Divorce Day Reset: My Wife Back at Seventeen Chapter 09
It was none other than Liliana, whom I’d finally managed to shake off. Just like that, she barged back into the peaceful life I’d painstakingly built.
She stormed into the restaurant, grabbed Rina by the arm, and shoved her hard. She knocked Rina off balance, sending her stumbling into a chair.
“Simon is my husband. How dare you try to have anything to do with him?” Liliana barked.
“Simon?” Rina stared between Liliana and me, looking completely lost.
I stepped in front of Liliana, furious. “That’s enough! You know better than anyone what you’ve done!”
Guilt flickered across her face. She lowered her voice and said, “I was wrong before… and I’m wrong today too. I’m sorry for putting you in such an embarrassing situation.”
The words sounded right enough on their own. But if she already knew all of this, then why did she come all the way here just to rip open old wounds?
I thought fate had finally decided to let me go, yet somehow, I was still trapped in the same vicious cycle I’d been running from.
I’d crossed an ocean and started over from scratch. I was supposed to be living a brand-new life. And still, I was facing something that made me want to close my eyes and just run.
“There’s no need to apologize anymore. I will never forgive you,” I said flatly.
Liliana grew a little frantic. “Simon, listen to me. There’s nothing between Maurice and me anymore! I… I already got rid of his baby. We still have a chance to go back to how things were. Please, believe me. Maurice is the price I paid for all the horrible things I did before; I won’t ever do it again.”
At this point, I didn’t know whether to laugh at how naive she was or hate how cruel she could be. With one Maurice, she thought she got to rebrand herself as some redeemed, changed woman.
People always said it was never too late to mend, and such a change was invaluable. But if that were the case, what were the people who stayed faithful and decent their entire lives supposed to be worth?
For someone like Liliana, I was going to make sure she realized that turning back now would only lead to a dead end.
“What happened between us never had anything to do with Maurice. What, are you saying he’s the one who betrayed me and lied to me this whole time? Honestly, I’m glad you cheated on me with him. Thanks to him, I can finally see just how disgusting you really are.
“If you still have the tiniest bit of concern for me, you should leave. Get as far away from me as you can,” I said firmly.
Liliana stared at the resolute look on my face for a moment. Then, she said, “I understand. But Simon, I’ll change your mind and win you over again. You’ll see.”
But my heart was already dead because of the things she’d done. There was nothing left to win over.
Even after she left, I couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in my chest.
Rina walked over to me. “This is all my fault. Things wouldn’t have blown up like that if not for me.”
I didn’t dare replay what had just happened. Liliana and Rina had never even met before that day, yet Rina had
been shoved out of nowhere. And somehow, Liliana still managed to stand on some moral high ground and act like she had the right to judge anyone.
She was the one who’d resorted to violence, but I was the one who felt utterly humiliated.
I forced a bitter smile. “Sorry you had to see that. I just… want to be alone for today.”
Rina picked up her coat and turned to leave alone. Before she did, she even comforted me. “Okay. Everything will be fine, alright? Call me if you need anything.”
A wave of emptiness washed over me as I watched her leave. I sat down at the table, completely at a loss. I didnt know what to do, and I had no idea what else might happen after today.
This was the most crushed I’d felt since coming to this foreign country.
After that day, Rina kept coming by the shop every day, just like before. But now, it wasn’t just her. Liliana started showing up too.
Since the shop was open to the public, I had no grounds to refuse her service. Every time she came, I did my best to pretend she didn’t exist.
Liliana, however, seemed oblivious. She clung to me relentlessly, repeatedly telling me that she would change and become a better person like a broken record. She kept begging me to give her one more chance.
She had no idea that she’d already used up the three chances I’d promised her 17-year-old self.
