Looking at Melody Zachary’s noticeably thin silhouette, Oliver Shaw furrowed his brow imperceptibly as he walked up to her and said, "Today is your birthday, isn’t it? Let’s go and celebrate it."
The couple stood in front of the apartment building. Oliver Shaw, tall and strong, made Melody Zachary appear even small and fragile. She looked up at the man who had been with her for over thirty years and smiled, saying, "No need, Felix has already celebrated it with me." As soon as she finished speaking, without waiting for Oliver Shaw to say anything else, she continued, "Go home, it’s getting late. Your daughters and their mother will be missing you."
"Come on, since we’re both here, let’s go out and have something to eat together." Oliver Shaw turned around as he spoke. After over thirty years of marriage, Melody Zachary had always been obedient and reliant on him. This sudden politeness and distance made him feel unexpectedly uncomfortable.
He walked a few steps, noticing that Melody wasn’t following, so he stopped and turned around. In front of the building entrance, Melody remained where she was, looking at Oliver Shaw’s figure. Her hands were clenched tightly, but she tried hard to keep a smile on her lips to avoid losing her composure.
Oliver Shaw furrowed his brows slightly and walked back briskly, grabbing Melody’s wrist and heading towards his Cayenne.
"Oliver, let me go. Felix just helped me celebrate, there’s no need to go through all this trouble..." Oliver, being tall, forced Melody to jog along beside him, muttering incessantly with evident panic.
Oliver Shaw said nothing, opened the door to the passenger seat, and shoved Melody inside, then quickly went around to the driver’s seat, opened the door, and sat down.
Watching as Oliver Shaw lowered his head to fasten his seatbelt, Melody murmured, "Really, there’s no need to bother. It’s just a birthday, it’s not like I’m turning eighty. Felix took me out for a meal, that’s enough."
Hearing Melody incessantly say "no need to bother," Oliver Shaw furrowed his brow tightly, fastened his seatbelt, started the engine, and looked straight ahead, saying, "Felix is Felix, I’m me!"
Melody took a deep breath and turned to look ahead, slowly sighing. Although she tried to restrain it, Oliver Shaw distinctly heard her sigh.
Before Melody discovered Vanessa Armstrong and her daughter, he had never considered divorce. Among his friends, many were seemingly happy families but secretly kept women outside behind their wives’ and children’s backs.
His capabilities were not lesser than those of his friends, especially as he aged, he also longed for a family full of children. Many of his friends had second and third children, but only he had just Felix as a son.
With a deep sigh, actually, if Melody hadn’t gone to Vanessa Armstrong and her daughter’s place causing a scene and angering him, he really... hadn’t considered divorce.
In front of a western restaurant, Oliver Shaw parked the car and said softly as he unfastened his seatbelt, "Get out of the car."
Looking at the western restaurant outside the car window, Melody Zachary once again hesitated, "There’s really no need..."
Oliver Shaw’s action of unfastening his seatbelt paused, and he looked at Melody with impatience, "Get out."
"Oh," Melody responded, opened the passenger door, and got out. They had been divorced for less than two months, yet during this short time, she found herself somewhat at a loss on how to interact with him.
Oliver Shaw walked in front, with Melody following behind, maintaining a certain distance between them as they headed towards the restaurant. Throwing the car keys to the valet, Oliver Shaw turned his head, waiting for Melody to walk up beside him before entering together.
Having booked a table in advance, the server led them to their seats. Once seated, Oliver Shaw instructed, "One foie gras, one steak, and an ice cream. Open the bottle of red wine I have stored."