Chapter 19:

Yes, they divorced, but Demi Moore is still yours; you won't allow her to betray you. You wanted to let go, but this resentment is slowly accumulating in your heart, drop by drop, unable to be erased...

You stared at Demi Moore fiercely, your lips curling up.

"I want to buy this set."

After speaking in a cold tone, your Ace-like aura was not angry but rather imposing, as if being followed by a cold wind, making people shudder.

"But..." The salesgirl hesitated and glanced at Demi Moore. This outfit was what she had tried on; although she hadn't said she wanted to buy it, her actions had shown her intentions. But this man was furious, and there was only one set of this model; she didn't know how to handle it.

Tom Hulce took out his credit card and threw it over, not even asking about the price. He wanted to buy this set, and nothing else mattered. This was the gift she intended to buy for that man, right? Well, he would make sure she couldn't believe it.

"Pack this outfit for me," he said coldly, making the salesgirl tremble, and he didn't see Demi Moore's face growing paler. He admitted that he wasn't a good person either, and their current relationship was no longer there. She wasn't his wife anymore, and another woman's appearance in their lives wasn't too much, but he still couldn't accept it. He felt betrayed.

And Mary Wickes was biting her lip, occasionally casting fierce glances at Demi Moore. It turned out that he suddenly stopped the car at this store because of her. Although he was humiliating her, didn't that mean he still cared or noticed? The attention that even he didn't see?

They had divorced and no longer had any relationship, but why couldn't the three words "Demi Moore" leave him? Why hadn't he forgotten her until now? She hated it; she truly hated it. In his eyes, apart from Demi Moore, nothing else existed.

She would never admit this. She didn't understand Tom Hulce's feelings for Demi Moore but knew he didn't love her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have divorced her because of himself.

So, what did his current expression mean? Did he know his gaze toward Demi Moore was no different from a husband catching his beloved wife having an affair?

What was Mary Wickes considered now? The third-party? The one who ruined someone else's family? No, up until now, she didn't want to admit it, but at the moment, they ignored her entirely.

"Tom..." She hurriedly called Tom Hulce, but his gaze remained fixed on Demi Moore without a trace of attention toward her.

"Pack it again." Tom Hulce didn't listen to Mary Wickes calling him; he stared at Demi Moore. His lip curled in disdain.

Demi Moore looked at the outfit he held in his hand, then could only turn away, not because she didn't want it, but because the one who could afford it was a deity. She knew she couldn't compete.

Demi Moore could only helplessly watch the outfit being packed again. She had been paying attention to it for over half a month, and now seeing Tom Hulce holding it made her heartache. She didn't know why it hurt, whether because he was cold or because he took away the gift she intended for Ace.

Her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. She felt an unbearable pain in her.

But she still tried to keep her eyes wide open, afraid that tears would well up if she blinked. She didn't want to cry; she couldn't cry in front of them.

"You can't afford it, huh?" Tom Hulce raised the well-packaged bag of clothes, hesitating as if he could see through her.

He could tell she wanted it, and that passionate look in her eyes, unwilling to let go, annoyed him slightly. He didn't like that feeling, not at all.

It turned out that the innocent and naive little rabbit she had nurtured all this time was not obedient. He had always believed that only he was betraying this marriage, never thinking she was doing the same.

"Do you want it?" he asked again, but with disappointment this time. Demi Moore hadn't uttered a word from beginning to end; instead, she hadn't spoken to him since their divorce. Before, she used to seek him out for conversation every day, regardless of whether it was boring. But now, she didn't want to say a word to him.

The truth was, he didn't know. It wasn't that Demi Moore didn't want to speak; instead, she couldn't talk.

Tom Hulce took out the set of clothes and felt its softness in his hand, but he felt nothing towards it. However, for someone else, it was different.

Demi Moore carefully examined the set of clothes, slightly pursing her lips. She grasped her finger, not sure what he wanted to do.

"Do you like it?" Tom Hulce smiled nonchalantly on his lips, but his eyes never reached his gaze.

Demi Moore looked up, wanting to see the man's face. His face was familiar; why did it now feel somewhat distant and vague? This could be the real Tom Hulce. Cold and indifferent, living together for two years, yet she never truly knew him.

He was currently like a true devil, a complete devil.

Facing him like this, she didn't know why her heart began to calm down. Then, she nodded forcefully. Yes, she liked it.

Tom Hulce wickedly curled up the corner of his mouth, letting go of his fingers, and the newly purchased clothes fell to the floor. He stepped on them forcefully, and the salesgirl quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide open. No, the clothes were so expensive, could he step on them like that?

Demi Moore kept looking from one side to the other, constantly feeling a sense of familiarity with the three of them. This handsome and strange man seemed to be targeting the girl who had remained silent from beginning to end. It could have been more straightforward.

Demi Moore opened her eyes wide, looking at the clothes scattered on the floor, and the other pair of shoes seemed like sharp knives, ruthlessly cutting deep into her heart.

Trampling on them was like trampling on her heart.

Cold as ice, tears began to flow. Why? Why did he treat her like this? But no one could answer.

"I'll give you these clothes. Come and get them yourself." Tom Hulce pulled Mary Wickes's hand to the side and spoke coldly. He wanted to humiliate Demi Moore. It was something that anyone but a fool could see.

He wanted to humiliate her, to crush her self-esteem.

Demi Moore heard him speak and slowly raised her head. She looked at him for a long time, his face still incredibly handsome. It used to be her most beloved face, her sky. But her sky had collapsed since that incident, and she had lost everything.

Therefore, at present, she doesn't need anything.

Mary Wickes stared at Demi Moore, feeling the recent unhappiness fading because she also realized that Tom Hulce wanted to humiliate Demi Moore. Seeing her sad face made her genuinely happy, but the unease in her heart grew stronger daily.

Demi Moore bowed her head again, her gaze falling on the soiled clothes, comparing her self-esteem to Ace. Which one was more important?

She slowly walked past, not looking at Tom Hulce's increasingly cold and icy gaze, Mary Wickes' disdain, or the apparent pity from others. She didn't want to look at anything, nor did she want to hear anything.

Demi Moore slowly sat down and picked up the clothes, carefully dusting them off. She couldn't afford to buy such expensive things for Ace, so if she only needed to sit down and bow her head to reach it, then she would do it. She would let go of her dignity, not for herself, but for someone else.

She tightly held the clothes, looking straight at the man standing before her as if she could hear the pressure of his breath.

"Thank you," she said, loosening her belt. Even though this was just a pretend act, she still wanted to express her gratitude silently.

Opening the door, she walked away without turning back, not daring to look but still feeling Tom Hulce's gaze growing colder and shooting into her body like sharp icicles. It was freezing, and it hurt.

Closing the door, a gentle breeze blew, seemingly drying up the faint traces of moisture. She walked quickly forward, leaving everything behind her, as this place was no longer a world she could enter.

She didn't know what kind of feeling this was, but she felt utterly devoid of hope, and her long-held illusions had vanished entirely, leaving no trace of light.

Was it because of him, or was it still for herself?

She reached out and touched the corner of her eye, feeling dry. It turned out she wasn't crying, and she couldn't call. It seemed that everything had lost its value, her two years, over seven hundred days of love, had indeed passed.

Looking at the clothes in her arms, she stopped and tried to wipe off the remaining dirt on her shoes; luckily, it was just dust, and a little brushing would do. Regardless of the quality of these clothes, she had saved quite a bit of money, so today, she would make a lot of food. Ace would be in high spirits.

Inside the store, Tom Hulce clenched his fists, his gaze sharp as he watched Demi Moore leave. He didn't know if she lacked determination or was suppressing herself, but he couldn't accept that everything she did was for another man.

"Tom, what are you looking at?" Mary Wickes looked at him with a complex expression. Could they be underestimating something? Why did she suddenly feel her life change unpredictably, unable to anticipate anything anymore?

"Let's go," Tom Hulce suddenly released his grip and quickly left the store. Unlike before, when he cared for Mary Wickes, he wanted silence. It turns out that when he meets the other person, his reaction is even more intense than he had imagined. What kind of feeling is this? He doesn't know, and he doesn't want to know.