Chapter 8
489 Words
It wasn't until the living room lights turned on after dark that Cecilia finally collected all the pearls.
Supporting herself against the sofa, she trudged upstairs with leaden steps.
At the stairwell, faint, fragmented sounds drifted from the master bedroom.
A woman's moans intertwined with a man's ragged panting, piercing Cecilia's heart.
Her blood froze, fingers turning icy as she pressed against the cold wall.
"Ethan, gently…" Serena's voice was sickly sweet.
"Quiet."
"We're getting married tomorrow anyway. What's there to fear?"
Amid the rough sounds, Serena asked hoarsely, "When are we getting our marriage certificate?"
"In a few days."
Cecilia's stomach churned violently.
He had said the wedding was just for show, yet he had already taken Serena to his bed.
He had said she would be his only wife. Now those words felt like lies.
Clenching her fists until nails dug into her palms, she retreated step by step to the guest room.
The moment she closed the door, her tears finally broke free.
But the sounds from the master bedroom seeped through the walls, lingering through the night, keeping her eyes wide open until dawn.
At daybreak, clamor rose from downstairs.
Emerging, Cecilia saw Ethan in the groom's attire, tenderly guiding Serena, swathed in white lace, down the staircase.
Alina, bouncing in a pink bridesmaid dress, chirped, "Finally married! Ethan, Sister Serena, wishing you happiness forever!"
Watching their descent, Cecilia stood excluded—the man's tender gaze, the bride's demure blush, the girl's exuberant grin—all framed like a painfully vivid scene.
Tears fell silently onto cold tiles.
Yet Ethan seemed to sense it, whirling around to catch Cecilia, whose face was drenched in tears. His pupils contracted violently, pain flashing in their depths.
In the next heartbeat, he abruptly released Serena, ignoring startled looks, and bounded up the stairs to halt before Cecilia, voice faintly panicked. "Are you going out?"
"To the clerk's office," Cecilia rasped.
Ethan blinked, unprepared for this, then frowned. "The clerk's office? To apply for remarriage?"
Cecilia remained silent, eyes downcast.
He said casually, "Go submit the materials today. We'll get the certificate once I'm back."
Cecilia nodded slightly.
Ethan seemed to exhale in relief, the corners of his lips curling into a long-absent smile. As he turned back to Serena, he still glanced at her.
The warmth in his eyes felt bitterly ironic to Cecilia.
He swept Serena into his arms and strode toward the car. Serena nestled against his chest, deliberately glancing at Cecilia with a triumphant smile.
Cecilia stood rooted, watching them vanish. Wiping tears from her face, she headed to the clerk's office.
Soon, she obtained the certificate, its seal glaringly conspicuous. Her fingers brushed over her printed name. Instead of sorrow, she felt an unexpected lightness.
She slipped the certificate into her bag and took a cab to the airport.
As the plane ascended, the city below grew smaller.
Cecilia thought, 'Ethan Jones, goodbye forever.'
- Writer
