Chapter 1 It Seems Like Years Have Passed (Part One)

Ominous dark clouds gathered in the sky above and the world below was chaotic.

The cold wind swept through the city.

It was rush hour now. The CB Group headquarters, easily the highest building in A City, stood steadfast amid the swirling clouds.

In front of the building, a big crowd had gathered like the clouds above.

"What do you think is going on with George Jin? He used to spoil Dora Yin so much before. No matter what she wanted, he would give it to her. That was only a year before he had the affair. Have you seen the woman beside him? She is so beautiful, much more attractive than Dora." said a woman to the man beside her.

"Honey, keep your voice down. If George hears you, we won't have a foothold in A City. Everyone knows how cruel he can be. His love for Dora was so strong in the past. How did he have a change of heart so quickly? I think they are hiding something," speculated the man.

The pretty woman glanced at him and smiled.

"You men always find excuses for your mistakes and make us women suffer."

"Forget it. I'm smart enough to not argue with you. I think something big is going to happen today..." His voice trailed off.

Apart from them, no one else dared to discuss it.

Even for rush hour, it was way too crowded.

The building of CB Group had never been so bustling before.

Even though it was crowded, everyone maintained a respectable distance from the four people-two men and two women-standing in the middle.

The two men were handsome and one of the women was beautiful. The other woman, however, didn't quite fit there as she looked very ordinary.

People stood around them like silent spectators. No one dared to whisper, let alone speak.

Everyone waited with bated breath.

The girl in the red hat and a cream white overcoat grabbed the collar of the most handsome man with her trembling hand.

"George, please hug me again. I'm so cold. I'm dying. Just look at me once," she begged. The girl's face was pale and her powerless plea was being ignored.

The man, who she referred to as George Jin, turned around with a cruel smile and looked at her emotionlessly. He stretched out his arm and pulled the other beautiful woman close to him.

"Dora, it's over. Why should I hug you or care about you? You can leave now. Don't show up here again. I don't want to see you for the rest of my life. Now that she is back, I don't need you anymore," he said mercilessly. His cold words mixed with the cold wind quietly floated in the heated atmosphere.

The girl in the red hat was Dora Yin.

The blood drained from her face and her eyes narrowed as she loosened her grip on his clothes. Her hand fell heavily to her side.

Biting her lip, she stared at the man in front of her in disbelief. Her eyes were blood red.

She turned her gaze to the woman, who was snuggling George.

"Cherry! Why...?"

Looking at Dora Yin's pale face, the woman got discomposed and extricated herself from George's arms.

She took Dora Yin's hand and said kindly, "Are you okay, Dora? Why is your face so pale? I..."

Dora Yin was disgusted and stunned at Cherry Lu's fake concern. She shook her head and wrenched her hand from the other woman's grip.

However, no sooner did she do that than Cherry Lu tumbled to the ground.

She supported herself on her elbows. "Dora, are you okay? I care about you. Why did you..." She trailed off with a wounded expression.

Dora Yin frowned and looked at her in confusion. She had only withdrawn her hand because she didn't like her touch. Why did Cherry Lu fall down? What was she implying by asking those questions? Before she could defend herself, a cold wind blew over her head.

The next thing she heard was a crisp slap, followed by a stinging sensation on her cheek.

The force of the slap knocked her to the ground, which was made of cement stones. Immediately, her knees were bruised and blood oozed out.

"Dora, you deserve this slap. You know that Cherry is weak and yet you pushed her? She cares about you but you don't appreciate it. So don't blame me for being ruthless with you," he taunted. His words cut through her heart like a knife.

Dora Yin raised her head to look at George Jin and tears sprang out from her eyes.

"I didn't! You know I wouldn't hurt her. How could I?" she asked defensively.

"George, I'm fine. Don't blame her. She didn't mean it," said Cherry Lu playing the martyr.

"Hah! Who knows?" he asked sarcastically.

Ignoring Dora Yin, he bent over and helped Cherry Lu up, gazing at her adoringly.

Dora Yin was finding it difficult to breathe. She stared miserably at the two people, who were displaying their affection for each other in front of her. Her heart twisted.

Why did George Jin do this to her? Who was it that whispered proclamations of love in her ears day and night?

Who was it that built a snowman, regardless of the cold, just to please her?

Who was it that held her hand tight and walked with her into the marriage hall?

He said that he would love her endlessly and treasure her for the rest of his life.

How did it all disappear in the blink of an eye? It felt like those words were uttered years ago. The promises he had made were like distant dreams now.

He had never hit her, no matter how angry he was.

Whenever they quarreled, he would be the one to lower his head and apologize first.

Once, she had asked him why he did that.

What had he said at that time? He said he compromised because of love and he gave in because he cared about her.

She had been so moved that she cried in his arms. She would never forget that touching gesture of his.

She hadn't even enjoyed those happy days fully. And now he had another woman in his arms. She couldn't believe that the same guy, who never caused harm to a hair on her head, let her shed a tear or even suffer the smallest of grievances, was being so heartless to her.

He had broken all his promises for the sake of this woman.

When he hadn't come home for the last few days, she had assumed he was busy with work, so she hadn't called him.

But this noon, he had sent her a message saying, "Dora, let's divorce."

She had raced out of her house in her slippers in a panic and headed straight to his office to look for him.

And what had she seen? He had walked out of the company with a woman in his arms. They had gone out for lunch together.

She hadn't revealed herself or exposed them. Unable to believe it was actually happening, she had told herself that she was overthinking.

She had waited in a corner in front of the CB building from noon till afternoon when they had gotten off work. So absorbed had she been in her task that she hadn't felt cold or hungry.

Then the thing that she had been dreading had happened. They had come out of the office and hugged each other.