RACHEL:

The papers in my hand felt like a load as I walked into Austin's office. The neatly printed divorce agreement made my heart heavy as I reminisced on a beautiful fairytale turned sour.

Years ago, I had met a charming businessman who swept me off my feet. I had surrended easily to his passion and even married him based on the grand gestures he had showered on me as well as the sweet whispers of promises.

Things have changed since when I got married to him. Now, he couldn't even spare me a glance as I walked into his office while he sat behind his massive oak desk. Oh how the change in my tides.

"I need you to sign this," I said immediately after dropping the documents on Austin's desk which his eyes seemed to follow. My voice was as steady as I could let it be and it happened to be void of emotion.

He finally gazed up at me but it was as brief as possible. It was more like he couldn't tolerate my presence.

"What's this?" He asked, catching a glimpse of the content of the documents. "A divorce?" He sounded more bored than surprised, making it seem like this was yet another business contract hoping to receive his signature.

I felt anger brew in me. How could he casually look at that? He didn't even show any remorse to the fact that I was planning to leave him for good.

"Yes," I said, my tone sharper than before. "You've moved on me from me, Austin. It's about time I do the same."

His gaze lingered on me for about a second or two before he exhaled. He ran his hand through his almost perfectly styled hair — one of his physical qualities that had got me mesmerized when I first knew him.

Without reading through the contents of the papers, he grabbed a pen from his desk and flipped the documents to the last page where he penner his signature at the bottom of the page. The pain I felt immediately I noticed the ink on the paper was beyond me.

"You didn't even read through," I muttered, expressing my displeasure.

"Why should I?" he asked, his expression unreadable as he looked up at me.

Just then his phone rang, interrupting the silence that ensued after he spoke. The excitement at which he used to pick up the call gave me an idea of who it was. And I wasn't disappointed.

"Hey, babe," his masculine voice rang through the room, exuding an air of sultriness.

Chloe. That was the woman he was speaking to... The woman he had replaced me with in his heart so easily.

I still he remember how he has once kissed me in the rain. How he had whispered secrets to me in the dark. How he had sworn that I was the only woman he could ever hold dear in his heart. I'm sure that was the same thing he was doing with his new lover.

I let out a short, bitter laugh as I picked up the signed papers and turned to leave. "Right," I said, trying to mask the hurt I was feeling.

Even as I stepped out, not once did Austin try to stop me from leaving. I had a little hope that he would still fight for what we once shared but that didn't seem to be the case.

I guess I have spent too long drowning in a love that had long soured. And maybe this was my liberation.

Daniel was waiting for me outside. We had reached some sort of agreement to be together in order to help our businesses and he would assist me with the divorce.

"Is it done?" he asked softly, his eyes revealing a hint of compassion.

I nodded, tucking the papers into my bag. "Yes," I said. "And rather too easily, I must say."

"Let's get you home, Rachel. You've had enough for today."

That was what I needed. I needed to get home and have a time to myself. Probably restrategize and find a way to build my life again.

This time, I would be no one's fool.

RACHEL:

"How are you holding up?" Daniel asked after picking up on the first ring.

It has been a day since I left Austin's office. And right now, I needed a distraction. I needed comfort from the hollow ache in my chest lest it gets worse.

"Fine," I hesitated.

"You don't need to lie to me, Rachel. I know you're not fine," Daniel said, his tone soft.

I signed, sinking into the couch. "I just didn't expect him to sign the papers without a second thought. He didn't even read anything in it. Is that how much he doesn't want to be with me any more?"

There was a long pause before Daniel responded. "You knew he was going to act all insensitive."

"Yes. But it doesn't mean it hurt any less," I had to say.

"What can I do to get your mind off all of that for now?"

"Just talk to me."

And that was what we did. The conversation completely shifted from the divorce to work and then to very random conversations. I found myself laughing for the first time in weeks and for a fleeting moment, I let myself believe I could move on.

Reality wasn't that kind though. Because tell my later in the evening, my phone buzzed with a notification from an Instagram post which tagged my name. And when I clicked it, it had to be Chloe tagging me.

Yes, Chloe. The same Chloe that Austin has been spending time with.

Although I was initially skeptical about viewing the content of what she tagged me to, I eventually did only to see her leaning into Austin, a smugness plastered on her face accompanied with a sly smirk.

The caption to the post read 'Mine now'. How creative.

This was what I got for stupidly following her in return after she followed me some weeks back. I could have just ignored it but now I was letting myself suffer. And the comment section didn't help matters.

"Pathetic," I muttered, tossing my phone away from me. I didn't want to keep looking at it.

I needed to erase Austin completely from my life I wanted to be free of him. I couldn't jeep a trace of him around me if I wanted to close this chapter of my life.

So I ventured to looking for his things. Anything that belonged to him needed to be discarded as fast as possible. This was for my healing.

"Ma'am, are you alright?"

I was startled by that and I had to quickly turn around to see Miriam, my housekeeper, standing at the entrance of my bedroom with a concerned expression. I didn't even hear her come in.

"Oh yes, I am," I said, forcing a smile. I was certain my words hadn't been entirely convincing. "Do you have something to tell me?"

She didn't push even though concern was still etched on her face. "I just came her to tell you that dinner was ready," she said.

"Thank you. I'll be down in a bit."

She nodded and walked out of the room. I exhaled slowly immediately she did. It was a hard job trying to stay calm at this point.

I continued with what I was doing and before I knew it, I had a pile of Austin's things waiting in the hallway and ready to be discarded. Only then did I head down to get dinner.

__________

"A private auction in Paris..." I read out the most important part of the invitation I received from Austin earlier this morning.

The universe wasn't done testing me, was it? When I thought to find a way to clear this man's existence from my life, I had to receive this from him.

I would have ignored it if the organizer of the auction hadn't caught my attention — the very powerful Mr. Langley, a man I had admired for years. He only hosted private auctions for the elite and I had always dreamed of attending one.

This would be a way to get in touch with him and get him to collaborate with my plans to strength Daniel's company. Even though Austin's invitation wasn't out of kindness, I needed to use it to my advantage.

"You can't be serious," Daniel said when I called him to tell him. "You know it's a setup."

"I know," I admitted. "But it's a chance to meet Langley. Think of the opportunities we could get from this."

"It's not about the opportunities, Rachel. There's Austin you need to worry about."

"I don't care about Austin," I hissed.

"What are you going to do when you meet him there?"

"I know he plans to humiliate me. And it doesn't change the fact that I still want to go. Look, I need to do this for our best interest."

"While ignoring your personal interest. Great move there." I didn't miss the sarcasm in his voice when he said that.

"I'll be fine, Daniel. Trust me."

Although I said that with conviction, I didn't believe it. Still, I was willingly stepping into an inevitable storm.

RACHEL:

The moment I stepped off the plane in Paris, I felt the weight of my decision. The city, although with its timeless beauty and intoxicating charm, was another battlefield, one which I had brought myself into out of my own will.

Austin's driver was waiting for me at the airport. I wanted to decline the ride at first but it would seem like I was holding grudges so I accepted it, sliding into the back seat of the car with a bit of composure.

That composure faltered when I arrived at the hotel I was to stay in. Right there, I saw Austin and Chloe together in front of the same hotel. Chloe leaned toward him, her fingers brushing over his arm as they spoke.

As soon as the both saw me, their expressions switched to something different. I was indifferent and would be in order to not give them the satisfaction of a reaction.

"You're staying here?" he asked. There was disdain in his tone, making it seem like the idea of me existing in the same space as him was an inconvenience.

I remained unbothered as I responded: "It's a free country."

Chloe let out a mocking laugh which actually infuriated me. "Of course, darling. It's definitely a free country, isn't it?" she said.

I was going to say something that would have most likely damaged by indifference until someone stepped in.

"Sorry, I'm late," the person said and I turned to the side to see that it was Daniel.

The surprise that filled up my expression was actually swift. But I didn't let it linger for long as relief flushed my system. He had such an impeccable timing in his perfectly tailored suit and I was grateful for it.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering me his arm which I took immediately.

My gaze landed on Austin whose expression darkened. Clearly, he wasn't enjoying the scene.

As soon as we were a distance away from them, I couldn't help but ask Daniel: "How come you're here? You never mentioned you were coming to Paris."

He smiled. "I couldn't let you do this alone. As much as you think this is for you alone, I'll have to remind you that it's for both of us."

I guess he was right.

______________

The auction was indeed a grand affair. The hall was adorned with magnificent golden chandeliers and velvet drapes and was as exactly as I had imagined it to be.

The elegance, the sophistication, the power... It was perfect.

Daniel followed me to grace the occasion and I had to do my best to focus on the event. I wasn't going to get consumed by thoughts of Austin and Chloe's presence. Especially not this night.

I didn't miss the signs of them planning to torment me. From Chloe making pointed comments whenever I was within hearing, to Austin standing too close to her as if she was everything to him.

Austin took things a bit too far when he body on an exquisite diamond necklace. It was a necklace I recognized immediately because it was a piece I had once admired.

Was this his way of getting back at me? I guess it is. When the hammer fell and the anchor called out that it was 'sold', I almost lost it all. Austin just had to capitalize on my hurt by turning to Chloe and fastening the necklace around her neck.

"Do you want to leave?" Daniel whispered into my ear while I watched with a glass of champagne on my lips.

"I'm fine," I said even as the knot in my stomach tightened.

I wasn't going to run from this. I was going to face it head on. I knew why I came here and that was going to be my main focus.

During a break, Chloe just had to walk to me and corner me close to the balcony.

"I really don't know why you're here, Rachel. But if you don't get it, Austin is mine now. So stop making a fool of yourself and just leave," she said, swirling the champagne in her glass as she smiled in a way that disturbed me.

I looked at the necklace fastened around her neck and then back to her face. "Who's making the fool of herself if not you who's so bothered about someone that just came to enjoy the night? Desperation really suits you, Chloe."

My words got to her. And I saw it from the flash in her eyes. What I didn't expect was for her to raise her hand and slap me.

The sound echoed and gasps instantly filled the air. I could feel my cheek burning but I didn't give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

I held back the will to hit her back. And that was when Austin suddenly stepped forward, placing himself between us.

"That's enough, Rachel!" he barked coldly, making it seem like I had provoked the attack.

I was no longer able to hide my expression. My breath caught as I realized how much I had lost this man.

How pathetic.