A loud clatter came through the receiver. It was several moments later when she heard Allen Lang exclaim in pure excitement, "Natalie, you finally accepted the role! I've been keeping it for you! Our production will definitely win an award with you joining the cast."

Before Natalie married Lester, Lester's mother had asked her to stop acting and focus on family after the wedding.

For the past three years, aside from attending necessary events as Lester's partner, she had no longer been active in the industry.

She had almost forgotten how it felt to be the youngest Best Actress three years ago.

Thankfully, she'd receive the divorce certificate in a month and return to the acting industry she was passionate about.

"Natalie, when will you be coming to Echalon? I can't wait any longer!"

Natalie checked the calendar. Then, she answered softly, "I'll be there on the 6th of next month."

That was the day she could obtain the divorce certificate.

Once she received the document, she would fly to Echalon.

She spoke with Allen briefly about her upcoming role before ending the call.

Just as she entered her car, a notification sounded on her phone, a special ringtone she used for certain news.

She checked her phone and saw Lester's latest Twitter post.

"I'll do anything for you to be with me."

Alongside the caption were a photo of the divorce papers and another of his and Irene's hands clasped, their fingers intertwined.

Lester started his Twitter account seven years ago. Since then, he'd only posted three tweets.

The first was when Natalie agreed to make their relationship public.

The second was a celebratory status update when she won Best Actress.

The third was a flashy post announcing his love for her on their wedding day.

Now, he'd deleted those tweets. The latest tweet was the only one left on his account.

In the comments section, Irene's fans were in joy.

"Wow! A CEO and a gorgeous actress, what a couple!"

"Our Reenie is worthy of his affection! About time that old hag gets dumped!"

…

Later on, Natalie's name appeared on the trending list for the first time in a long while with hashtags like "#FormerBestActressNatalieShermanDivorced and #ExemplaryCoupleDivorcedAfterThreeYears

When she married Lester, she'd never imagined their relationship would end up like this.

Their love survived the Garrison family's massive disapproval, yet ended with Lester falling for someone else.

Suppressing the ache in her heart, she commented on his tweet, "Congrats on finding your new love, Mr. Garrison."

She had just posted it when she received a call from Yvonne Hall, her former manager.

"Nat, you and Mr. Garrison…"

Yvonne witnessed Natalie's rise to fame every step of the way. Even though Natalie had stopped acting after getting married, they remained friends.

Aware of Yvonne's hesitation to speak, Natalie replied, "It's true, Yvonne. Lester and I have signed the divorce papers."

Yvonne fell silent. When she spoke, she sounded regretful. "I saw how sincere he was back then and thought he was different from other wealthy men."

The sunlight shone through the trees overhead, leaving patches of shadow on Natalie's face.

When she married Lester, she had also thought he was a rare specimen among the rich, someone who stayed loyal.

Now, it seemed he was just a good actor.

If he were in the acting industry, he would easily win Best Actor.

After all, his performance even deceived her, someone who had once been Best Actress.

"Let's forget about him. Remember to be at the awards-giving ceremony on time. I'm already here."

Before her marriage, Natalie was the female lead in her last movie, "Before the End".

As the post-production process was demanding, it had only been aired last year. Nevertheless, it had already won several international awards.

Her role in the movie also earned her a nomination for Best Female Lead.

The award-giving ceremony was today.

After ending the call, she drove straight to the venue.

She had just found her seat when a commotion stirred at the entrance.

Looking toward the source of the noise, she saw Irene entering the hall, arms linked with Lester's.

Many reporters approached them as soon as they appeared.

"Mr. Garrison, do you regret ending your three-year marriage with Ms. Sherman just like that?"

"Ms. Sterling, Mr. Garrison divorced his wife for you. Do you think your actions are morally inappropriate?"

Irene replied to their ruthless questions confidently, "I will never be a mistress. Les and I started dating only after their divorce. Their relationship was already turbulent in the first place. I'm not at fault."

Lester gazed dotingly at her. "I don't regret my decision. If love is no longer present in a relationship, their marriage would only feel like a chain that restricts their freedom. Divorce will then be the best solution."

Every word stung Natalie so much that she ached deeply.

A chain, huh?

It turned out that their marriage was suffocating him.

Sitting beside her, Yvonne held her hand. Her eyes were filled with concern.

Natalie shook her head. Her gaze fell on Lester's hand, carefully holding the hems of Irene's gown, and her lips curved into a self-deprecating smile.

Actually, their marriage was nothing less than a chain to her too.

She already knew their love for each other had expired, but she ignored that fact, trying to deceive herself and others into believing otherwise.

Thankfully, they would both be free from the chain of marriage after a month.

The ceremony soon began.

When the Best Female Lead award was about to be announced, Natalie's palm became sweaty.

She had thought "Before the End" would be her last movie, so she poured endless effort into portraying her role.

If she could win the award tonight, it would mark the perfect end to her acting career in Caledon.

Namelist in hand, the host purposefully swept his gaze across the hall before he slowly announced, "The Best Female Lead of the Golden Frame Award goes to…Irene Sterling!"

A thunderous applause ensued.

Smiling, Irene pecked Lester's cheek before going to the stage to take her trophy.

Though disappointed, Natalie quickly regained her composure.

Peeved, Yvonne leaned closer to her. She muttered, "Nat, I've been asking around, and it seems the judges gave overwhelmingly positive feedback on your role in the movie. You were supposed to win the award. Could Mr. Garrison have bribed the—"

Before she could finish, Natalie instinctively retorted, "No, he wouldn't."

Lester wasn't someone who would sacrifice his principles for personal gain, and neither would he pull dirty tricks like that.

Even when they were deeply in love, he'd never used his connections to help her.

She continued, "New talents emerge every day and may someday surpass those before them. Perhaps her acting resonated better with the judges."

Yvonne was still displeased. "How could her role in that commercial film possibly win against yours?"

Natalie patted her arm, trying to calm her down.

"It doesn't matter anymore—I'll be heading to Echalon next month."

Yvonne's eyes widened in surprise. Her voice was laced with excitement. "Echalon? To work with Allen, the same director who'd approached you many times?"

Natalie nodded, smiling.

"That's wonderful! Allen is a world-renowned director! Don't forget me when you become an international film star!"

Natalie had to assure Yvonne she would never forget her before Yvonne finally left to attend to other matters.

After the Best Female Lead award was announced, Natalie no longer needed to stay. She got up to leave.

As she walked past the backstage area, she spotted Lester standing beside the stage with a bouquet of red roses.

Her fingers curled reflexively. Pretending she didn't see him, she turned to leave.

Then, she heard a voice speaking in an ingratiating tone. "Mr. Garrison, we've done as you instructed and presented the Best Female Lead award to Ms. Sterling. Do you need anything else?"

Natalie halted in her tracks.

Lester then said nonchalantly, "Just keep it to yourself. Irene doesn't have to know that Nat was the one who originally won the award."

Lester's words hit Natalie like a stroke of lightning. Did she…actually win the Best Female Lead award?

Lester was still talking to the other person.

Natalie's gaze fell on the bouquet he was holding, thinking how sarcastic it all was.

She confidently guaranteed that Lester wouldn't betray his principles for the sake of personal matters, yet reality proved her painfully wrong.

Her stare might've been too intense, so much so that Lester noticed her.

When their eyes met, a flustered look crossed Lester's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

Walking over with the bouquet, he said in a resigned tone, "Nat, let Rene have the award for Best Female Lead this time. Keep this a secret, okay?"

Natalie couldn't believe his audacity to request that of her.

"Lester Garrison, the honor was originally mine. Why should I let her have it?"

Lester tugged on his necktie. He sounded slightly impatient as he said, "You're not even acting anymore. Why would you still need the title? Besides, if you hadn't commented on my tweet and made her angry, I wouldn't have to come up with this idea to please her."

His hurtful remark brought tears to Natalie's eyes. With a trembled voice, she asked, "Are you saying I deserve having that award snatched from me?"

Lester seldom saw Natalie in such a fragile state. He stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulders.

In a softened tone, he coaxed, "Nat, I don't mean it that way. It's just that I'm still interested in Rene, so of course I have to be nice to her. When my interest in her falters, I'll immediately take back the trophy and return it to you.

"Don't worry. I know who my wife is. I'm just being nice to Irene on the surface, so don't let it get to you."

For the past two years, Natalie had heard similar excuses more times than she could count, until she no longer felt anything when he said that.

He'd say he was only fooling around, that she would still be his wife, and that everything he did was just a pretense.

From his point of view, there was nothing wrong with what he was doing. However, if Natalie—his wife—acted out over it, she would be considered petty and insensible.

Natalie broke free from his hold and forced her tears back.

"There's no need, Mr. Garrison. I won't want a tainted trophy."

She didn't want a tainted husband too.

With that, she staggered out of the event venue without even looking to see what expression he had and went home.

The next day, she woke up early and started packing her belongings.

Except for the daily necessities she'd need to bring to Echalon, she packed and threw away the rest as trash, including items she'd shared with Lester.

The photo album that contained photos of them from when they were dating until they got married, the large wedding photo that they spent a fortune on, her favorite hydrangeas in the yard that Lester planted himself…

They dated for four years and were married for another three. All told, they'd been living in this house for seven years, and every corner of the house held shared memories.

Natalie spent a fortnight gradually getting rid of all the objects that were tied to so many memories.

Eventually, the once-cozy home was returned to its state from seven years earlier—a mansion devoid of warmth.

During those two weeks, Lester never came home.

Natalie knew where he was, though.

According to what he'd done in the past, he'd accompany his new lover for at least one month whenever he started a new affair.

Besides, Irene was never one to keep a low profile. She shared their affectionate moments on Twitter almost every day.

The day before, Lester took her out to sea for fishing and personally cooked for her.

Yesterday, he visited her on set and dotingly massaged her calves.

Perhaps clearing the mansion of their shared memories had helped cool down Natalie's feelings for him. When she saw Irene's posts, she merely paused momentarily before scrolling to the next.

After she was done packing, she drove to the mall. The filming duration for a movie was usually lengthy. She'd be in Echalon for at least two years and would need more clothes.

She shopped all afternoon and filled the trunk of her car with shopping bags. Closing the trunk, she opened the door to get into the car, ready to leave.

She had barely placed her foot in the driver's seat when a strong force grabbed and pulled her out.

Caught off guard, she fell heavily to the ground. Her arm was badly scraped, and blood trickled down it.

Enduring the pain, she propped her body up and saw that it was a group of young girls.

But she didn't know them.

"Who are you?"

The girls glared at her with contempt.

One of them stepped forward and grabbed her hair. She scolded, "It's all because of this bitch! If she had just given up her title as Mr. Garrison's wife, Reenie and Mr. Garrison could already have been together long ago!

"Now, they're already divorced, yet she has the audacity to spend Mr. Garrison's money on shopping! How shameless!"