Chapter 7

　　Nadia's POV

　　Alexander looked dumbfounded when I slapped him. He stared at me for several seconds, wide-eyed and unmoving.

　　I stormed off to my room amidst his shock, not having it in me to exchange any words with him.

　　Over the last three days, I had been receiving a stream of photos showing Alexander and Daisy entering and leaving the same apartment. The photos were sent to me by employees of the company, and they asked me to keep their involvement a secret.

　　I was appreciative, and I wasn't planning to give up my sources if I ever showed Alexander the pictures.

　　It seemed like he had been living with Daisy for a long time now. They seemed really cozy, like a married couple who had fallen into a comfortable routine after years of being together.

　　I placed a hand on my chest and pressed down hard, remembering how much my heart had hurt when I saw the first couple of photos.

　　Alexander, that cheating bastard.

　　Had I really wasted seven precious years of my life for nothing?

　　What even was my life?

　　"Nadia! Why did you just walk away like that? Does your hand hurt? Let me take a look!" Alexander's annoying voice dragged me out of my thoughts, and I scowled. He pushed the bedroom door open and strolled inside with a first aid kit in hand.

　　He had a smile on his face as he set the kit down and bent down in front of me.

　　"Thorns are pretty sharp, and I know how much you hate being in pain. Let me clean up the wound and put a plaster on it."

　　He opened the kit and reached out to hold my hand, but I slapped his hand away, refusing to let him touch me.

　　"Don't touch me!" I snapped at him before pulling out a file. "Take this instead."

　　It was a property division agreement.

　　Alexander took one glance at the document, and his face morphed into a frown when he saw the heading. "What is this, Nadia? Why do we need to sign this agreement when we're literally about to get married?"

　　"That is exactly why we need to sign it. We are getting married, and premarital assets belong to the individual, not the married couple," I responded smoothly.

　　He stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "Fine. I'll sign it. As long as it makes you happy."

　　He brought a pen out of his pocket and sat beside me, swiftly signing the document. He locked eyes with me after that. "See? I've signed it. Happy now?"

　　"Hmm," I hummed, and he nodded.

　　"Now that I've made you happy, will you do the same for me?" He lowered his voice as he locked eyes with me. I was confused for a few seconds till he started inching closer to me.

　　Next thing I knew, he put his hand on my thigh, a sly smile tugging at his lips. I was immediately filled with disgust the moment he did that, and I coldly pushed him away.

　　"We still need to go to the notary. Don't forget to cooperate when the time comes," I said, my voice clipped.

　　Alexander's smile froze, his hand retreating as if he'd been burned."Is this how little you trust me, Nadia?"

　　"Alexander…"

　　"You've become too materialistic and vain, Nadia! You were not like this when I first met you. You've changed now. All you care about is money, money, money! How did you end up like this?"

　　I glared at him. "Material things are what matter the most, Alexander! And don't come to me with that bullshit talk about how I've changed. You have, too! Human beings are meant to change! The only thing that matters is if they changed for the worse or better."

　　I let out a sigh, massaging my temple as I tried to calm down. "I didn't make dinner for you.Figure it out yourself."

　　"How could you not—" His voice was filled with anger as he spoke, but he cut himself off. "You know what? I'm out of here!"

　　He marched out of the room after saying that and banged the door loudly behind him.

　　I closed my eyes, breathing slowly as I waited for the silence to return. Let him leave. I was done—I never wanted to see his face again.

　　I didn't know how long had passed before I finally raised my head and stood up.

　　I decided to pay my Grandma a visit.

　　My mother had died young, and my grandmother was the closest thing I had to feel that motherly presence.

　　I spent the next thirty minutes driving to her house, thinking of how I would tell her I wanted to return to London.

　　Upon arriving, I saw my grandmother sitting on the couch, knitting what seemed to be a cardigan while simultaneously watching the news. A smile tugged at my lips when my eyes landed on her.

　　"Hey Grandma!" I said brightly as I went to give her a hug.

　　Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and she hugged me back. "Nadia! I've missed you, my sweet." She broke the hug, still smiling as she looked behind me. "Where's Alexander? He didn't come with you?"

　　My smile fell as she asked that, and I quickly responded, "He's busy. He couldn't make it."

　　"Why? I really wanted to see him. Call him and tell him to come. There's something I want to tell him. It's important," she said, and I sighed.

　　"Is it really that important?" I asked, and she nodded. "Alright then. I'll call him."

　　I stepped out of the sitting room and dialled Alexander's number. The line rang for a while, but he didn't answer. I tried twice more, but there was still nothing.

　　I sighed as I walked back to the sitting room to tell her Alexander didn't answer, but Grandma's eyes were closed.

　　That was weird. Did she fall asleep during the few minutes I tried to call Alexander?

　　"Grandma?" I called as I walked closer to her, but she didn't budge.

　　"Grandma! Grandma! Wake up!" I yelled as I shook her, but she was unresponsive.

　　My heart pounded in my chest as I called an ambulance, and I couldn't bring myself to sit while I waited for them.

　　The ambulance finally arrived, and emergency personnel came in to check her vitals.

　　The personnel did her thing and shook her head after a few seconds, her face indifferent. "I'm so sorry to say that your grandmother is dead. And her death appears to be natural."

　　I broke down immediately when I heard that. Blood rushed to my ears, and my heart beat wildly against my chest as I tried to get my bearings.

　　I took out my phone, my eyes clouded with unshed tears as I shakily dialled Alexander's number again.

　　The call connected after a few rings, but the person who answered wasn't Alexander.

　　It was a female voice I couldn't get out of my head.

　　"Hello, Nadia."