A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

Matilda locked eyes with Yvan for a long moment before he let out a knowing, cold chuckle. “What’s the matter, scared I’ll gobble you up?”

Matilda’s fist clenched suddenly, but she sat down all the same. She couldn’t escape this, so why not face it head–on?

The bar lights cast a soft glow just then, and in the dimness, she saw in Yvan’s face those eyes that had haunted countless memories–cold, dismissive, carrying a chill that set her heart on

edge.

Taking her seat, Matilda flashed a wry smile at Yvan and Bennett. “I can’t stay long, though. There are people waiting for me at another booth.”

Bennett, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, probed, “Oh? Guys or girls?”

Matilda didn’t specify, simply settling down to play games with Bennett while Yvan’s gaze lingered on her, probing. Probing for whatever thoughts she was hiding.

Matilda laughed derisively to herself, thinking, “Yvan, back when I used to hover around you, you wouldn’t spare me a glance. And now, you’re suddenly all interested? What is this, playing games?”

Her laugh was laced with sarcasm, but Bennett seemed entranced by the beauty before his eyes. Unconsciously, he reached out and caressed Matilda’s cheek.

Taken aback by the forward gesture, Matilda looked up at Bennett, then chuckled lightly. “Mr. Fuller, interested in your buddy’s ex–wife?”

Bennett’s gaze darkened, his voice husky as he said, “You should be glad you’re Yvan’s ex… Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting so safely beside me right now.”

Matilda’s heart skipped a beat; then she laughed it off. “I’m flattered by your attention, Mr. Fuller, but I’m just a humble woman now, hardly worthy of your notice…”

Bennett was taken aback, murmuring softly, “But back then…”

“Yeah,” Matilda seemed lost in memory, her eyes glistening, “I used to be someone quite special…”

Her voice trailed off, stirring up a storm of recollection as she winked at Bennett. “All the glitz and glamour of the world–they’re just passing clouds. I once had so much, and yet, in the end, what do I have left? They say time proves everything, but time also spares no one.”

Bennett was staring intently at Matilda, his look one of deep longing that even Yvan found irritating. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Didn’t Bennett know that Matilda was his ex–wife? Why was he looking at her with such heated interest?

Yvan scoffed to himself, underestimating Matilda’s talent for drawing men in.

He signaled the waiter to fill Matilda’s glass to the brim, and with a casual lift of his hand, he toasted her.

That simple gesture plunged Matilda into the depths of her past.

It was in a bar just as wild and chaotic as she was in right now. She sat there, uninterested in the revelry, exuding an aloof elegance that kept men at bay. All except for Yvan, who, from across the room, had raised his eyebrows and toasted her with a smile,

Like a line from a song, at that moment, under the flickering bar lights, their glances collided, and Matilda knew that she was not like the others there–only he stood out as extraordinary.

Snapping back to the present, a tide of emotion caught her off guard, her eyes welling up as if the past was replaying itself.

Yvan, across the booth and past the others, toasted her with that same smile, and at that moment, her heart skipped a beat.

She held back a tremble and raised her glass in return, then took a sip. The bite of the alcohol steadied her, and she regained a measure of control.