks of the past resurfacing in her dreams.
She saw herself standing on the dorm balcony, staring intently after Jasper’s silhouette. She saw herself in her wedding gown, blushing as she put on the ring for Jasper and became his bride.
She also saw herself juggling several jobs, saving up her hard–earned money while looking forward to the day when they overcame the hurdle.
In the end, her flashbacks ended with the image of a divorce certificate.
Tears streamed down her face as she woke up. She looked around at the empty room and slowly came to her senses. Lying on the bed, she took quite a while to regain composure.
Right after a simple breakfast, she received a message from Nadine.
“Holly, I guess you have no idea about the true reason behind your divorce. I’ll kindly tell you why Jasper divorced you because he was too eager to marry me.
“Look at our marriage certificate. Isn’t it adorable? I’ve just received it.”
Almost immediately, she sent Holly a photo of her marriage certificate. In the background, Jasper had one arm over Nadine’s shoulder. He was smiling and looked pleased.
Chagy
Holly gazed at his face. Suddenly, she remembered the times when they registered their. marriage and had their wedding. Both times, he had never smiled.
She thought it was natural due to his aloof character, but the photo finally woke her up to the fact that she’d been self–deluding all this while.
If Jasper had truly fallen in love with her at first sight, how could he have never felt joyful when he finally married the person he had a crush on for four years?
It was something he never wanted, so how could he even smile?
Holly smiled, and her eyes reddened. She didn’t reply to Nadine’s message.
For the next few days, Holly went out frequently. First, she went to apply for a passport and visa. Then, she quit her side jobs one after another.
Her side job at the bar was the last one she had to quit. She told the manager of her circumstances, and he requested that she finish her work for the day before quitting. She agreed.
She entered a private room and started clearing the wine bottles. It was then that she vaguely heard someone’s thunderous voice coming from the bar.
“Mr. Price is paying for everyone here today!!
Soon, Jasper entered the private room surrounded by a group of men.
Someone asked, “Jasper, are you that delighted to marry Nadine? It’s good enough that you’d treat us all to a drink. Why did you generously offer to pay for everyone else in the establishment, too?”
Another man answered, “You obviously don’t understand a thing! Although Jasper solemnly told Nadine they’d only be married for a month for the sake of fulfilling her wish, marrying her was something he’d secretly always wanted to do all these years!”
“Since you’re that happy, why don’t you give out the sports cars you recently bought to all of us in celebration, Jasper?”
Jasper showed no signs of dissatisfaction when they teased him. He casually hurled a bunch of keys at them. “Take whichever car you want.”
His friends gleefully divided the sports cars among themselves. Clicking their tongues, they continued remarking on the incident.
“I feel like I’m receiving a wedding favor. Jasper, you love Nadine so much. Now that you can finally marry her, won’t you consider holding a wedding for her? Didn’t you custom–make a wedding gown and ring for her many years ago?”
Someone else remarked, “That’s right. You’ve always doted on her. That’s something we all lanow
“You’d push aside work matters to accompany her when she had a fever. You’d figure out ways to pressure the men who confessed their love to her to transfer to another school. You’d even secretly fly overseas every week to see her when she was studying abroad.
“Nadine has always dreamed of marrying you since she was a teenager. Now, she even faked a cancer report just so you married her. In turn, you pretended to believe and compromise. If that’s the case, why don’t you jus
hold a wedding and go on a honeymoon with her?”
