Chapter 20
Jonathan seemed to recall something, his Adam's apple bobbing. He finally explained, “Alicia and I aren’t what you think. Our families have been friends for generations; some things are unavoidable. I know where the line is—”
“You don’t have to explain,” I interrupted. “If you’re feeling guilty about not saving me from the pool, and want to make amends instead of divorcing… that’s unnecessary.” Shaking my head, I added, “More divorce compensation would be better.”
We parted on bad terms. I couldn't understand his reluctance to divorce. He clearly loved Alicia and disliked me. Shouldn't divorce be exactly what he wanted? I couldn't make sense of his actions, and frankly, I didn't want to anymore.
For days, I'd been apartment hunting. He hadn't come home in days—perhaps because of our argument, perhaps not. It didn't matter; I didn't want to see him.
I was reviewing rental listings when Gabrielle called. “Elise, free to talk?”
“Yup. What’s up?”
“HR wants you at the office. A task for you.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “They couldn’t reach you, so they called me. Should I tell them to expect you?”
After graduation, Gabrielle had landed a job at Millenia on her own merit. Unlike me, the lovesick fool who'd only worked to watch my husband, she genuinely enjoyed her job. I didn't want to inconvenience her, so I went straight to the office.
Despite my amnesia, muscle memory took over. Millenia was unfamiliar, yet navigating the building felt instinctive; details seemed vaguely familiar. I headed toward Jonathan's office with practiced ease. Before entering, I heard Alicia's overly sweet voice from inside.
“Jonathan, I have an idea about that project…”
I’d found her in his office before; here she was again. Her plan was clever: claiming to want to work at his company to be closer. Even an idiot could see her goal, yet Jonathan seemed oblivious—or perhaps, unwilling to see it.
Watching them, I considered filming their interaction as evidence for the divorce. Alicia was always impeccably dressed; I couldn't fault her for caring about her appearance. However, with Jonathan, she’d subtly tug her neckline down, revealing a bit more, then feign embarrassment, claiming, “I’m sorry, Jonathan. My clothes are loose. Was I inappropriate?”
Today, Jonathan didn't even look up from his documents. “You can bring up any ideas you have.”
I raised an eyebrow. Why the pretense of propriety? Everyone assumed they were involved; why maintain appearances in private? Who was this performance for?
Alicia furrowed her brows. “I’ve been involved with this project, and there are no problems. But if this road cuts through this path, it might harm the local ecology.” She adopted a worried expression. “I’m sorry, Jonathan. I changed the route without checking with you. Is that okay? That township has a nice ecosystem, adorable animals… We lived in estates like that when we were young. Children love little animals. I don’t want to destroy that kind of environment…”
I scoffed. Alicia was clearly showcasing her kindness. Men liked innocent women; she was pulling out all the stops.