I Refuse to Divorce!

Zoe went downstairs and got into the car. The chauffeur noticed she was in a foul mood. So, he spoke ever so softly, “Shall we head home now, Ms. Zoe?"

She sat there quietly and looked out the car window. Neon lights were flickering in the city.

All of a sudden, she said softly, “I'm going to take a stroll. Go on back home, Luke!”

Luke, the old chauffeur, frowned and said, “That's not happening, Ms. Zoe. I can’t leave you alone in the dead of night. Mr. Mason's going to be worried sick if he finds out!”

Smiling faintly in response, she asked, “Do you really think he'd care?” Luke immediately stopped talking. Lately, his master hadn't been spending the nights in his own manor and the servants were gossiping behind his back. It'd be a bald-faced lie if he claimed he hadn't heard any of it.

With that said, he was worried about Zoe. So, the car crept along the road, following Zoe as she took a stroll on the streets.

She had no idea how long she had been walking. It was about two o'clock in the morning when she came upon a wall full of graffiti. All sorts of naive confessions strewn across its surface.

Crouching, she brushed her fingers longingly across a spot at the bottom left corner.

"Zoe loves Mason forever.”

Staring at the scrawl, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. The love she had for Mason when she was young was such a precious thing. However, years came and went and no one cherished it. Her love had no place to go.

There was an eerie silence in the dead of night. Luke was concerned that she might catch a cold. So, he tried to convince her to go back home. She nodded and got into the car. It was warm in there, but it did nothing to chase away the chill she felt in her heart.

Checking her phone after she reached home, she found that she had received a text from Mason. The content was something along the lines of how sorry he was for not being able to keep her company because of his work.

The next morning, a top jeweler came by the manor, bearing a set of ruby jewelry. Judging by its quality and size, it was worth at least fifty million dollars.

Zoe took the gift and sent a text to Mason. She thanked him for giving her an anniversary gift, despite his extremely busy schedule. After that, she tossed it aside.

The fact that he didn’t reply to her probably meant that he was terribly worried about Lilith's condition. However, none of it mattered to her anymore. She had her own business to attend to.

It was already Saturday by the time they met each other again. He came back around half past four in the afternoon. One of the attentive servants saw the black Bentley as it pulled into the manor and darted to the third floor to tell Zoe. She spoke cheerfully, “Mr. Mason's back, Ms. Zoe!”

Zoe was in the middle of her violin practice. She stopped when she heard what the servant said. Mason probably came back to change for the party. It was Aiden’s private party which he needed to attend with Lilith.

How ironic, she thought to herself. In any case, she put down her violin and went downstairs to welcome him home.

She ran into him on the second floor. There was an awkward silence as they locked gazes with each other. It had been a few days since they last saw each other. He looked paler now. It inferred that Lilith's condition had gotten worse and he had exhausted every bit of his energy, staying by her side.

After a brief pause, she spoke softly, “Welcome home!”

His eyes grew darker. They were both mature adults now. He couldn't afford to keep treating her like a fool. After a brief contemplation, he decided to explain himself, “Things aren't looking too good for her. That's why I have to keep her company. There's nothing going on between us, Zoe.”

She stared at him wordlessly for a while before putting on a faint smile. She chose to avoid the topic.

“You're home early. Is it because you found the time to meet my friend? I thought you said you couldn't do it, Mason.”

If he could just apologize to her and come clean that he still couldn't do it because he needed to keep Lilith company, she might've been impressed by his honesty. For that matter, she would've been willing to let him explain himself.

However, that wasn't what he did.

Standing by the window, he took out a cigarette from his front pocket and started smoking. About halfway through the cigarette, he turned around and said lightly, “Get me a set of formal attire. I need to go back to the company in a while.”

Lowering her gaze, she tried to hide her disappointment.

Then, she put on a considerate smile and said, “Work takes precedence, I guess. One set of formal attire, coming right up. Also, are you going to have dinner at home? If you are, I'll ask Layla to..."