The Wife's Return

Belle smiled at the few staff who recognized her. She tried not to grab anyone’s attention. Okay, maybe a little. She may have kept her silence, but she has been possessed with her flair for the dramatic. She wore the perfect black dress, hugging her curves perfectly, and dark red lipstick like a typical movie villain. She contemplated adding sunglasses but thought nah, that would be too much.She knew coming here at the law firm would be a hot issue in the making. People love to gossip as what can be observed with every eye trying to follow her every move subtly. She hasn’t left the area, but they are already whispering. For the first time after a long time, she didn’t care. It was nice to feel liberated even in this last stage of her short-lived marriage. It was a marriage that made whispering feel like screaming.Ah, there they are. She thought, spotting the conference room with glass windows. Perfect. She opened the glass door with a wide grin, showing her perfect set of white te

This was a mistake, a huge one.In her head is a long list of all the actions she was starting to regret. On top of that list was meeting Nikolai. Nothing should be added. Enough stupid actions. Belle no longer cared if she packed her things messily in her suitcase; some were even scattered on the floor, but she was ready to squeeze everything into her luggage. The need to go home and forget what happened today was stronger than having well-arranged luggage.It has only been days, and she missed her child terribly already. They were never separated for this long, and she couldn't believe she left for something that turned out to be not worth it. Clearly, that would be Nikolai.She could have kept silent. Shut her mouth and just signed those damn divorce papers without slapping it on his face. It would hurt, and she'd spend some nights crying but at least, she could still have that peace she could never have now.After making sure nothing important was left behind, Belle clumsily close

All lights are turned off at the law firm except for that corner where Preston was seated, staring blankly at his screen with a company's contract he has been trying to read for an hour now.The sigh that just escaped his lips was a sign of conceding. The words on the screen didn't seem to make sense when his mind was elsewhere. It would be better to stop and rest now than waste his time. This isn't efficient at all."Of course, you're here again. First to go to work and last to go home."Preston didn't have to look up to recognize the owner of her voice. When he did glance, even after seeing her face in the office all the time, Preston was still left mesmerized by how beautiful she looked. There he goes again, admiring her at the expense of his focus.She sets the documents and folders in front of his table and places a plastic bag with takeout food."Why did you come back?"He should know that she left earlier because Preston w

Time has never been slower for Belle, who was waiting outside her room. Really! Outside of the room that she paid for herself. As much as she wanted to protest Preston's idea to speak with Nikolai, the look on his face wasn't asking for an explanation, nor was he open to discussion. Which is why even when she has her hotel keys, she wouldn't dare open the door.Sticking her ears in the door only proved that the room was soundproof. All she could do was wait, and every second of it was torture."Hey," she answered her friend's call. Her eyes were still glued to the door. "Anything alright there, Bon?""You know what? You are so lucky to have an independent kid. The cutie is sleeping in my arms so soundly!"That's a relie

Belle's definition of trying to move forward with her life was to drown herself in an impossible workload as a full-time photographer-creative director and a full-time mother. Rather a busy time, but this lack of news bothered her. Has he already given up? Or is this the kind of silence one would experience before a storm comes? It has made her anxious. Every phone call from an unknown number and those unexpected doorbells made her uneasy. Even Preston was keeping quiet. "Belle, you're staring at the screen for too long. Are you okay?" The assistant director, Yuan, asked. "I'm sorry. There's just something on my mind, but I promise the quality of my work is not affected." Looking at the quality of her shots, it must be true. Even with a lot of change, her ambition for hunger and learning remains. Like a true friend, Yuan could see that something was bothering Belle, even with those laser-focused eyes. "I'm not worried about that, but you've been like this since you came back fr