The Liberating Death,Finding New Love

Five days left. I went to see the fake death agency's preparation of my "corpse." I imagined how Joshua would react five days from now when he saw my lifeless body in the morgue. He'd probably be happy. Finally, get rid of me. He could live peacefully with Zafrielle, no longer burdened by my presence.

As I exited the building and waited for Shawn's car, I saw Joshua and Zafrielle drinking inside a bar across the street with a group of his fair-weather friends. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows across the road, Joshua suddenly lifted his head and locked eyes with me.

His friends noticed me, too. They exchanged a few words in hushed voices. Then, one of them stood up and walked toward me. It was Tommy, Joshua's old college friend. "Well, well, what a coincidence," he sneered. His eyes scanned me with ill-concealed malice, his tone slightly contemptuous. "Did you follow Joshua here on purpose? Pretending to run into him by accident?"

I ignored him and glanced at my watch.

"Come on, it's been a while, hasn't it? Gotta say, you've really matured. You've gotten sexier even. Now that you and Joshua are divorced, how about giving me a shot? I don't mind. To be honest, I've always liked you. You're way wilder than any of my exes." His words got filthier by the second and he actually reached out to grab my waist.

I quickly dodged, but he wasn't about to back off. When I looked up, I saw Joshua and Zafrielle watching the scene with amusement. Their lips curved into faint smiles, their eyes filled with detached amusement—like they were watching a circus act. "Get lost! Touch me again and I'll make you regret it!" I snapped, trying to shake him off.

However, Tommy's smile grew even more brazen. He tried to pull me into his arms, his other hand wandering over my body. "Bitch, stop pretending! We all know how slutty you are in private! How else could you have tricked Joshua?"

My blood boiled. I bit my lip hard and raised my hand to slap him with all my might. Unfortunately, before my arm could fall, he grabbed it. The disparity in strength between a man and a woman was painfully obvious at that moment.

Tommy leaned in close, his voice laced with mockery. "Come on, Evelyn, drop the act. You're not expecting Joshua to swoop in and save you, are you? Let me tell you something—he's the one who told me to mess with you. He's got his dream girl in his arms now. You? He couldn't care less."

Laughter erupted from the bar. Joshua raised his glass, took a slow sip and watched. At that moment, I meant less to him than to a stranger.

I felt a sense of disorientation, as if Joshua hugging another woman across the glass window was a completely different person from the one who used to cherish me. A wave of embarrassment and helplessness washed over me. Tommy's ugly face was about to come closer again, so a sleek Maybach pulled up to the curb.

Shawn stepped out, dressed in a long black trench coat. Without a word, he yanked me behind him and swung a brutal punch at Tommy. Punch after punch, Tommy's nose and mouth were bleeding. His face was now black and blue.

Joshua and his friends rushed over, but Shawn didn't glance at them. He pulled me into the car and sped off. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Joshua grabbing Tommy and saying something. I thought I saw him shove Tommy right before we turned the corner. It must've been my imagination. Even if they did argue, it had nothing to do with me.