"Earth to Yolan? Are you still with me?"
"Ah, sorry Azazel, I was thinking about something."
It's been four days since I had dinner with Haide. Life was going well as usual and today I was hanging out with Azazel in a nearby shopping mall.
A sign on a perfume shop caught my eye.
[Up to 30% Discount!
Feature : pheromone blocker now available for alphas and omegas!]
'Now that I think about it, my perfume is almost out.'
I tugged at Azazel's sleeve, pointing at the shop.
"I want to buy some perfume, do you want to take a look?"
"Sure, let's go!"
Going near the shop, scents of flowers and other types of fragrance immediately hit our noses. I approached one of the tables, picking up some scent papers to sample.
Azazel observed as I picked a random sample paper, then she picked one by one to help me choose.
"How about this one? You gave off the same vibe as this smell."
I took the paper and smelled it, "Rose?"
Azazel nodded. She crossed her arms as she said seriously, "You always have this kind of noble, royalty, rich man feeling around you, you know. I dunno, at the back of my head, this is the smell a noble man must be having."
I chuckled at her logic. I didn't know what part of me looked like royalty, because I certainly was more like a petty scammer than a nobleman.
'Or maybe it was influenced by our previous life too.'
A 'King', even though it's only a crest, could also be considered royalty.
"And you're pretty, so roses suit you."
"Really?"
'What a terrifying coincidence.'
Azazel was a beta, so she never knew the smell of my pheromones, especially since I'd been marked before I met my companions in my previous life. There's no way for her to link royalty and roses with me that fast.
So could this really be just a coincidence? Or there's something more to it?
It was a question I didn't want to answer.
"You're pretty too, so let's pick a perfume for you."
"Hm? Then how about you? You're not going to buy it?"
"I'll buy some later, let's see if there are other interesting ones here."
After a few hours of circling around the mall, there was no perfume shop that caught our eyes. So instead of buying perfumes, we went all out on buying clothes.
Winter was still far, but we were already buying winter clothes and scarves with not a single regret in our hearts. With bags full in our hands, we went out of the shopping mall while grinning like idiots.
"Ahh, the sun is quite hot, isn't it?" Azazel said as she wore a new pair of sunglasses we had just bought, the price tag still hanging on it.
I also mirrored her behavior, wearing a pair of sunglasses I had just bought together with her, "It sure is, care for some refreshment, milady?"
Azazel grinned widely, "You read my mind well. Let's go, my knight! Onward to the ice cream land! We must conquer every taste available to quench our desire!"
"As you wish, milady." I giggled at our sudden roleplay.
With arms locking with each other, we headed to a fast-food restaurant nearby to grab some ice cream.
Looking at the deer mascot on the shop's sign, I entered with Azazel. This ice cream shop was a famous one with lots of variety on its menu.
Ordering over a dozen type of flavor, we soon sat down on the table with different kind of ice cream and beverages while chatting and enjoying our time savoring the food.
"Ah, it's raining."
Even though it was sunny half an hour ago, the sky had now turned dark and water was trickling down. The sound of it ricocheting on the window put me in a daze.
"It's been raining a lot isn't it?"
Azazel followed my gaze, "Yeah, and I don't think this one is going to end soon."
"Do you bring an umbrella?"
"No, do you?"
I shook my head. Looking at the counter, especially the food, I turned my gaze back at her – grinning.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
With the same grin formed on Azazel's face, she replied, "Let's do it."
Not a single word was uttered between us as we stood from our table.
We went for a round two – certainly not because we wanted more ice cream, but because we wanted to wait for the rain to stop.
.
.
I went home with my hands filled with bags and my stomach full, humming in content as I skipped in joy.
Hanging out with friends would always be a joyful experience.
But even that small moment of joy was shattered when I saw the person standing in front of my small studio. He was drenched, like he had been standing in front of my studio waiting for me.
The man I once called my husband and the man I hated to my core.
Frown of disgust soon appeared on my face. Unfortunately, he noticed my presence and called out to me.
"Yolan."
His call seemed like a plea, which made me scoff. Without even answering him, I turned my heels and went back to where I came from.
"Wait! Yolan!"
Keith tried to grab my hand, but I was faster. I pulled Cecily and pointed her at his face. A deep scowl on my face.
"Leave, don't you dare seek sympathy from me."
"Yolan, please give me a chance to explain."
"What else are you going to explain to me? That you almost rape me in my heat even though we're legally divorced and you already have a lover?"
He grabbed my gun and slapped it off his face, "Then what am I supposed to do?! Your pheromone was making me crazy! If you want to talk about responsibility, then you're also responsible for it!"
"Ha!"
A mocking laugh came out of my mouth.
'What a selfish mindset.'
He could have just left when I told him to, but he chose to break my door and force himself on me.
Keith was a thorough and thorough bastard.
"Ten days left until the church unties our vow. You'd better be there, or I'll make sure to drag you out myself."
"Yolan, please, can we not get a divorce and start over?"
My eyes widened at his words, "What…?"
I dropped everything in my hands and grabbed him by the collar.
"You bastard! You'd better not call off this divorce! I'll never forgive you if you do."
"Then that's fine."
"Huh?"
Keith's hand touched my hand, which was grabbing his collar.
"Even if you won't forgive me, I still want you to become my wife again."
I could feel his hand grabbing my head – holding it in place – before his soft lips touched mine.
That was the first kiss we had ever had since our wedding ceremony.
And it disgusted me.
I pushed him away, thinking he wouldn't let me go and would go even further. But to my surprise, he easily let go – a pained look in his eyes.
"You can hit me if you want. As long as you can come back to me, I'm willing to receive any punch or kick you give me."
His words made me widen my eyes in disbelief.
'Why is he so adamant about trying to win me back?'
He had become someone I didn't recognize. Someone completely opposite from the Keith I had battled for 10 years in my previous life. But even if he apologized or groveled at my feet, I could never forget the years of miserable past I had with him.
Keith had become a source of paranoia for me.
A shadow that kept lingering at the back of my mind.
A stain I couldn't wipe clean.
Something I dreaded deeply inside my mind.
That's why I needed to leave him. To completely let go of my lingering affection for him, both the good and bad ones.
"Then…" I stopped, before continuing, "I'll kill myself, so you won't have me as your wife again."
"What?"
I pointed Cecily again, this time not to Keith's head, but to my own. Raising my chin, I declared to him.
"Choose Keith Zylvar, either my life or we proceed with the divorce."
"You-"
Keith trembled in fury, but seeing as how I didn't back down, he sighed. He brushed his hair as he closed his eyes, seemingly thinking deeply about my words.
"Alright, we will proceed with the divorce."
He opened his eyes again, although a huge frown was still plastered on his handsome face, the tone of his voice softened.
"Don't kill yourself. I- I just wanted to repair your trust in me."
He looked up at me, a tint of regret in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I've never realized how much you cared for me."
I scoffed at him. It was too late for apologies and it was too late to rebuild trust.
I didn't know what made him change his mind, but knowing him, maybe one of the factors was something related to the household or maybe his lover. Either way, that was none of my business anymore.
Stashing Cecily back on my waist, I picked up my bags and walked past him.
I could feel his lingering gaze on me, but I shut my mouth and opened the front door of my studio. Then, with a bang, I shut my door. A weak laugh came out of my mouth.
"Goddamn it."