At first, I didn’t understand why she treated me with such hot and cold behavior until one day, I overheard her talking to Leon. Leon had said to her, "I'm a man too and I know men well. You can't treat him too nicely. Men are born to be lowly. Give them a little attention and they’ll light up like a star. Got it?"
Then, they both burst into laughter. Leon fell into her arms and she hugged him, saying, "But aren’t you a man, too? Should I not treat you too well either?"
"Get outta here. I’m not the same. If you treat me like that, watch out or I'll give you a beating." Leon wrapped his arm around her neck, their closeness unmistakable. Back then, I thought Karen took it as a joke. But I forgot, she always listened to Leon.
The next day, I sent Karen a message, asking her to meet me at a café so we could talk about divorce and the child.
By the time I had finished my second slice of cake, she finally arrived, fashionably late, with Leon by her side.
My eyes landed on their clasped hands and instead of letting go, Leon held on tighter. He greeted me carelessly, "Sorry we're late, Jordan. You know how women are—always fussing around when they're about to leave."
As he spoke, he casually shoved Karen into the booth’s left side, squeezing in next to her without hesitation. I watched coldly as Karen dutifully poured him water and ordered his favorite food.
Leon glanced at me and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder, teasing, "Karen, what's going on? Aren't you gonna order something for your husband, too?"
She looked up at me, just about to say something, but I cut her off. "No need. I’m full."
Karen froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting my coldness. Then, she took out a small jade pendant from her bag and placed it on the table. "This is for you. I know you like jade."
She looked very pleased with herself, as if expecting me to be grateful. I picked up the pendant, glanced at the matching rings on her and Leon’s hands and everything became clear to me.
The pendant came as a gift with the purchase of the rings. In other words, it was just a freebie.
I said casually, "No thanks. I have plenty of cheap stuff like this."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Karen’s face immediately fell. "Jordan, what do you mean?"