"Sweetheart, if he can't appreciate you, then he doesn't deserve you," Doctor William Scott said. "I'm glad you have come to that decision."

William and Eleanor Scott embraced their weeping daughter inside the Scotts family mansion.

"I loved him, dad, mom. How I wish it did not have to end this way -" Shantelle expressed, but her mother cut her off.

"But more importantly, you have to love yourself," Eleanor suggested.

As Shantelle pulled away from her parents, her father suggested, "It's time to put yourself first, my dearest Shanty."

"When you married Evan, you lost yourself - your dreams and aspirations. I know you loved Evan, but there's more to life than that boy." William lifted Shantelle's chin and suggested, "You deserve better."

If it were two years ago, William would have wanted Evan as a son-in-law, but since Shantelle married him, he saw through her sadness. In the first few months of their marriage, his daughter was still elated at being with Evan. However, as the months passed, he could see Shantelle's longing to be loved.

Recently, she has been crying more often. She lost so much weight and was never interested in anything else but following Evan around. It pained William to see his daughter this way.

Shantelle was never lacking in love. Everyone around her loved her! For his daughter to feel so unwanted - to become doubtful of herself hurt William the most. He had long been asking Shantelle to get a divorce, but she always insisted that their marriage was getting better, day by day. Of course, that was not what he saw.

Finally, they were going to be separated. He did not care who initiated it. What mattered most was how his daughter would be free to live her life. He urged, "Let's leave this town. Let's relocate to where you can pursue medicine."

William smiled and suggested, "Become a surgeon like me."

In William's view, taking Shantelle away was the best solution. His daughter may appear strong right now, decided on the separation, but he knew well that Evan was her weakness. She could easily crawl back into his arms, and it wasn't because his daughter had no brain. She was too in love with Evan, and it clouded her judgment.

Shantelle sighed and contemplated. After some time, she weakly replied, "Okay, father. I agree with your plans."

"I'm glad you approve," William answered. "Then your mother and I will prepare for everything. I'll have the house for sale. I don't want us coming back here, even if it means cutting my friendship with the Thompsons."

"But, dad. That would mean - your work?" Shantelle asked.

"I will resign from St. Dominique's Hospital as their director. I will sell my shares at the university. I can easily find work elsewhere, being the best cardio surgeon in the world," William suggested. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take care of you."

"I have a city in mind. Warlington. They have the best training facility for Surgeons," he revealed. "As soon as I can find a home, I'll move you out of Rose Hills."

***

Days passed.

"Mr. Thompson, sir. I'm very sorry, but my mother was admitted to the hospital because of pneumonia the other day. May I please be allowed to review the documents at the hospital?" James, Evan's assistant, asked. "I will bring my laptop with me."

"You will bring your laptop to the hospital?" Evan leaned back and sighed. He finally understood why his assistant had been so exhausted recently. He shook his head and suggested, "Take two days off and attend to your mother. I'll ask Sherly to cover your work. Get some proper sleep while you are at it."

James' eyes lit up. He quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, sir Thompson. Thank you so much. I will give Sherly my endorsements."

Evan brushed off his assistant with a hand, saying, "Go. Take care of your mother.”

"Sir, since you allowed me to take a leave," James said. "May I recommend that you also get a good sleep yourself?"

Evan froze. Was it that obvious how he had been struggling to rest for many nights? He glanced at his private room next to the office and gasped. Maybe he needed a good sleep - at home, the same home he shared with Shantelle.

Again, he sucked in a breath, knowing it was finally time to deal with the divorce. Evan had yet to return home for more than a week. It was beyond the time that he gave Shantelle. 'Could she have already signed the divorce papers?'

There was only one way to find out. He turned to James and said, "You are right. Thank you, James."

"You are welcome, sir. Goodnight," James said before leaving the CEO's office.

***

"Mrs. Shaw? I have several clothes from the office needing laundry. Kindly take care of them," Evan said as soon as he entered the villa.

"Oh, my. Mister Thompson, you have been staying too much in the office. You used up all your spare clothes!" Mrs. Shaw said. "Have you eaten dinner? I can make one very quickly."

When Mrs. Shaw suggested she prepare his dinner, he frowned and asked, "Shanty did not make my dinner?"

Sure, he gave Shantelle divorce papers, but she had always attended to his needs, even when they were arguing. The fact that she did not cook dinner was surprising to him.

Mrs. Shaw was taken aback by Evan's probing. She knotted her brows and asked, "But, Sir, aren't you getting a divorce? She left three days after you and the Misses quarreled in the living room last week."

Immediately, Mrs. Shaw lowered her head, saying, "I'm sorry to pry. Your voices were so loud it was hard not to listen."

"I see." Evan frowned. He could not believe it. "She left?"

"Yes, Sir. She has left some papers on your bedside table," Mrs. Shaw revealed.

Evan skipped dinner altogether. He went straight to the bedroom and saw the papers, exactly as Mrs. Shaw had disclosed. When he moved closer, he understood it was the divorce agreement.

He was surprised that Shantelle signed it, even without making a drama. She did not go to his office. She did not call or send him any messages these past few days. Evan did not also get a call from his father, which meant his family had not learned about his decision to divorce Shantelle.

Evan picked up the two-toned wedding ring that was meant for Shantelle. He unwittingly studied the ring on his finger and muttered, "She signed it. She really signed it."

His brows met. Evan thought he would be relieved, but why did it feel like his chest was heavy? He was about to remove his wedding ring when he discovered another paper underneath the divorce agreement.

He picked it up and recognized it was a letter addressed to him. Lazily, he flipped the paper open and read it.

[My Dearest Evan...]

The weight on Evan's chest felt heavier in each line of the letter. Shantelle recounted the years when they were young. Somehow, it also reminded Evan of how close they were back then. Eventually, his eyes landed on the last words, which appeared to have been written as a follow-up. It read:

[By the way, I marked out the alimony and countersigned it. As I said in my text, you don't need to give me any money. And, I'm sorry about the picture message I sent you. I just thought you should know.]

He raised a brow and wondered, "A message? She sent a message?"

Evan found it strange because he had never received a single message from her.

"Good morning, Evan. I love you."

Evan smiled in his dream, hearing Shantelle repeat those words. She never got tired of expressing how she felt. In his dream, he did not respond, but he sensed the warmth in his heart.

Suddenly, he heard his phone buzz. It was his wake-up call.

"Shanty, can you turn off the alarm, please? I want to sleep longer. It's Saturday," Evan groaned in his sleep. "Shants. Shanty?"

His eyes opened, realizing he was calling out his wife's name. He sat up and turned to the empty side of the bed. Then his gaze landed on the bedside table. When he saw the divorce papers and the letter she wrote, it dawned on him how Shantelle was already gone.

"Right. She left," Evan said under his breath. Again, this was supposed to be his happiest moment. He was free! All he needed to do was to formalize the divorce, and he would be officially a single man, but why was his chest still feeling heavy? It had not felt any better since he learned about Shantelle's leaving.

He noticed his phone was ringing. He checked it and saw it was Nicole calling. He ignored it at first and just lay on the bed. When his phone continued to ring, he groaned in irritation and answered it, "Nicole."

"I got the job from the public library! It's like what you said. Your father did not interfere!" There was a smile in her tone when Nicole added, "Evan, I can't thank you enough. How about we have dinner to celebrate? I can cook for you?"

"I." Evan glanced at the bedside table. Then he replied, "I can't. I have to hand to my lawyers the divorce papers - "

"Oh, did Shantelle sign it?" Nicole probe.

"Yes. Yes, she did," Evan blandly answered. There was not a hint of happiness in his voice.

"That's even more reason to celebrate. Come on, Evan. Let's have lunch together," Nicole kept insisting.

Evan sighed and responded, "I'm sorry, Nicole, but I have things to do. Next time."

He ended the call without letting Nicole finish, and then he started staring at his phone, going through his messages. Recalling Shantelle's letter, he wondered, "Which message was she referring to?"

From one app to another, Evan checked all his messengers, but he did not find any recent texts or messages from Shantelle. He frowned and pondered what she meant.

Soon, he attempted to call Shantelle's phone. "The person you are calling is out of reach."

Again and again, he called. Since he could not get through, he sent her a message: [Shanty, I got your letter. Thank you for signing the divorce papers. I know you said you did not want the alimony, but I will still transfer the funds to you. By the way, I did not get any message from you, despite what you have written in your letter.]

Evan spent an hour waiting in bed, but Shantelle did not reply. He went down to have his late breakfast. When Shantelle still did not respond, he sent another message: [Shanty, we could still be friends. We have known each other since we were young. We don't need to be strangers.]

He bathed and changed into a new set of clothes. Evan left to meet his lawyers and, after handing in the divorce papers, he decided to pay his father and mother a visit.

When he entered the gates to the old Thompsons' mansion, Evan felt tensed. It was about time for him to tell his parents of his decision to divorce Shantelle. He did not know how they would take it.

His parents, Erick and Clara Thompsons, genuinely loved Shantelle as their daughter-in-law.

"Are my parents here?" Evan asked.

"Yes, Sir. They are in the garden with Misses - I mean, Miss Scott," the maid said.

Instantly, Evan knew what was going on. He looked outside and realized that the Scotts' car was parked next to his father's. Shantelle was here to report their divorce!

Many possibilities played in his head. Yet again, he was angered. He was prepared to defend himself should his father retort by threatening him again. Evan marched with heavy steps until he found himself in the gardens. What he saw broke his heart. He could make out how the news saddened his parents.

Erick and Clara were embracing Shantelle with tears in their eyes. His wife was doing the same, weeping.

"Evan," Clara, his mother, called. "You are here."

The embrace between the three broke off, and Evan could finally see Shantelle. It was obvious that she had been crying, observing the bags around her eyes.

"Shantelle tells me you have finally divorced?" Clara said in a soft tone.

Then, to Evan's surprise, his father said, "I guess it's better. I'm tired of forcing this onto you both."

"Don't worry, Evan. Shantelle had told me it was her decision. So I respect it," Erick said.

'What?' That came as an amazement to Evan. If his father knew it was his decision, a debate would happen again! He secretly thanked Shantelle for that.

"Aunt, Uncle. I have to go," Shantelle sniffed her tears away and said, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Shanty. We love you, dear. Good luck with everything," Clara said, waving goodbye.

Shantelle walked past Evan, not minding him for a second. It wasn't like her at all. Evan asked silently, 'Did she just ignore me?'

A big part of Evan was dumbfounded. She never ignored him. Noticing how she kept walking without glancing at him, he said, "I tried calling you."

"Hmmm?" Shantelle raised a brow and softly replied, "I changed my number."

And just like that, Shantelle walked away. She did not even say goodbye or give Evan her new number.

***

A month passed.

"Miss Shanty said to thank you for the divorce certificate," Howard, the Thompsons family driver, said in front of Evan.

With his money and connection, Evan quickly got the divorce certificates done. Officially, he was already a free man.

Clearing his throat, Evan asked, "Is that it? Did she say... anything else?"

"Nothing, sir. She just accepted it and returned to whatever it was she was doing. The Scotts appeared to be busy." Howard shrugged. "Their maids were walking in and out of the house, carrying boxes. Maybe they were cleaning the house."

"I see," Evan replied, inwardly disappointed. "Thank you, Howard - oh, and -"

Evan reached for a gift box inside his drawers and gave it to Howard, "This is for your son." He smiled and added, "I remember he liked baseball. Wendell sold some of his card collections."

"I figured Clark would love this," Evan added.

Howard had a huge smile on his face. He answered, "Thank you, sir. You are very thoughtful."

"Don't mention it. I just remembered," Evan replied, and Howard left his office.

Half bothered by Shantelle's pure silence, Evan went about his work. As he did, he kept reminding himself how this was his decision and that it was best for both of them; him and Shantelle.

In the evening, he received an invitation from his friend, Sean. They wanted to have drinks at the club.

At the same time, he received a text from Nicole. She said, "Evan, let's celebrate. I got my first salary from the library, but I don't have any friends to celebrate it with. Please, Evan."

Evan felt responsible altogether. He had been busy with work and had not also visited Nicole. Thus, he wound up inviting her to the club.

Instead of a private room, like they usually had, Sean booked a secluded booth at the club. Keith and Wendell were already there.

"Hey, Eva -" Sean's mouth fell open when he saw Nicole. He said, "Oh, hey, Nicole."

"Hi guys, I hope you don't mind that I join you?" Nicole said, giving off that amiable smile.

"Suuurre. It's fine," Sean responded awkwardly. "You remember Wendell and Keith, right?"

"Hi, everyone. Nice to see you again," Nicole replied.

The music was on at the club. The DJ played the most upbeat tune, and a few guests started dancing. On the other hand, Evan's group enjoyed their drinks, discussing businesses, and whatnot.

"You know, Nicole, I honestly thought you were so familiar, even during the first time Evan brought you to our circle," Wendell suggested. "Have we met before?"

"Maybe it's just me, but I thought your eyes were familiar," Wendell added.

Nicole smiled and said, "No, it can't be. It was my first time to be here in Rose Hills two years ago."

"Woah, isn't that Shanty?" Sean asked, seeing a girl in a sexy white dress that hugged her body, her blonde hair bouncing as she danced with three other girls.

"Woah!" Wendell hissed.

Keith, on the other hand, whistled. "Damn, I knew she had a sexy body beneath those jeans and long dresses!"

"Announcement, everyone!" Another girl with short black hair took the microphone from the DJ. She said, "Meet my girl, Shantelle Scott! We are celebrating her divorce! She is a hot sexy ass who is single and ready to mingle!"

Evan's nose flared. His eyes widened in shock.