The days roll by quicker than expected, Ryan and Ciara doing their best in avoiding each other. Well, literally, it was Ciara that keeps avoiding Ryan just because she doesn't want him to make mention of the divorce near her.

And of course, he figured out that was what she was trying to do but pretended to let things lie the way they were at the moment. He concluded within himself, he's going to bring it up again when she least expected it.

Ryan had left on earlier that day, sooner than usual, and leaving Ciara all alone in the huge house.

Ciara woke up but could not find him anywhere around the house, the thought of not seeing him that day, breaks her more than anything.

She might have been avoiding him for a few days before that moment, and she was always fine with it —but not seeing him…?

She groaned lowly under her breath but decided to let go. He will surely get back home before dusk, right? And that was enough to console her.

Ciara's stomach growled softly, she felt starving. There isn't any good and sustainable food left in the kitchen except cereals, not even grains.

She was mad and could not help but wondered if the heavens were against her at that moment. She knew she had to go for alternatives to tame her anger.

Since she doesn't really like ordering food for herself alone, it would have been much better if she had a company, she decided to go eat out instead.

Hastily, she picked her keys and left the house, it's the first day she will be stepping out of the huge house in weeks.

She is always indoor, either busy with her system or maybe reading. Well, that was because she had no reason whatsoever to go out —the house is being stocked with every of her need.

The ride from her home, to the eatery was a thirty minute drive. She got to the eatery, not without parking her car properly.

It was not the usual and expensive ones she does go to, but it was modest enough for her. As always, she preferred taking her seat not far from the door. The walls were of transparent glass, it gave her the access to a good view of the outside world —just like she used to like it.

Ciara was still sitting and waiting on the waitress, who had just taken her order a few moments ago, her gaze fixated on the outside world. All of a sudden, she caught a glimpse of a car that was parking outside a mall on the other side of the road.

The car was familiar to her as her instinct kicked in, but she shrugged the thought off her mind. Well, he is not the only one using that brand of car, right?

She managed to convinced herself, even though her gaze was still on the car. It is unclear to her why, but she just couldn't look away from the car.

Like the car's occupants were trying to respond to her thought, firstly, an elegant lady stepped out of the car from the passenger's side. With a few feet away, she could tell the lady was laughing.

Ciara was awestruck and was still admiring her when the driver's door opened and a male figure hopped out of it. The figure was just too familiar.

—and her thoughts were right. It was Ryan. Ciara wiped her eyes continuously to be certain she was not seeing things.

‘Is he not supposed to be at his place of work?’ She asked herself, still staring at them. She could not stop herself but wondered what he was doing in a mall and with a lady too?

Her head was spinning, and she felt like a wife, who had just been cheated on by her husband and needed an explanation from him —she is his wife, yeah, she deserves an explanation from him.

With no second to waste, she picked her phone and dialed his digit. He cut the first few calls from her but picked up on the fourth or maybe fifth call.

“Ryan…" She trailed off, unsure of how best to start with him.

From the other end, he butted in almost immediately like he was not ready to hear anything from her. “What is it…?” His voice sounded cold, and Ciara could not help but feel a shiver down her spine. “Why are you disturbing me with your nonstop calls?”

Ciara opened her mouth to speak, but no words were coming out. She badly wanted to say something in reply —anything. She wanted to yell at him and demand an explanation from him, but surprisingly, she felt an invincible lump in her throat.

She tried opening her mouth yet again but nothing was coming out, she felt mad at herself.

Ryan was furious on the other end, impatiently waiting on her response but heard nothing. “Did you call me just to annoy me, woman?” He asked in a husky and rough voice.

Ciara was sure his eyes would have been darkened with an unexplained emotion in it at that moment as she swallowed the invincible lump in her throat.

She managed to speak, forcing her mouth open. “Where are you, Ryan?” She asked him, her voice was as as broken as a distressed kid waiting on her father's arrival, who has gone for days.

“Where am I?” He repeated her question with sarcasm laced in his voice. “Did you not receive my message?”

‘Message…?’ she asked herself with an obfuscated look on her face. ‘What message?’

“I did not…"

Ryan was just too impatient to let her finish her sentence, as he cut her off abruptly. “I'll be away for a day, if possible two…" He muttered icily. “I think you should know this. So, don't stay up late, waiting on my arrival, like you used to.”

“But, Ryan…"

“I'm sorry, woman…" He stated simply. “—but I won't tolerate it if you should call me again. I have more important things to deal with here rather than being disturbed with unnecessarily calls.” With that, he hung the call-up on her without waiting for her response.

Ciara had wanted to say something, but she was forced to swallow her words due to how he abruptly ended the call.

Ciara felt attacked. Her world seems to be spinning at the moment. He said he's busy with important things, but was with a lady instead. Does that mean she's more important to him than anything, really?

“Ma'am…" The waitress brought her order, cutting her off her train of thoughts.

“You can go…" She dismissed the waitress without sparing her a glance, she lost her appetite already.

The more she thinks through it, the confused she felt. Why would he be with a lady instead of his place of work?

Her instinct kicked in almost immediately, she realized that the lady was familiar —like she had seen her once or twice. She racked her brain hard and then…

She was his ex. The same lady he had promised his mother to let go off. Why are they together again? They don't seem to be on bad terms with one another, if not —why would she hop out of his car, laughing and holding hands with him?

It started getting clearer to Ciara. Ryan suddenly wants a divorce out of the blues, without giving her his reason behind the divorce.

So, this has been his reason? Because he is back with his ex, he felt he no longer needed her? She realized that lately, he had been returning home very late.

She would stay up waiting for him to return because she thought he's been delayed with work, but he wasn't, he had been seeing his ex.

The thought of it made her heart drop down inside her stomach. She felt foolish for loving him all this while…