Chapter 5

Xesha's POV

I moved away from him. I decided to go back to my office to avoid his gaze. He kept following me and grinned when we were in my room.

"Oh... so you really want to be alone with me. Is that it?" he said confidently and closed the distance between us, until I was cornered against the desk. "Why didn't you just say so earlier? We can go home and you can return your things to the master bedroom and spend the hot night as you please."

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What about Helena?"

"She... uh, she can sleep anywhere. She'll understand because you're the one I married."

What a stupid answer. Since when was marriage only written on paper, while he exchanged wedding vows with another woman?

He moved his face closer about to kiss me, but I pushed him away and immediately stepped to the table and invited him to sit down.

"What is this, Xesha? You're treating me like a stranger."

"Cause I have business with you. So, you're my client now."

He smiled crookedly. "So you want to do business, huh? What is it? Just say it. I'll do it, on one condition—go home."

Went home and shared a bed with that woman? No-fucking-way!

I handed him the document, which surprised him when he read it. "Property division letter? What the fuck is this, Xesha?"

"That's the price you have to pay."

"Pay? What the fuck is that for? You dare to play hard to get with me just because I asked you to give up your place as bride to Helena?"

"That's a big deal, Jasper. The wedding vows—you two who said them, not me. I never had that, Helena did. And when I act like this, you think I'm selling myself short? You want me back, right? Just sign it as the price.

"

He was stunned. I could see his face sour and his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. But I didn't care. I considered it a tactic.

I picked up my phone and showed him the photos sent by the unknown number. He just frowned in confusion.

"What is that?"

"Photos," I replied casually.

"I mean, what does this have to do with me and this fucking joke?"

"You don't know who these people are? Are you sure?" I asked sarcastically.

"That's me?" I nodded. "So what?"

"That condo is the unit you promised to give me after our wedding. Why did you take her there? And what were you doing there?" I asked, quickly correcting myself so he wouldn't get cocky. "I mean, even on the night before our wedding, you spent the night with that slut."

"Watch your mouth, Xesha! She's not a slut."

"Then what's the right word to describe someone who has stolen another woman's man?" He was silent, but his hands were on the table, clenched tightly. If I had been close to him, he would have slapped me like he always did when defending that whore.

"I don't understand what you mean. You left and I tried to persuade you like a beggar, and this is what you do to me."

"You don't want to sign? Fine. Go ahead and walk out that door."

"I don't know you anymore. You're not Xesha I knew. One week... and you've turned into a greedy monster," he said, making me feel cold again.

"Do you want me to be like I used to be—who just accepted your bad attitude, put Helena above everything else and said she needs you? Do you think I don't need you? If you're so happy with her, why did you come back to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind, Jasper. Since you treat me like an object you come to when you need me, let's just consider our relationship transactional—you and I benefit each other. You want to continue your relationship with her as husband and wife? That's fine. I'll just wanna say one word: congratulations."

Jasper's jaw tightened as he listened to my long speech. His ego must be hurt because I had never done or said this to him before—I just accepted it—until the photos came to me, which meant that he really intended to taint every aspect of our lives and fill it with Helena.

"I can give you another apartment if you want, Xesha. There's no need to humiliate me like this," he said clearly after being silent for quite a while.

"I didn't mean to humiliate you. You feel that way because you are guilty."

"Tell me which one you want?" he asked, ignoring my insults towards him. "Just choose. I'll pay for it and put the certificate in your name."

I smiled slightly at Jasper's answer then said, "Are you serious?"

"Have I ever not been serious?"

"Of course you have. Did you forget—about our marriage?"

"Urgh! That again."

"Look, I don't want to talk about it again, anyway," I said, and he was about to reply, but I cut him off quickly. "I'll send you pictures of the apartment tomorrow. Prepare the funds to pay for it and keep your promise."

He shook his head with a bitter smile. "I didn't expect this to be your true nature, Xesha. Wild and greedy. You're not like—"

"Stop or I'll block you so you can't contact me at all," I threatened. "You said that I can't live without you, that even after a few days, even a minute, I'll crawl back to you. In fact, you're the one begging me, Jase..."

He snorted rudely. He was about to speak, but again I cut him off with one sentence.

"If that's it, you can go and hug your wife tightly. Don't let her kill herself because she knows you just begged me. I have things to do and I think our conversation is over."

---

I quickened my pace when I arrived at Grandma's house in Park Slope. I deliberately timed my visit so I could see her because I heard she was sick and had refused all food before I came home.

Grandma really liked Jasper and felt that he could take care of me because I had lost my mother when I was a teenager. If Grandma knew how Jasper treated me, I was sure she would be devastated, so I didn't bring him with me because it would be difficult to control our interactions in front of her.

I usually visited Grandma with Jasper. But this time, I deliberately came alone because I was going to be honest and tell her that our relationship was over.

"You finally came," Grandma said when she saw me. "Where's Jasper?"

I ignored her question and checked on her condition. "How are you, Grandma? Are you sick?" I took out my stethoscope and checked her condition.

"I'm fine. Dr. Avery already checked me," she replied.

"But the maid said you didn't want to eat. How can you take your meds if you don't want to eat?"

"I feel bloated and nauseous every time I eat," she replied in a whiny tone. I smiled, then placed the stethoscope on her stomach.

"Hmm... it is a little bloated. But Dr. Avery already gave you medicine, right? If not, I'll write you a prescription."

She nodded with a smile, then took my hand and held it.

"Xesha? Where's Jasper? I want to see him. There's something I want to tell him. Especially since he's your husband now."

Husband? If Grandma knew what was really going on, would it be okay? I didn't like pretending that everything was fine. However, Grandma's health was getting worse. I was just afraid that something would happen to her if she knew the fact about me and Jasper.

"Grandma, don't worry about it. He surely knows what he has to do as a husband."—Helena's husband. If he became my husband, he would still ignore me like trash.

Grandma smiled again. "That's good then. But I still want to meet him."

"Maybe next time," I replied, then fell silent. There was an urge in my heart to tell her the truth, but I stopped when I saw her eyes closed.

She looked so peaceful and... calm.

I stroked Grandma's face and hair, stared at her fondly for a long time, and then realized that her hue looked different.

"Grandma..." I called her, grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse, but there was none. Her hands were still warm, but even when I called her name repeatedly, she didn't answer.

I checked her heartbeat with a stethoscope. Nothing. I checked her pupils. Same thing. No reaction.

"No, no... please, Grandma. Wake up..." I couldn't believe it. My body froze instantly and my vision slowly blurred. I couldn't be wrong about my findings. Clearly, Grandma was gone. However, I couldn't accept that fact.

My body felt like it had no bones, just staring at the lifeless body for a long time. Empty. It was like there was a big gaping hole in my heart instantly. What should I do now? Only Grandma had been with me all this time.

Unconsciously, my tears were dripping uncontrollably. I was stunned for a long time, before I could finally speak. It was just that it was too late. Grandma wouldn't listen to me again.

"Grandma... Jasper had an affair and we broke up. I wanted to tell you this, but..." I wiped my tears, trying to calm my racing heart.

I took Grandma's hand and kissed it deeply. "Goodbye, Grandma. I'm so sorry..."

I grabbed my phone and tried to call Jasper to tell him that Grandma had passed away. They were quite close, and Jasper seemed to love and respect her deeply.

My call connected, and someone answered on the other end, but it wasn't Jasper—it was Helena.