Chapter 3

It was late at night when I finished discussing the project with Mr. Johnson. He's notoriously difficult—hard to crack, hard to get a signature, hard to please.

Even though my proposal covered all his needs, he dragged it out until he finally signed.

In the freezing winter night, not even taxi drivers wanted to pick me up.

Finally, shivering with cold, I got into a taxi and came back to life with the warm air from the heater.

I numbly scrolled through my smartphone, and my Facebook Feed was flooded with Adeline's posts.

In the pictures, she and Finn were holding hands, sweetly nestled in a Ferris wheel cabin.

She smiled brightly at the camera, while Finn's eyes were tenderly fixed on her face, a faint smile on his lips.

When the amusement park opened, I had asked Finn to go with me. At that time, Adeline hadn’t returned, and Finn and I were getting along.

But he said it was childish and crowded, and asked me if I wasn’t embarrassed to go.

So, I pouted but said nothing, unable to imagine him in a cartoon headband on a Ferris wheel.

It wasn’t his style. I thought so and shelved the plan, passing the park countless times but never entering.

Now, I realize childishness and crowds were never the issue. It was about who you went with.

Like Finn's gaze in the photo, I'd never seen that look from him. The comments were full of colleagues fawning:

"Oh my, so sweet, I'm dying!"

"Why call her Ms. Adeline? She's Mrs. Finn~"

"Adeline returns, and Finn dotes on her deeply."

Adeline chimed in, sharing how she had begged Finn to wear matching headbands:

"Isn't it cute, our Finn~"

The comments buzzed with speculation, but Finn and Adeline only said they were just out relaxing.

A new employee, clueless, asked when they could drink at their wedding.

Finn replied with a question mark, and Adeline sent a "shush" emoji.

I didn't react like before, getting angry at their relationship and calling Finn.

Instead, I messaged him about successfully closing the project with Mr. Johnson and that I’d leave the documents in his office for signing tomorrow.

The bumpy road made me turn off my smartphone, lean against the car door, and close my eyes in exhaustion.

Back home, I saw a message from Adeline using Finn's account:

"Lydia, it's Adeline. Thanks so much for handling the project with Mr. Johnson. Finn didn't want me to be too tired right after arriving, so he wouldn’t let me do anything! I owe you a meal to thank you~"

Finn's smartphone was off-limits to everyone, even if I accidentally picked it up.

He would accuse me of disrespect and invasion of privacy. Yet, Adeline could freely use it, see our chats, and expose everything to her.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Lydia, it's Adeline. Thank you so much for your hard work on the project with Mr. Johnson. Finn doesn't want me to be worn out right after I arrive, so he hasn't let me do anything!

I'll treat you to a meal someday as a reward~"

Finn never lets anyone touch or look at his smartphone. Even when I picked it up from the coffee table by mistake, thinking it was mine, he got upset, saying I was invading his privacy.

Yet, he lets Adeline use it freely to reply to messages, exposing all our chats to her without any privacy concerns.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Is this what they call the power of "Adeline"? The importance placed on someone in one's heart dictates how they are treated.

However, I felt unusually calm and even gave her a like on her Facebook Feed. What once seemed like the end of the world now feels trivial.

I've wasted too much time on them. From now on, I'll live for myself.

I pulled up the data I compiled recently and called my dad: "Yes, I'll handle those companies abroad. We're divorced now."

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