Chapter 4

Watching his defensive stance, the last shred of my hope shattered into dust.

"You left your bidding document in the study. I was in the area, so I brought it over."

I looked him dead in the eye, catching every micro-expression on his face.

Anderson’s tense jawline relaxed slightly. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Thanks. You could have just sent a driver."

He turned to look at Vivian behind him, his tone instantly returning to his usual arrogant composure.

"This is Vivian. She’s a college student our company sponsors."

"She ran into some trouble last night, so I lent a hand. She's young. Don't scare her."

Lent a hand.

By giving her your private apartment, your personal shirt, and kissing her with a passion that looked like he wanted to merge their souls?

"Is that so?" I curled my lips into a faint, mocking smile.

"Mr. Sinclair is certainly hands-on with his charity work."

Anderson’s face darkened. "Elise, cut the sarcasm."

"I'll wait in the car."

I didn't spare the happy couple another look. I turned and walked out.

Fifteen minutes later, Anderson got into the passenger seat.

He had changed into a brand-new custom suit. The faint scent of body wash had completely washed away any trace of the other woman.

The silence in the car was deafening.

"Elise, are you angry?" He reached to loosen his tie, his voice carrying a trace of exhausted indulgence.

"Vivian is just an innocent kid who hasn't seen the world. I treat her like a sister."

"As Mrs. Sinclair, you don't need to get jealous over a poor student."

He always knew how to use the most dignified words to cover up his dirtiest betrayals.

My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.

"Anderson."

I suddenly turned, reaching out to grab his wrist tightly.

Skin contact. This time, I saw it clearer than ever.

In my mind, Vivian stood on her tiptoes, gently pressing her lips against Anderson’s.

And Anderson, eyes closed, actually let a tear slip down his cheek. In his heart, he was screaming wildly, “I can't live without you.”

I pulled my hand back as if shocked by electricity. A wave of nausea surged in my stomach.

"You don't view her as a sister at all."

I looked at the red light ahead, my voice so calm it terrified me.

"You love her."

Anderson snapped his head toward me, his eyes sharp as daggers.

"Elise, what nonsense are you talking about? Have you been too idle lately? Now you're getting paranoid?"

"Let's get a divorce," I said casually.

The air in the car instantly froze.

Screeech!

Anderson lunged over and slammed his foot onto the brake. The tires shrieked against the asphalt, stopping the car in the middle of the road, nearly causing a pileup.

"Are you crazy?!" His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me.

"Just because I took in a sponsored student, you want a divorce?"

"Elise, don't use divorce to threaten me. It's not funny at all!"

"I'm not joking."

I looked at his twisted, angry face.

"It's been three years, Anderson. You might not be tired of acting, but I'm tired of watching."

"I'll have my lawyer send the paperwork to your office tomorrow."

The light turned green.

I started the car again, shutting him out of my world completely.