Untitled Part 5
More than half a month had passed.
We hadn't contacted each other even once.
I didn't know if other people's marriages were like this too.
But all of a sudden, I was tired of this marriage that felt like being widowed while my husband was still alive.
I locked my phone and set it down.
Then I looked up at that picture of the three of them.
At the family they made without me.
And quietly, I agreed.
"I guess so..."
"They do look good together."
I decided to divorce Ethan.
Another week passed.
Ethan and the others came back to the States.
His executive assistant tapped a finger in my direction.
"You, Claire. Come with me to pick up Mr. Sterling and the others."
By the time we reached the airport, my palms were already damp.
The moment Ethan saw me, his gaze paused for half a second.
Daisy blinked at me too, wide-eyed and quiet.
The assistant left me the lighter luggage cart.
Even so, it was still heavy.
Halfway to the parking area, a few of the smaller suitcases stacked on top slid off and hit the ground.
I crouched down at once, scrambling to pick them up.
"I'm sorry—sorry."
A pair of handmade leather dress shoes stopped in front of me.
Ethan.
Vanessa came over too, casting a cool glance down at me.
"Careless much? Watch what you're doing."
Then she turned to Ethan in a softer voice.
"Alright, stop looking. Let her deal with it herself."
"Daisy's probably tired from all the walking. You should carry her."
The polished dress shoes and sharp heels moved out of my line of sight one after the other.
We finally got all the luggage loaded into the car.
The assistant drove.
I sat in the passenger seat.
Like he was making casual conversation, he said,
"Director Sterling really has a presence, doesn't she?"
"I've been with Mr. Sterling for over half a year now, and I've never seen anyone who looked so perfectly matched with him just standing side by side."
He laughed.
"Feels like a full-on reunion romance, doesn't it?"
He had probably heard the rumors too—that Ethan and Vanessa were about to remarry—and was trying hard to flatter the right person.
Then he dragged me into it.
"What do you think, Claire? Looks that way, right?"
Since he'd called on me directly, I glanced into the rearview mirror.
My eyes met Ethan's.
There was no emotion in them at all.
Before I could answer, Vanessa smiled and spoke first.
"Oh, don't say things like that. A man like Mr. Sterling outgrew someone like me a long time ago."
"The more successful a man becomes, the more he likes the young, gentle type."