Chapter 4

I tried to lose myself in the city, walking aimlessly.

My feet led me to a trendy farmer' s market we used to visit on Saturday mornings, a place filled with artisan crafts and fresh produce.

A place of once-happy memories.

And there they were.

Ethan and Chloe, dressed in matching designer athleisure wear, laughing as they sampled organic honey.

They looked like a perfect, carefree couple.

A painful contrast to the turmoil inside me.

Chloe spotted me first. Her eyes narrowed.

She marched over, Ethan trailing behind her, looking annoyed.

"Are you stalking us?" Chloe demanded, her voice shrill.

"What is wrong with you? Can' t you see he' s moved on? You' re just embarrassing yourself!"

She tried to look vulnerable, as if I were the aggressor.

Ethan stepped forward, a frown on his face.

"Chloe, that' s enough," he said, a public show of scolding her.

Then he turned to me, his voice low and tight with irritation.

"Sarah, what are you doing here? You' re making me tired. Seriously."

He pulled me aside, away from Chloe' s gloating gaze.

"Can' t you just find something else to do? Instead of hanging around where I am? I told Chloe this was just for a bit, you' re making it difficult."

He was blaming me for his inconvenience, for the burden of my presence.

"I' m sorry," I said, my voice flat. "I was just walking. I' ll go."

I turned to leave, the fight completely gone from me.

Ethan reached out, touched my arm briefly.

"Sarah, look, it' s just a few more days. You' re still my wife, okay? In my heart. Always."

The same empty promise.

I nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Okay, Ethan."

I walked away, his superficial reassurance meaning nothing.

Five days left.

That evening, my private social media, the one I barely used, lit up with notifications.

Chloe had found me.

Direct messages flooded in.

Pictures of her and Ethan in our penthouse, lounging on my sofa, drinking wine from my favorite glasses.

A selfie of her wearing one of my diamond necklaces, a gift from Ethan years ago.

Boasts about expensive dinners, new gifts from him.

Cruel messages: "He says he was bored with you for years."

"You' re old news, Sarah."

"Such a doormat. He' ll never really come back to you."

I didn' t block her. I didn' t reply. I just read them, a silent observer of her malice.

I felt a strange numbness, a detachment that had become my shield.

This wasn' t the first time Ethan' s indiscretions had caused me pain, though Chloe' s cruelty was more overt.

I' d learned to endure, to build walls.

My days passed in a haze, eating simple meals in my hotel room, watching mindless television.

Waiting.

The Soul Pact System was silent, but its countdown echoed in my mind.

Four days. Three days. Two.