Chapter 8



Kallie’s eyes widened in disbelief. Twenty million. The amount was astronomical, more than she could ever hope to earn in her lifetime. Jake was using this to decline the idea of a divorce.

Noticing the hesitation in Kallie’s eyes, Jake gave a cold, mocking snort. He was just about to warn her never to bring up divorce again when he noticed her clenching her teeth, bracing herself to make a tough decision.

Resolutely, Kallie raised her hand to sign, questioning whether he would accept payment in installments, given the hefty sum of money.

Jake’s laugh was laced with scorn. “Installments? How long do you need? Do you really think you can scrape together twenty million from that shabby bookstore?”

He turned to leave, but Kallie hurriedly caught up with him, blocking his path. Her gesture was desperate and confused. She frantically signed, showing her willingness to step aside for Jake to marry Sarah, thinking it would be a move he would readily embrace.

Jake halted, his expression souring.

Intimidated by his glare, Kallie stepped back, her slight frame quivering.

“Twenty million, not a penny less. Once you have the money, then we can discuss divorce again.” Jake forcefully ripped the divorce papers to shreds. Moments later, he stormed out, slamming the front door behind him.

Kallie sank onto the sofa, her tears trickling down silently. Jake wasn’t like this before. Had she made a mistake? What if she hadn’t chosen Jake back then…

That night, Kallie found herself alone again in the echoing silence of the house. She was convinced Jake wouldn’t return, but to her surprise, her phone buzzed at one in the morning. It was an unknown number.

“Are you Kallie?” The voice on the other end sounded frantic.

Barely awake, Kallie mumbled a response. The caller seemed to grasp her struggles in articulating and quickly spat out an address.

“Jake’s had too much to drink tonight. You need to come pick him up!” Without another word, the caller disconnected.

Confused but alert, Kallie sprang up and dressed hastily, her doubts lingering. Why would Jake’s friends call her instead of Sarah? During their years together, she had scarcely met any of Jake’s friends.

Nevertheless, Kallie quickly took a taxi and soon arrived at a bar named Night.

Navigating her way to the designated chamber, Kallie pushed open the door and froze in her tracks. The room was in complete disarray, bottles littering the floor.

Jake lounged on the couch, his expression somber. Although he had clearly drunk quite a bit, he remained lucid. Sarah sat next to him, her head lowered, the picture of dejection.

Around them, several of Jake’s friends were in a standoff with Kallie’s best friend, Linsey, and Linsey’s brother, Ethan Brooks.

Linsey, gripping a bottle but not aiming at anyone, seemed poised to shatter it over her own head.

Without a moment to lose, Kallie dashed over and seized Linsey’s arm, her eyes brimming with concern.

“What are you doing?” Jake’s voice, sharp with anger, cut through the tension behind her.

Kallie’s heart lurched. Jake wasn’t as drunk as she had thought, nor did he need her to come for him.

“Kallie, relax. It’s just an apology. As long as it appeases Mr. Reeves and his mistress, I’ll apologize any way they want,” Linsey declared, her voice thick with resentment as she tried to shake Kallie off and raise the bottle again.

Kallie intercepted Linsey once more, urgently pressing for an explanation.

“It’s nothing. I just couldn’t stomach the mistress anymore and ended up slapping her,” Linsey snorted dismissively.

“You think you’re justified in hitting someone and still stand by your actions?” a voice from Jake’s group challenged Linsey, just before Sarah’s soft, pained sobs filled the room.

“Enough already. We all know Sarah is Mr. Reeves’s favorite. Why provoke her further?” Ethan stepped in, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ethan grabbed the bottle from Linsey’s grasp. “Mr. Reeves, my sister’s just being silly. Please, don’t be hard on her. I’ll handle this drink.”

Kallie’s eyes fell on the table, littered with a vibrant collection of potent foreign liquors.

“Are you trying to poison yourself with all this alcohol? Anyway, it’s my fault. I’ll take the blame for hitting her,” Linsey whispered to Ethan, attempting to reclaim the bottle.

As the situation became clearer, Kallie moved forward and bowed deeply to Sarah. It was to defend her that Linsey had struck Sarah. Now, with Jake infuriated, it was her turn to endure his wrath.

The room fell silent.

After her bow, Kallie made hand gestures to Sarah to express her apology.

“What’s with the signing? I don’t understand!” Sarah responded disdainfully. “If you want to make amends for your friend, use your words!”

“You!” Linsey was on the verge of exploding, but Kallie held her back.

Pausing for a moment, Kallie then slapped herself sharply across the face. She looked at Sarah questioningly, as if to ask whether she was satisfied now.

“Is that all?” Sarah scoffed. “It didn’t suffice. There’s no sincerity. If you really want to apologize, get on your knees!”

.

.

.