I was scrolling through a popular social media channel when I came across a street interview. “What would you say to yourself from five years ago?” In the video, Christian Frost had his arm around his new girlfriend. His voice was calm, laced with affection. “I’d tell the Christian from five years ago to find Lily Lin sooner.” The girl in his arms blushed, covering her mouth as she agreed. “Me too.” Online comments exploded with adoration, followers showering them with blessings. No one knew that five years ago was the day Christian and I got married. Even he had forgotten. Until a week later. The same channel posted another street interview. In this one, I looked directly into the camera and said, seriously, “If I could, I’d tell her: Claire Kingsley, don’t marry Christian Frost. You’ll regret it.” This time, Christian saw it. 1 The day I agreed to the divorce was a perfectly ordinary afternoon. I called Christian’s number, but it was Lily who answered. “Hello?” “I’m looking for Christian.” “He’s in the shower. Is there something I can help you with?” Her voice was as bright and fearless as ever, tinged with a possessive, almost triumphant, undertone. The old me would have screamed, would have hysterically demanded she get lost, that I needed to speak to Christian. But now, I knew all too well that Lily was the only one who could get him on the phone. I couldn’t let her hang up on me like she always did, leaving me to rage like a madwoman. “He mentioned a divorce before. I agree to it,” I said calmly, getting straight to the point. There was a second of silence on the other end, then she repeated, disbelieving, “You’re agreeing to a divorce?” “Yes.” The word had barely left my lips when I heard a rustling sound. Christian must have taken the phone. Soon, his deep, indifferent voice was in my ear. “It’s me.” I know. Hearing his voice, I felt a strange sense of detachment. It had been six months since he’d moved out of our villa to be with Lily. We hadn't spoken since. The last thing he’d said to me was: “Claire, let’s get a divorce. If you don’t agree, I’ll file for legal separation and then sue.” Now, half a year later, I had finally caved. “Lily said you want to divorce me?” he asked when I didn’t speak. He must have been frowning as he said it, his tone laced with a hint of confusion. I couldn’t understand where his confusion was coming from. He was the one who had brought it up. But I no longer had the energy to argue with him about who initiated it. I just hummed in agreement. “If you have time, let’s meet and sign the papers.” Then, I hung up. 2 It was the first time I had ever hung up on him since discovering his affair. Before, I was the one bombarding his phone with calls and texts. I’d used the most vicious words to curse him and the most heartbroken sobs to beg him. But every time, Christian would say, annoyed, “Can you stop acting like a lunatic? Talk to me when you’ve calmed down.” Then he would mercilessly end the call, ignoring my frantic attempts to reach him again. I wanted to be calm, but whenever I thought about our years together ending like this, I couldn't control myself. I wanted to demand answers, to know why he had betrayed me. I wanted to beg him to come back, promising I would forgive him. But all my pleading and waiting had led to nothing. Christian remained unchanged. And I, slowly, became the insecure, unhinged person he accused me of being. A real lunatic. I floated through a long period in a haze, drowning in the agony of our relationship. Until three days ago. I stumbled upon a street interview video by a content creator called “Time Capsule.” The question was: “What would you say to yourself from five years ago?” Some said they’d study harder. Others wished they’d spent more time with their families. One person proudly declared that their future self was amazing, having lived up to all their expectations. And then, amidst the stream of answers, I saw him. Christian, with his new girlfriend, Lily. That’s how I knew it wasn't scripted. Given Christian’s current status, even the most famous creators had to book appointments to see him. This interviewer had truly just caught him on the street, like any other random passerby. At first, Christian seemed annoyed by the interruption. But Lily, beside him, was beaming with excitement. “Oh, this looks fun, Christian! Let’s do it, please?” she begged, shaking his arm playfully. Christian’s expression softened into one of resigned indulgence. The interviewer explained the concept and then posed the question. Lily paused to think, and Christian, seeing her struggle, answered for her. “If I could, I’d tell the Christian from five years ago to find Lily Lin sooner.” He said it with his arm wrapped around her. His voice was cool, but the protective affection he had for her was unmistakable. Lily looked up at him in surprise, then shyly covered her mouth and whispered, “Me too.” 3 By the time I saw the video, it already had tens of thousands of likes. The comments were a flood of adoration. 【OMG! They’re so gorgeous! I ship it!】 【My heart! A true love story! There’s hope for us all!】 【So sweet! You two have to be happy forever! Wishing you all the best!】 I stared at the video, stunned. Did Christian really love her that much? Had he forgotten? Five years ago, we had just gotten married. We were at the peak of our love. We were poor, but we were deliriously happy. And now, here he was, on camera, saying he wished he had met her five years earlier. I expected to feel the usual surge of rage, the uncontrollable fury. I expected to grab my phone and unleash a torrent of angry calls and texts. If he didn't answer, I would have smashed everything in the villa to pieces, screaming my frustration into the void. But strangely, this time, I just sat there, perfectly still. The comments that should have stung, that should have provoked me, just scrolled past my eyes like lines of code. Then, something inside my head seemed to loosen and drift away. And I was shocked to find… I felt nothing. Obsession can be born in an instant, and clarity, it turns out, can arrive just as quickly. And that’s what led to my phone call. 4 Christian sent me a message. Amidst a sea of red exclamation marks from my blocked messages, his new text stood out in its simple black and white box. Looks like he’d unblocked me, I thought with a self-deprecating smirk. He told me to come to his office on Monday. His lawyer would have the agreement ready. If we both agreed on the terms, we could sign and then just wait for the mandatory cooling-off period to pass. 【Okay.】 On Monday, I went to Christian’s company as planned. Since I didn’t have an appointment, the receptionist had to call upstairs for clearance. “Yes, a Ms. Kingsley is here.” After hanging up, she told me to go up to the executive floor, where a secretary would meet me. I thanked her and headed up. The young woman who greeted me was a stranger. I didn’t recognize her. But then again, it had been six months since I’d last set foot in this place. She was probably a new hire. “Ms. Kingsley, please wait here. Mr. Frost is in a meeting.” She didn’t know me either. She called me Ms. Kingsley and led me to a waiting area. I used to go straight to Christian’s office. His meetings always lasted at least an hour, and I hated waiting. He knew this, so he’d filled his office with books and movies to keep me from getting bored. “You can read or watch a movie. If you get tired, you can wait for me in the break room,” he’d told me back then. The last time I was here, all my things had been removed from his office. The person with free access to his private lounge was someone else. Now, to see him, I had to wait in a generic reception area. But I didn't have the energy to fight over such a small thing anymore. So I waited quietly. I had plenty of time. I didn’t expect to wait for two hours. Still, no one came to get me. “Excuse me, is Mr. Frost’s meeting over yet?” I finally asked the young woman who had shown me in. She fidgeted. “Mr. Frost is… still in the meeting…” I frowned, about to say something, when I heard laughter down the hall. “Let’s go to that new restaurant for lunch, then.” “Okay!” 5 The voices were painfully familiar. I had just heard them on the phone the night before. There was Lily, clutching a folder, skipping alongside Christian. The young, beautiful girl was a vibrant splash of color, bright and confident. Christian was leaning in, listening to her, a small smile playing on his lips. I don’t know what she said, but the smile on his face deepened. “Miss…” The young secretary tried to stop me as I walked directly towards them, but it was too late. “Christian.” Hearing my voice, they both turned. I clearly saw the flicker of surprise and astonishment on Christian’s face. I asked him if his meeting was over. If it was, it was time to discuss our business. “I got here at ten. I’ve been waiting for two hours.” “Who told you I was in a meeting?” he asked, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. I was taken aback. I looked at him, and the puzzlement in his eyes seemed real. We both realized what had happened at the same time. I didn't say anything. Christian’s gaze swept across the office, cold and serious. The employees all bowed their heads, not daring to speak. The young woman who had led me to the waiting room shrank back, her head bowed. But just before she did, her eyes darted towards Lily. Of course. In this entire office, the only person who could pull a stunt like this was Lily. “I forgot to tell everyone the meeting was canceled. I didn't do it on purpose. I’m sorry, Mr. Frost,” Lily said, biting her lip and looking up at Christian with wide, innocent eyes. He had always been lenient with her. This time was no different. He didn't say a word of reprimand. “Come in,” he said, looking at me, dismissing the incident. As I walked past Lily, I saw the pride and defiance in her eyes. 6 “Have a seat.” Inside his office, Christian treated me like a guest. I glanced at the sofa. It was piled with cute, fluffy stuffed animals. The bookshelf that once held my favorite novels was now a snack rack. The door to the private lounge was ajar. Through the crack, I could see a woman’s clothes casually thrown on the end of the bed. Christian looked at me, his expression unreadable. I felt a pang of awkwardness and quickly looked away. “Where’s the agreement?” He handed me the divorce papers from his desk. As I reviewed them, his eyes never left my face. “We’ve been together for so many years. I won’t be stingy. You can have your pick of the cars and houses. If you have any other demands, you can make them now.” Was this supposed to be compensation? The thought flickered through my mind, but it didn’t slow me down. The assets Christian was giving me in the agreement were more than I could spend in several lifetimes. He had always been generous. “This is fine. I’ll just take the villa we’re living in now,” I said. I signed my name cleanly and handed the papers back to him. Christian seemed to have more to say. I saw his lips part, then close again as I acted. He stared at the papers in my hand, as if he couldn’t believe the entire process had taken less than five minutes. I stood up. “The cooling-off period is a month. I’ll contact you then.” I turned to leave. “Claire.” “Is there something else?” “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Christian’s brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with disbelief, his tone a questioning probe. I looked at him, confused. Seeing that he was serious, I thought for a moment and then asked, genuinely, “At this point, you don’t actually expect me to wish you and Lily a lifetime of happiness and a house full of kids, do you?” I may have moved on, but I wasn't that generous. “…” He was speechless. Christian’s gaze was like a deep, dark pool, his emotions impossible to read. As I reached for the doorknob, I heard his voice again. “Claire, in the end, I’m the one who wronged you. I’ll continue to cover your mother’s medical expenses.”
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