Jared’s actions made me both furious and want to laugh at the same time. I fought back hard, but it only made him kiss me even more intimately, forcing my mouth open, his kiss growing hotter and more demanding. His one hand locked around the back of my head, holding me in place, while the other gripped my waist. His long legs trapped me firmly against the window, leaving me no room to escape.
I gave up resisting. Maybe my struggle was just making him enjoy it even more. I went completely still, letting him do whatever he wanted. Jared seemed to slowly come back to his senses, his eyes still burning with a hint of red. But when he saw my blank, unresponsive face, a flicker of remorse finally crossed his features. He let go of me and stepped back, frustration and self-reproach written all over him.
“I’m sorry, Victoria… I…” Jared said, apologizing.
I took a deep breath to steady myself, and then said, “Sign these documents. I’m leaving.”
Jared kept stealing cautious glances at my face as he picked up the pen. He almost signed in the wrong spot. He quickly scribbled it out and then finally found the right place to sign his name.
“Victoria, about earlier,” he began.
“No need to explain,” I cut him off, my expression turning cold. I grabbed the documents, pushed the door open, and then walked out.
Once I was out, I headed straight for the restroom. After washing away any trace of him, I looked at myself in the mirror. Lately, I’d started to treat myself better. There was a new light in my eyes, and I could feel a sense of hope and strength growing inside me. There were only five months and twenty days left until my divorce from Jared was finalized. I was counting down the days. Jared had promised me the shares, and knowing him, he’d keep his word. Right now, my determination was for nothing but the money.
It turned out that when you stopped loving someone, even their touch became unbearable. There was a time when I longed for him, adored him like a lovesick fangirl, and just the warmth of his fingertips could set my heart on fire. But now, when Jared kissed me, all I felt was revulsion.
After work that afternoon, I wanted to take my parents out for dinner, but they said they’d been out all day and just wanted to cook at home. So I headed straight to the supermarket, grabbed some ingredients, and hurried back home.
As I carried the groceries upstairs, my mom came over to help. I set my bag down, tied on an apron, and sent her out of the kitchen. “Mom, let me handle dinner tonight. Why don’t you and Dad go relax and watch some TV?”
My mom immediately gave me a worried look. “You’ve been working all day. Why don’t you take a break?”
“It’s fine, I haven’t cooked much lately. I want to see if I’ve still got it,” I said with a grin.
My dad chuckled from the side. “Let her do her thing. It’s been a while since I got to eat her food.”
My mom shot him a glare. “Seriously? What kind of dad are you, making her do all the work?”
My dad immediately shut up, not daring to say another word. Watching my parents banter like that made me think back to when I was a kid, always seeing my dad get teased by my mom. They’d bicker every day, but that was just how they had always been–living together in their own simple way for all these years. Sometimes people would say my dad was henpecked, like he wasn’t a real man. But I never saw it that way. To me, he was just smart. He loved my mom enough to let her call the shots. That was real wisdom, because he loved our family.
I remembered how, before I got married, my mom sat me down for a heart-to-heart. She told me that after tying the knot, I should at least try to keep Jared in check, not just let him do whatever he wanted.