Too Late to Want Me Now

I took one look at the anticipation on Randy's face and knew instantly.

There was no need to guess. Whatever Jeanne had sent him, it made Randy genuinely happy. The icy mask he usually wore seemed to melt, softening into a faint smile like spring sunlight breaking through winter frost.

Before long, he abandoned his meal altogether. His eyes were glued to the screen as he busied himself typing.

Watching him, I took out the divorce papers I had prepared a long time ago and held them where he could see.

"Let's get a divorce."

He didn't even glance up. His gaze stayed fixed on his phone, and at my words, he merely nodded faintly, answering with a perfunctory "Mm."

I wasn't surprised. He had treated me with the same indifference for the past five years. Now that Jeanne had returned, he would be even less willing to waste a single moment on me.

Flipping the document to the last page, I pointed at the signature line.

"Sign here."

He took the pen without hesitation, still typing with his other hand, never sparing the agreement a look.

"From this moment on, there will be nothing between us," I said.

I tucked the papers away and looked at him quietly.

He only responded with another faint "Mm," wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and rose to leave, never once setting his phone aside.

As I watched him walk away, I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Randy, did you hear what I just said?"

His steps faltered slightly. He turned, puzzled, irritation flickering in his eyes at being interrupted. "Isn't it about that public welfare subsidy? Didn't I just sign the contract? What's the problem?"

I let out a small, self-mocking laugh and shook my head. The charity contract had been signed long ago.

Forget it. Whether he cared or not no longer mattered.

After he left, I put up for sale everything I had ever received from the Johnson family. When I finished, I gathered all the gifts I had once given him and sold them for scrap.

Over the years, I had prepared countless presents for him, but he would merely glance at them once before tossing them into a corner. He had never cherished a single thing I did.

As the scrap truck rolled away, I brushed the dust from my clothes and turned toward the villa, only to have a Bentley stop in front of me.

Out stepped the Johnson siblings and a delicate, pretty woman.

It was my first time seeing Jeanne.

Her blonde hair fell to her waist, and her eyes seemed to hold a faint allure even in a casual glance. Yet she wore a white dress, giving her an air of innocence. No wonder Randy could never let her go.

Patricia Johnson's gaze followed the scrap truck until it disappeared. She swept her eyes over me from head to toe, the ridicule in her expression unmasked.

"As expected from someone who came from a poor family. You even sell scrap for cash."

At this, Jeanne stepped forward and took her hand, her eyes glimmering softly. "Patricia, that's not very polite. Zoey is still your sister-in-law."

Patricia pursed her lips in frustration, shooting me a sharp glare.

Off to the side, Randy chuckled under his breath. He reached out to fondly ruffle Jeanne's hair. But when his gaze shifted to me, all warmth was gone, replaced only by cold detachment.

"Jeanne wants to go to the amusement park. You can come along," he said, tossing the words at me like a handout before turning to get in the car.

On the way there, the three of them chatted merrily, shutting me out entirely.

After a while, as if suddenly remembering my existence, Jeanne turned to me with a hint of apology.

"Zoey, sorry for ignoring you. It's just… you weren't part of our lives before."

Her words stirred nothing in me. I returned her smile politely.

Their lives—past and future—would never involve me again.