Chapter 2:
James had listened to each of Lucy Hayes’s songs hundreds of times.
The bright screen hurt Emma’s eyes as she clicked on one of the songs. Lucy’s voice was incredibly gentle, singing: “I’ll be loving you from my corner of the
world.”
Emma remembered first seeing Lucy at a yacht party. Back then, she was just a moderately famous social media influencer. Under the sea breeze, Lucy wore a blue mermaid dress, singing love songs under the lights. Her gentle beauty, like the girl next door, caught the attention of several men on board.
The microphone quality was mediocre, but James was mesmerized. He couldn’t help asking his friend, “Who is she?”
His friend replied, “Just some influencer. Word is she’s got a wealthy sponsor.” James immediately put on a look of disdain and turned to wrap his arm around Emma’s waist. “My Emma is still the best she’ll always be mine alone.”
Emma had smiled down, saying, “You’re such a child.”
Back then, Emma hadn’t even bothered remembering Lucy’s name.
The second time she saw that familiar face was on Twitter’s trending topics: “$10 Million Investment? Who’s the Mystery Backer Behind Unknown Singer?”
Emma had shared this gossip with James, expecting him to laugh. Instead, het snapped, “Stop reading this trashy news. It’s worthless.”
Emma couldn’t understand his anger. Until, while cleaning, she found a bank transfer receipt for $10 million. The sender was James Foster, the recipient’s name
ended with “Hayes.”
Her instincts told her it was Lucy Hayes. James’s anger that day wasn’t anger at all
– it was guilt.
But she had no proof, and she knew James’s temper all too well. He’d always been short–tempered, and making accusations based on just this would only lead to
disaster.
Later, Emma found more evidence.
Like receipts for luxury handbags she’d never seen, payment screenshots for designer trench coats all shipped to Lucy Hayes.
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Not knowing which gemstones Lucy preferred, James had simply bought one of every color.
This man, who only ever transferred money on her birthday, had gone out of his
way to research Lucy’s favorite boutique brands.
It was the first time Emma realized James could be this attentive and gentle. After three months of persistent pursuit, James successfully won Lucy away from her previous sponsor.
–
Now Lucy wasn’t satisfied with just material things she wanted the title of Mrs.
Foster.
So James had concocted this ridiculous excuse about his grandmother to force Emma to sign the divorce papers.
Emma knew she was just a pawn in James’s game to make Lucy happy.
Taking a deep breath, Emma pulled out a box of sticky notes from the drawer and folded an origami crane, placing it in a glass jar.
When she filled it with thirty cranes, she would leave. She wouldn’t reconcile with
James.
Emma had carefully loved James her whole life, while James’s love felt like leftover scraps thrown her way.
Suddenly, she felt too tired to love anymore.
She tightened the jar’s lid and went to the bedroom to rest.
A call came from an unknown number – it was the steakhouse she and James frequently visited.
The waitress’s voice came through: “Hello, is this Mrs. Foster? Your membership. card balance is running low. Would you like to add more funds?”
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Add to Library – Read Anytime
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