Chapter 8
1008 Words
Seven days later, as soon as the courthouse doors opened, Serena stepped inside.
She wore a white shirt and jeans, feeling surprisingly calm.
Before long, familiar footsteps sounded at the entrance.
She looked up to see Raymond walking in with Irene, both wearing matching light blue shirts.
In a daze, Serena remembered how she used to secretly buy watches of the same brand and clothes in matching colors, pretending they were couple items.
Whenever she shared them with him joyfully, he would just frown and say, "Childish."
It turned out he didn't dislike them. It was just that this exception was never meant for her.
In the mediation room, they exchanged no unnecessary words. Raymond held a pen but didn't immediately put it onto paper; instead, he looked up at Serena.
He saw Serena sign her name decisively, without a hint of hesitation.
An inexplicable surge of anger rose in Raymond's heart. He gritted his teeth, and the pen tip pressed heavily onto the paper, almost piercing it, conveying an indescribable irritation.
When the divorce certificate was handed to her, Serena paused for a moment, then put it into her bag.
Seven years of marriage had finally condensed into this thin little booklet, marking the end of everything.
She didn't look at Raymond and Irene exchanging smiles. She walked out of the courthouse.
Serena had a flight in the afternoon and arranged to meet a few friends at their usual restaurant for a farewell lunch.
Gathered around the table, they took turns criticizing Raymond for being blind and jokingly advised her, "You should have let go long ago! Your love for oil painting is what truly matters. Men? They only slow down your brush!"
Serena picked up her glass, a smile in her eyes. "Right. From now on, no one's getting in the way of my brush. Who knows, I might even create a masterpiece."
Everyone laughed and joked together.
Halfway through, she got up to go to the restroom, and as she reached the corridor corner, she heard Raymond's voice from the adjacent private room.
"Confirm the proposal venue again for tonight. The flowers must be her favorite white roses, and the ring must be hidden before she arrives."
His tone carried an unusual excitement, and his conversation with friends drifted out clearly. "Too fast? Not at all. I've known she was the one since childhood. When she pulled me out of the water back then and gave me mouth-to-mouth..."
Serena's steps suddenly halted.
Raymond's voice carried a hint of shyness. "That was my first kiss, and my only kiss."
Her heart felt as if lightly stung. Not quite pain, but a hollow coldness.
During their seven-year marriage, they had countless intimate moments, but every time she wanted to kiss him, he would turn his head away, claiming he was a "neat freak."
It turned out he wasn't a neat freak and his kisses were reserved for Irene alone.
She turned to leave but accidentally bumped into a flowerpot on the corridor windowsill, causing the ceramic pot to crash to the ground.
The private room door opened, and when Raymond saw her, his expression briefly stiffened before turning cold. "You heard everything?"
Before she could answer, he added, "Don't come and cause trouble at the proposal dinner tonight."
Serena looked at him, her tone calm. "Don't worry. We're divorced now. Your affairs have nothing to do with me. Besides..."
Before she could finish, Irene's voice interrupted from the side. "Raymond, why did you come out? Serena, you are here too?"
Raymond immediately withdrew his gaze, took Irene's hand, and his tone softened. "Nothing. Let's go back inside. I ordered your favorite cuisine."
Serena didn't look at them again, straightened her back, and walked away step by step.
Her high heels made no sound on the restaurant's carpet, just like the emotions buried deep in her heart, where even the ripples had faded.
Raymond, however, inexplicably turned his head, his gaze following her back for a couple of seconds.
An indescribable emotion lingered in his heart, like a feather brushing by, too fleeting to grasp.
Did Serena have something else to say just now?
He hesitated for a moment, but before he could delve deeper, Irene gently tugged his arm. "Raymond, let's go back inside. I'm a bit hungry."
He snapped back to reality, pushing aside that inexplicable emotion.
Never mind, her affairs no longer concern him.
He held Irene's hand tightly and walked back into the private room.
Serena returned to her table, smiling and chatting with her friends as though the earlier incident had never occurred.
After finishing the meal, she took a taxi directly to the airport.
During check-in, the Scott Group employee chat group she had joined to track Raymond's whereabouts was buzzing with messages.
Someone in the group posted screenshots of Raymond's proposal plans, and messages flooded in quickly.
Employee A: Mr. Scott is really into Irene, isn't he? He ordered a hundred thousand white roses to create a floral tunnel!
Employee B: Last time Irene mentioned she liked the starry sky, Mr. Scott even had custom starry skylights installed on the estate lawn. This time, he's maxed out the romance for this proposal!
Employee C: Who ever saw Mr. Scott dealing with such trivial matters before? Now he's even personally arranging the fruit platters on the dessert table. This must be true love!
Serena paused her finger on the screen as she read those messages.
She left the group chat and blocked Raymond.
After thinking for a moment, she still sent a message to Mark about going abroad.
She then removed the SIM card and tossed it into the trash.
When the announcement sounded, Serena took a deep breath, picked up her suitcase, and boarded the plane.
The plane slowly ascended, and the familiar city outside the window gradually shrank into a blur of lights that had witnessed her joys and tears for many years.
Goodbye, Raymond.
From now on, with mountains high and rivers wide, our paths will never cross again.
- Writer
