Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 2

"I mean it." I sat up straight, staring into those oppressive eyes. "It's been five years, you weren't going to fall for me anyway. We should let each other live better lives."

In a month, there would be a huge business conference in Rosemont, and Neil would meet Bonnie there, who would be working part-time as a receptionist. He would fall for her at first sight, deciding to get her no matter what it took.

Such a romantic tale, I was not going to play the pathetic role in their legendary love story anymore. What I wanted to do, could do, should do, all of it was done and dusted in my past life, and I got the final results. In this life, I wouldn’t let myself be the butt of the joke, pushing my family into an abyss.

I decided to drop out of this farce before Neil and Bonnie met. On their rocky path of love, I would step aside for them.

Seeing the seriousness in my eyes, Neil's face darkened instantly. He always had a bad temper, and if anyone made him uncomfortable, he'd definitely lose it.

"Haha, looks like I'm the plaything now, huh?" He chuckled, with coldness in his eyes. "Five years ago, you were the one who insisted on marrying me, and now you're the one asking for a divorce. Irene, are you messing with me?"

Five years ago, the Whitmore family and the Finch family were on good terms, so our elders arranged our marriage. Neil was stubborn, definitely not the obedient type, but the Whitmore family's grandfather was seriously ill, so he had no choice but to marry me.

For Neil, it was a humiliation. But he didn't have someone he deeply loved, was taking over the family business at the time, and needed a good partner, so he spent five years with me as husband and wife.

I smiled sadly, "Do you really want to keep up this sham of a marriage?"

"A sham marriage?" Neil pondered the phrase, then raised an eyebrow, sarcastically asking, "Oh, are you feeling lonely?"

"No, I just..." I carefully chose my words to respond to him.

Neil had already stood up and walked over to me. He bent over, his hands on either side of the couch, his chest forming a circle with his arms, trapping me inside. His voice was seductive, "If you're lonely, why didn't you come to me? Now you're considering a divorce, are you just too lustful?"

Neil liked to smoke, and he always had a faint scent on him, a mix of his scent and the smell of tobacco.

Of course, he never held me, I just secretly sniffed his coat.

Now, that complex and alluring scent enveloped me. It should've made me excited and thrilled, and my face should've turned red from excitement, but in reality, I was just feeling suffocated.

I was someone ready to leave; anything that could shake my resolve seemed ominous to me.

"It's not because of that!" I tried to explain, but I was already used to the loneliness that had been going on for days and nights.

"Really?" Neil straightened up. He wasn't really interested in me anyway, so the gesture of flirtation he just showed was only to embarrass me a bit. He wouldn't lose control over it.

As a 27-year-old married woman, I emitted a gloomy aura, not a charming scent like his.