When the Lights Go Out in Manhattan Chapter 5

I went to the restroom after eating. When I came back, Chloe was gone.

"You have a good appetite today, Ellie."

Julian stood up after paying the bill, looking at me with a hint of a smile.

I reached out and plucked a fake eyelash stuck to his left cheek.

I never used fake eyelashes.

Realizing this, a very rare panic floated in Julian's eyes.

"Don't overthink it. Chloe got something in her eye earlier, so I just... helped her out."

The man frowned, his explanation making him look more guilty by the second.

I said "Oh" and walked straight ahead.

Julian froze in place for a good while before striding with his long legs to catch up.

As we neared the office building, I said without looking back:

"I'll go up first. You come up in a few minutes."

Except for Julian's personal assistant, no one in the entire company knew I was his wife.

Company policy didn't strictly forbid office romance, especially between different departments.

But when we first started dating, Julian said to avoid unnecessary trouble and potential conflicts of interest, it was best not to go public.

Over time, even if we met in the office, we tacitly pretended not to know each other.

That evening, Julian came home on time.

He brought a bouquet of white roses from a famous florist and a brand new Hermes Birkin bag.

Just as he was anticipating my surprise and gratitude, I took the divorce agreement out of the drawer.

"I want a divorce, Julian."

He threw the bouquet violently onto the floor.

Julian picked up the papers and flipped through them quickly.

His expression didn't change much, but his knuckles turned white from gripping the paper too hard.

"Wow. You're really committed to the bit. You even prepared documents."

He threw the agreement at me, sat on the sofa, and sneered while unbuttoning his shirt collar.

I bent down and picked up the documents.

My voice was as calm as stagnant water. "I'm serious this time."

Julian let out a scoff.

"When are you not serious? What's next? Are you going to hire actors to reenact scenes from Marriage Story in a rented courtroom?"

I didn't argue with him.

More words would just lead to the same endless cycle of fighting.

I put the divorce agreement back in the study, returned to the bedroom, and started browsing apartment listings online.

Less than ten minutes later, the roar of his Tesla engine came from outside, followed by dead silence.

After Julian left, I started contacting real estate agents.