Under everyone’s shocked stares, I took the items and went to the rooftop. Through the glass, I saw them – Julian and Rita, entangled. His heavy breathing, her giggles – painfully clear.
1
I stepped forward and knocked gently. Our eyes met across the glass. His were dark, mine… dead. Silence hung heavy in the air.
Rita sensed something. She turned, but instead of letting go, she only clung tighter, whispering something in his ear.
A sharp pain pierced my eyes. I dropped the adult toys, turned, and walked away. Only in my car did I finally exhale, the journey back having drained every ounce of energy from me.
I pulled the divorce agreement from my bag. Tracing his signature on the last page, memories flooded back: his fervent proposal, my mother–in–law’s sneering disapproval, his confident declaration that a man couldn’t truly love just one woman, my own foolish belief
that we were different.
*Heh. How different were we, really? Having an affair with a young girl, believing he was hiding it, smugly enjoying his infidelity… He even kept the sex videos as souvenirs. Little did he know the entire company knew about them.
I retracted my finger, photographed the signed agreement, and sent it to my mother–in–law:*He signed it.* In a month, Julian would be completely erased from my life.
“Knock knock-” The car window was tapped.
It was Roy Marlow, Julian’s secretary.
“Manager Frost, this is from the President.”
He placed a dark green velvet box on the car. Inside was an expensive diamond jewelry set.
The first thing flashed through my mind was a short–haired girl was in a bathrobe with misty eyes.
She carelessly swung a diamond necklace. There was dim and suggestive lighting around.
The bed was messy.
The love bites on her chest were particularly eye–catching.
Nausea churned in my stomach.
Thank you, Assistant Roy,” I said, my voice flat.
Roy, clearly unnerved, added, “This was carefully selected by the President; it’s one of a kind in the world.”
He didn’t know it. I didn’t want it.
I offered a tight smile.“Oh, is that so? That’s really thoughtful, finding the time to buy me a gift while… busy.”
His face paled.
He stammered, “Madam’s words sound strange… She wouldn’t know about the President and Miss Crowe…”
He fled.
I stared at the jewelry, seeing them entwined, naked. I almost vomited. Swallowing the bile, I pulled out my phone and called the orphanage.
10.11 ‘Sell this jewelry for me and use the money to buy toys for the children.

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.