Chapter 4

Hansen released Nancy without waiting for her to calm down. He bent down to pick up her phone. However, before he could touch it, she grabbed his arm.

He turned to look at her. She felt panicked on the inside but didn't let it show. Instead, she said, "Don't change the subject because of a scam call, Hansen. How did you know about me selling 'Only One' and the wedding ring? Did you go to the Anhall Charity Auction?"

The call disconnected as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

Hansen couldn't care less about who had called Nancy when he heard that. His expression took on a hint of awkwardness and diffidence. "I missed our wedding anniversary last night and had to leave because of work today, so I thought of buying you a few trinkets to make you happy."

Nancy's heart clenched. Had he been trying to make her happy or make Hannah happy?

He looked aggrieved. "Are you that mad that I've been absent for the past two days, Nance? Do you know how scared I was when I saw 'Only One' and your wedding ring at the auction hall? I was terrified that you didn't want me anymore. Can't you be more understanding? It's not easy for me out there."

She mocked, "So, you're saying that I'm being unreasonable?"

Hansen looked helpless. "Why did you sell the ring and 'Only One,' then? Why did you sell all the jewelry I gave you?"

Nancy lowered her gaze and smiled self-deprecatingly. He claimed to know her best in this world and said he knew she wasn't just throwing a tantrum when she did certain things—she had to have her reasons. Yet now, he was saying she was being unreasonable.

Sure enough, everything a man said when he was trying to sweeten someone up couldn't be trusted.

She looked up at him and found him to be completely unfamiliar. It was almost as if she'd never known him. "Think of it as me being unreasonable, then. That's what you think, right? Why bother telling me these things? You know I hate it when people resent me."

Hansen listened to her and saw the mockery in her eyes. For some reason, he felt panicked deep inside. "I'm not resenting you. I'm just upset that you don't seem to care about our relationship!"

He pulled a square box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal "Only One", a priceless pink diamond necklace, and Nancy's 11-carat wedding ring.

"It's fine if you don't want the other jewelry, Nance. I can buy you others. 'Only One' and your wedding ring can't be sold to anyone else, though. You can hit me if I ever piss you off again, but please don't sell these things. You're putting my love for you to waste!

"You know I'm mad for you, right? I can't even imagine how much agony I'd be in to be separated from you for a single second," he said.

He held her hand while looking at her lovingly. Then, he slid the wedding ring onto her ring finger.

A waste of his love? If selling the necklace and ring was a waste of his feelings, what about the car sex he'd had with Hannah earlier? What about the amusement park and manor he'd given Hannah?

Wasn't he tired of putting on this loving act?

Nancy pulled her hand out of his and sat on the bed, feeling exhausted. "I'm tired, and I need to rest. Can you please go?"

Hansen sat beside her and plastered himself to her. She looked so petite in his arms, and he could smell her refreshing scent. It aroused him.

"I'm tired, too. How about we—" he started.

Before he could suggest that they lie down together, she pushed him away. He was so close that she could smell Hannah's sickly sweet perfume on him.

She snapped, "Have you started using perfume or something? You stink!"

Hansen was taken aback. Then, he returned to his senses and put up a calm front as he said, "I think a staff member accidentally got it on me when I was buying 'Only One.' I'll go take a shower."

He got up and headed straight to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

Nancy smiled mockingly at that. A staff member had accidentally gotten the perfume on him, huh? He was great at making excuses for himself.

Just then, her phone rang again. She looked down to see it was a call from the person handling the erasure of her records. She glanced at the bathroom and made sure the water was running before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Ms. Shaw, we've just realized that you're married. Does your husband know about your departure?" the staff asked.

"Yes, he does. We're about to divorce soon," Nancy said in a low voice.

The staff faltered. Then, she said, "We've already started the process of erasure, and we'll need you to make a counter visit in a week to submit some documents. Will you have time for that?"

Nancy didn't even think about it. She said firmly, "Yes, of course. I'll be there in a week."

She could squeeze the time out now, let alone in a week. She would do anything to leave Hansen.

The staff member made a sound of acknowledgement before hanging up. Silence descended upon the room. The running water was the only sound that could be heard.

Nancy's expression was unfathomable. She only needed to wait a while longer before she could leave Hansen. She wouldn't have to see him again!

Her phone pinged again. She was pulled out of her reverie and looked down to see a message from Hannah. "Do you have time to like my Instagram post?"

Nancy stared at that. Then, something occurred to her, and she checked Hannah's Instagram. Sure enough, the first thing she saw was a collage of photos that showed all the jewelry Hansen had given Hannah.

The photo in the center of the collage showed Hannah leaning against a man's shoulder with a sweet smile. The man's face wasn't shown, but his clothes were the same as the ones Hansen wore. Who else could it be?

Hannah had captioned the post, "The wrong jewelry has finally been given to the right person. Thanks for the gifts, babe. It's so great to be spoiled like a princess!"

Nancy stared at the post, only returning to her senses when her eyes started prickling because she hadn't blinked for too long.

So, Hansen had brought Hannah to the auction hall. He'd never even brought Nancy with him to such places. It seemed he and Hannah were pretty affectionate, after all.

Nancy liked Hannah's post. She hadn't blocked Hannah anywhere because she'd wanted to see what exactly she would get up to.

Well, it seemed things would work out pretty well. There was no doubt that she would leave Hansen; she would give him and his "star-crossed lover" her blessings.

The bathroom door opened, and Hansen emerged in a cloud of steam. He looked at Nancy, who was still staring at her phone. He approached her curiously and asked, "What are you looking at, Nance? Why do you look so upset? I'll teach whoever dares upset you a lesson!"

Nancy couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat because of his close proximity. Still, she kept her expression aloof. "It's nothing."

He glanced at her locked phone and then at her indifferent expression. "Why are you upset, then? Is it because of the amusement park—"

"No. I just saw a poll asking whether people believed in marriages that would last a lifetime." Nancy's throat felt a little dry as she looked at Hansen.

He didn't seem to be even a little flustered, though. Instead, he laughed indulgently. "Of course, I believe in them! Ours is one, isn't it?"

He fixed his gaze on her and was especially captivated by her cherry lips. A wave of desire surged through him, and his gaze turned possessive. "I love you so much, Nance. Do you think I'd have any other woman in my life?"

He already had Hannah, didn't he?

Nancy took in his loving act, feeling nothing but frostiness and hatred. How could he act like this when he'd broken her heart?

Hansen didn't know what she was thinking. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss her, especially when he saw how alluring her lips looked.

He couldn't hold himself back anymore and bent down to capture her lips with his. "Can you give me a chance to show you what I can do, honey?"

Nancy's heart jolted at the sight of him suddenly leaning down. She turned away without hesitation and pushed him away. "I'm not interested in doing any of this with you, Hansen!"

She didn't want him to kiss her with lips that had touched Hannah's!

Hansen gave her a hurt look but still snaked an arm around her waist. "Don't be scared, Nance. I won't take things all the way. I promise I just want a kiss."