Chapter 4 Let''s Talk
"Nico!"
Cecilia called out to her daughter. The little girl''s face lit up instantly, and she came running over. "Mom!"
Cecilia wrapped Nico in a tight hug, planting kisses on her rosy cheeks.
Nico''s father was Justin. Cecilia had slept with him just one day before their wedding, and nine months later, Nico was born.
Justin kept his distance from Cecilia emotionally, but he was devoted to their daughter. To give Nico the best education possible, he enrolled her in an elite private kindergarten that only accepted children from the wealthiest families.
"How about we go out for a nice dinner?" Sabina scooped Nico up from Cecilia''s arms so she could drive.
Cecilia didn''t mind at all. She hit the gas pedal, savoring that rush of freedom she''d missed—the wind whipping through her hair as she drove fast.
Just minutes after Cecilia pulled away, Justin''s car arrived at the kindergarten.
Always the workaholic, Justin sat in the backseat with his face buried in documents, his expression stone-cold and unreadable.
The butler stepped out, but returned alone moments later. "Mrs. Quinn already picked up Nico."
Justin looked up, his face darkening.
"I think Mrs. Quinn doesn''t really want this divorce," the butler ventured carefully. "Taking Nico like this—it''s her way of saying she wants to work things out."
The butler''s theory made logical sense, but it didn''t ease Justin''s frustration one bit.
Why did that woman always resort to these pointless games? If she wanted him back, she should just come to him directly.
Half a month flew by in a blur.
Justin hurled his phone across the room after yet another call from the HOA. In those two weeks, Cecilia hadn''t called him once—not even once!
*****
After tucking Nico into bed, Cecilia joined Sabina in the living room for wine and girl talk.
"People keep asking why I came back. The answer''s pretty simple—this is my home, and the people I love are here."
Cecilia heard a familiar voice drifting from the TV. It was Erin, being interviewed on some talk show, fielding questions from a panel of reporters.
"So have you found your Mr. Right here in the city?"
Like the seasoned journalists they were, the reporters immediately picked up on the subtext in Erin''s words.
Erin didn''t answer directly, but her radiant smile said everything.
"That backstabbing, ungrateful witch!" Sabina exploded, gesturing angrily at the screen. "You saved her reputation when she was drowning in scandal, and now she waltzes back and destroys your marriage like nothing happened! How shameless can you get?"
She slammed her wine glass down on the coffee table.
Cecilia just smiled sadly. "Love makes people blind, I guess."
Justin loved Erin, so he didn''t even care that she''d betrayed him four years ago. He didn''t love Cecilia, so when she tried to explain that she hadn''t "tricked him into sleeping with her and trapped him into marriage" all those years ago, he couldn''t even be bothered to listen.
"Divorced or not, we can''t just let those two jerks get away with this!" Sabina planted her hands on her hips, still fuming.
But Cecilia seemed oddly at peace. "I don''t care about them anymore. I just want Nico to be happy."
The thought of having to explain the divorce to her daughter made her chest tighten with dread.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
She was shocked to see Justin''s name on the screen.
Curious about why he''d be calling so late, Cecilia answered.
His voice came through cool and detached as always. "We need to talk. I''m at the café near your place."
Cecilia glanced at the clock—it was getting pretty late. "About what?"
Justin''s response was clipped and to the point. "The divorce."
