Chapter 2A New Decade Begins with a Bottle of Perfume

“Fine. You want perfume? Is that it? How many do you want? I’ll have them clear out the entire boutique and deliver it to you right now.”

“Yes,” I said, looking straight at him. The numb space in my chest suddenly erupted with a sharp, stabbing pain, but my voice was unnervingly calm.

“It is because of a bottle of perfume. Exactly that.”

“So what, Nathaniel? For one bottle of perfume, I will get rid of your child and I will divorce you.”

“You’re being completely irrational!”

Nathaniel slammed the door on his way out.

Three hours later, my hospital room was filled with perfume gift boxes. A delivery man, sweating profusely, was trying to take inventory.

“Ma’am, a Mr. Knight ordered every bottle of Silver Iris from every boutique in the city. It’s one hundred and twenty-seven bottles in total. Where would you like them?”

I signed the delivery slip and stared at the mountain of exquisite boxes filling the room. My phone buzzed.

A message from Nathaniel popped up: [Is that enough for you?]

I could picture the look on his face as he sent it—brows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line, radiating an air of impatient charity.

I didn’t reply. I just blocked his number.

The validation and respect I had craved for a decade had finally arrived, piled up in this absurd, insulting fashion. It was nothing short of a mockery.

I called my best friend, Zoe. Her voice on the other end was hushed.

“Aurora? I’m in the middle of a shoot. What’s up?”

“Zoe,” I said, looking out the window. “Last year, you said that if I ever left Nathaniel, you’d take me to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Does that offer still stand?”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.

“Are you serious? You’re really leaving him?”

“Aurora, Nathaniel is at the top of his game. He has all the connections, all the resources. If you leave now, you’re throwing away ten years of struggle. You’re just going to hand it all over to the next girl who comes along.”

Zoe was the one who told me not to get involved with Nathaniel in the first place.

And now, she was the one worried I’d get the short end of the stick.

I smiled softly. “Since I’ve decided to leave, it means I’ve already let it all go.”

“Alright then,” Zoe’s voice firmed up. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll go.”

“Soon.”

After hanging up, I went home and took my documents from the nightstand.

Just as I opened the safe, I heard the front door open.

A final text from Zoe came through: [Once he signs, we’re gone.]

Liquidating stocks, dividing property. Even if I had to start from scratch, I wouldn’t starve.

I picked up my suitcase and walked into the living room, only to find an unexpected visitor.

Isabelle, dressed in a delicate white dress, stood timidly beside Nathaniel, her fingers clutching the cuff of his sleeve. She took a tentative step forward as if it took all her courage.

“Aurora… I’m so sorry.”

Her voice was thick with tears, her wide, innocent eyes glistening.

“I didn’t mean to show off by posting that. I was just so happy… Nathaniel has been so kind to me, teaching me how to act, giving me gifts… I just got carried away and I made you upset. Please don’t be angry…”

Isabelle suddenly bowed deeply, her shoulders trembling.

“Please don’t divorce him. Nathaniel really, really loves you. It’s all my fault…”

She wept beautifully, as if she were the victim of some terrible injustice.

I took a step back, avoiding her bow, and lifted my eyes to Nathaniel.

He was looking down at Isabelle, and the look in his eyes—a sort of pained, restrained tenderness—was something I had never seen in ten years.

Suddenly, the whole thing just felt pathetic.

“What exactly are you sorry for?” I asked calmly.

I wasn't going to be painted as the villain. I had no desire to see the headline #AuroraHayesBulliesNewcomer trending tomorrow.

So I was direct.

“This grand gesture of yours,” I said, gesturing to her bow, “is it a genuine attempt to save my marriage, or is it an act to pressure me into letting go for good?”

“We’re both women. We both know how these games are played. There’s no need to put on a show for me.”

“I’ve already decided to get a divorce.”

I turned to Nathaniel, meeting his stunned gaze.

“And my mind won’t be changed by someone’s tears or apologies. You, of all people, should know that about me, right?”

Nathaniel’s face darkened.

But Isabelle suddenly rushed forward and grabbed my wrist.

“Aurora! Everyone on set is saying you got jealous because of my post, that you got an abortion and are filing for divorce just to put me in my place, to show Nathaniel who’s really in charge! I don’t believe them. I know you’re not that kind of person…”

I had thought Isabelle was just a moderately ambitious newcomer.

Clearly, I had underestimated her.

Every word she spoke was a carefully crafted nail in the coffin of my reputation, sealing the image of me as a jealous, petty bully.

As expected, Nathaniel stepped forward, his eyes flashing with anger.

“That’s enough, Aurora!”

“Isabelle is apologizing to you like this, and you’re still cornering her. Don’t you think you’re going too far?”

I looked at Nathaniel, at the face I had loved for a decade.

There was a time when I believed that wherever he stood, there was light. I had willingly softened every edge, lowered every standard for him.

Looking at him now, he was just another selfish, hypocritical man.