Chapter 5: Chapter 5: I’ve Already Decided to Marry Someone Else

Yvonne Sutton pulled her suitcase out of the villa’s main gate and faced the bustling traffic, feeling a little lost.

This was the place she had lived in for eight years, a place she had thought was home.

Although she had decided to break up and move out, she hadn’t had time to find a new place. ’Where can I even go now?’

Just as she was feeling lost, her phone chimed twice.

She took her phone out of her bag. It was a message from Wyatt Shaw.

"I’m in Port Alistair right now. The weather’s nice today, but I have a lot of work. I had a piece of bread for breakfast, but it was hard to swallow—probably because I prefer Chinese food. I was too busy to eat lunch. I have a business dinner tonight and will probably have to drink until I’m drunk. I actually hate these kinds of social events..."

His voice message was long, covering every little detail, almost like a work report.

Yvonne Sutton found it a bit strange, but the last sentence was incredibly useful to her.

"Oh, right. I live at Villa 8 in Seacliff Villa. You can move in anytime. From now on, it’ll be our home. Of course, if you don’t like it, we can always find another place."

Seacliff Villa! ’He actually lives in the same villa complex as me, and so close, too!’

She walked up to Villa 8 and used the code Wyatt Shaw had given her to open the door. A blast of cool, clean air washed over her.

The layout of this villa was the same as the one she had lived in, but the decor was completely different.

Her old place was dominated by warm colors, with all sorts of decorations on the walls and plenty of furniture.

Wyatt Shaw’s place was all black and white. Everywhere felt empty; the living room didn’t even have a sofa.

’Can anyone actually live here?’

With this question in mind, Yvonne Sutton went up to the second floor, which was just as empty.

Of the three bedrooms, only the master had a bed. And it was just a bed—not even a dresser.

She guessed Wyatt Shaw probably didn’t live here, or at least not often. He must have just done a simple renovation and hadn’t bought any furnishings yet.

After a hectic morning, Yvonne Sutton unpacked her luggage and, without even stopping to eat, went to work on an empty stomach.

Mina Adler shared a steamed bun and half a cup of soy milk with her, taking the opportunity to show off her blissful marriage. "My husband prepared the dough last night and got up at the crack of dawn to steam these buns. They’re filled with the three-delicacy filling I love."

Yvonne Sutton looked at her with envy. "You’d better guard your husband well, or I might just steal him."

Mina Adler grew even more smug hearing this. "Hmph, no one can steal him away. He only loves me."

Yvonne Sutton was in a great mood that day. She felt a sense of lightness.

For the past eight years, her love for Vincent Reed had been a one-sided effort, a heavy burden she carried until she exhausted herself.

Now that she had let go, she realized life could be this simple and freeing.

In the afternoon, Vincent Reed sent her a message.

"Those books of yours. Do you still want them? If not, I’m throwing them in the trash."

She glanced at it but didn’t reply. Instead, she deleted his contact and blacklisted his phone number.

In truth, she had left a lot of things behind. The traces of eight years couldn’t be wiped clean in an instant. Those few books were the least of it.

When she got off work that afternoon, Wyatt Shaw replied to her message.

She had written: I’ve moved into your house.

He replied: Welcome.

It was just one word, but seeing it inexplicably warmed Yvonne Sutton’s heart.

She sent another message: Can I sleep in your bed?

Knowing he wouldn’t reply right away, Yvonne Sutton sent the message and went to catch the subway.

But once on the subway, she couldn’t help but feel that her message sounded a bit odd.

She took out her phone, intending to add that she would buy another bed, but he had already replied.

A single word: Yeah.

Yvonne Sutton’s face grew warm as she looked at the word. ’But with the time difference, it should be after three in the morning over there. Is he still awake?’

After getting out of the subway station, Yvonne Sutton decided to stop by the supermarket. Wyatt Shaw’s place needed too many things.

Just as she arrived at the supermarket entrance, Leo Flynn called her.

"Yvonne, help me!"

Yvonne Sutton froze for a second. "What happened?"

"I’ve been hacked up."

"What?"

At Joshua Hale’s tavern, the place had already been cleared out by the time Yvonne Sutton arrived.

She entered the courtyard and saw a complete mess, with waiters cleaning up.

Seeing her, one of them pointed her toward a private room inside.

She reached the door of the private room and saw that it, too, had been trashed. A table was missing a leg, chairs were overturned, and the floor was covered in shards of broken wine bottles.

Vincent Reed was slumped on the sofa at the far end of the room, his face dark. Blood was still trickling from his head.

Yvonne Sutton took one look and turned to leave.

"Yvonne, you’re finally here! Help me!"

Leo Flynn ran out of the room and grabbed her. "I really did get slashed."

He pointed to his arm.

He was indeed injured and bleeding.

Just then, Joshua Hale came over, pushed Leo Flynn aside, and handed her a first-aid kit.

"The guy inside refuses to go to the hospital and won’t let anyone touch him. We had no choice but to call you for help."

"We’ve already broken up. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me," Yvonne Sutton said, exasperated.

"I support you in that, but you can still be friends after a breakup, right?"

"It’s impossible for us to be friends." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Yvonne, just do it as a favor for me, okay?"

Yvonne Sutton paused for a moment before taking the first-aid kit from Joshua Hale.

As she was about to go in, Joshua Hale pulled her back for a moment.

"Wendy is pregnant with Stanley Lynch’s child, but not only does he refuse to take responsibility, he’s demanding she get an abortion. Vincent asked Stanley to meet here to stand up for her, but they started fighting after just a few words. Stanley was no match for Vincent, but then Wendy showed up and protected Stanley, not letting Vincent touch him. Vincent backed off, but Stanley took the opportunity to smash a wine bottle over his head."

Yvonne Sutton raised an eyebrow. "And Wendy Winters?"

"She ran after Stanley Lynch."

"Heh. How interesting."

Joshua Hale sighed. "So, whatever you do, don’t mention Stanley Lynch or Wendy Winters. I’m afraid it’ll just set him off again."

Yvonne Sutton didn’t promise anything. She just took the first-aid kit and went inside.

Vincent Reed sat there, panting heavily, clearly furious. Hearing footsteps, he snapped his head up. When he saw it was her, his anger flared even higher.

"Who the fuck told you to come here and laugh at me?"

Yvonne Sutton ignored him, taking out a cotton swab from the first-aid kit. She dipped it in iodine, intending to clean his wound.

"I’d rather bleed to death than let you touch me!" Vincent Reed continued to shout.

Yvonne Sutton knew his temper all too well: reckless, stubborn, and unreasonable.

She paid him no mind and didn’t get angry, deftly cleaning his wound and wrapping it with gauze.

"The cut is pretty deep. You guys need to take him to the hospital for stitches," Yvonne Sutton said, turning to Joshua Hale and the others.

She turned to leave, but Vincent Reed grabbed her arm.

"Did you blacklist me?"

Yvonne Sutton pulled her hand free. "Since we broke up, it’s best to make a clean break. That way, you, Mr. Reed, won’t be bothered anymore."

"I’m ordering you to add me back right now!"

"Heh. Looks like you really did hurt your brain. You should hurry to the hospital and get it checked out."

With that, she turned and walked away.

"Wendy changed her mind. She won’t marry me anymore. So, I’ll just marry you instead."

Yvonne Sutton stopped and turned back to look at Vincent Reed, seeing the look of someone bestowing a great charity.

"Save your ’generosity.’ I’ve already decided to marry someone else."