Sean gently slammed his empty glass down on the bar. Not hard, but enough to make the bartender look over nervously.

"Refill it."

The man promptly poured him some whiskey without saying much.

Sean leaned back, roughly massaging his temples. His head felt hot. Not because of the alcohol, but because images of Clara and Leo kept flashing through his mind.

He still remembered clearly how Clara had accepted that bag of food earlier.

Simple.

But warm.

And Sean hated the fact that he was jealous over something so small.

His phone vibrated again on the table.

This time it wasn’t the news.

But a message from his subordinate.

> "Sir, Moana’s old posts are still circulating on several gossip accounts. We’re taking care of it."

Sean stared at the screen for a few seconds before typing a brief reply.

> "Delete everything."

A few seconds later, another reply came in.

> "Yes, sir."

Sean tossed his phone onto the table and rubbed his face again. He was truly sick of hearing Moana’s name pop up everywhere.

Back then...

That woman was the center of his world.

Sean let out a small, ironic laugh.

"I really am a jerk," he muttered softly.

On the other side of the bar, two young women had been watching him for a while. One of them even dared to approach him with a sweet smile.

"You’re Sean Weasley, right?" she asked softly.

Sean lifted his gaze lazily.

The woman smiled even wider. "I see you on the news all the time."

"Of course," Sean replied flatly.

The woman sat down uninvited. "You look stressed. Want some company?"

Sean stared at her for a few seconds.

Beautiful.

Sexy.

And usually, a woman like this would be enough to distract him all night.

But now?

Sean just felt tired.

"Go away," he said curtly.

The woman’s smile froze. "What?"

"I don’t feel like playing games."

The woman looked offended and hurriedly left.

The bartender even gave him a puzzled look.

Because a guy like Sean was usually never alone in a place like this.

But Sean didn’t even care.

His thoughts drifted back to Clara.

And unfortunately, the more he thought of Clara, the greater the sense of guilt that welled up in his chest.

Once, Clara had come to his office during a heavy rain just to bring him dinner.

Back then, Clara had stayed up all night with him when he was sick.

Back then, Clara had begged him, crying, to end his relationship with Moana.

And Sean?

He chose Moana instead.

The man laughed hollowly, lowering his head.

"Karma sure is funny."

His phone vibrated again.

This time, the call was from Freddy’s family home.

Sean immediately frowned.

He almost ignored it.

But for some reason, he answered anyway.

"What now?" he asked coldly.

On the other end, Moana’s voice came through.

Not angry.

Not crying.

Just too calm.

"Are you drinking?"

Sean fell silent for a moment. "Are you watching me now?"

Moana chuckled softly. "I don’t need to watch you. I know you too well."

Sean leaned back again.

"What do you want?"

"I’m just curious," Moana replied casually. "Did Clara accept your apology earlier?"

Sean’s gaze turned cold.

"Are you starting to pry into Clara’s business?"

"I’m just guessing," Moana replied lightly. "Because a guy like you would definitely go back to a good woman after realizing a bad woman ruined his life."

Sean’s jaw tightened.

"Don’t drag Clara into your game."

"Game?" Moana laughed again. "Sean, you’re the one who started all this."

Sean downed his whiskey in one gulp.

"If you just want to talk nonsense, I’m hanging up."

"Wait," Moana said quickly.

There was silence for a few seconds.

Then the woman spoke softly.

"I know you hate me now."

Sean didn’t answer.

"But don’t lie to yourself," Moana continued softly. "Back then, you were willing to destroy Clara for me."

Those words struck Sean right in the head.

Because that was the fact he most wanted to forget.

"I was stupid back then," he said coldly.

Moana chuckled softly.

"No, Sean," she whispered softly. "You’re not stupid."

"Then?"

"You’re just facing the consequences of your own choices."

Click.

The call ended abruptly.

Sean stared at his phone screen for a few seconds with a dark expression.

For the first time...

He began to feel that Moana had truly changed.

And that change made him uncomfortable.

★

★★★

Ever since that night at the apartment, Sean began to lose control of himself.

At first, it was just a coincidence.

He saw Clara’s car leaving the apartment complex as he was on his way to the office. Then, without realizing it, Sean asked his driver to follow her from a distance.

Just a few minutes, he thought at the time.

But it didn’t stop there.

The next day, Sean did it again.

And the day after that.

Now the man knew Clara’s schedule without needing to ask anyone. He knew Clara often bought coffee at a small café near her office every nine o’clock in the morning. He knew Clara sometimes went for a walk alone in the afternoon just to get some fresh air. He knew Clara smiled more often now than when she was still his wife.

And all of that only made Sean even more frustrated.

Because Clara’s happiness no longer involved him.

---

That morning, Sean’s black car pulled up across the street from a small bookstore.

Through the car window, Sean saw Clara standing inside, reading a few pages of a novel. She was dressed simply, her hair loosely cascading down her back.

Beautiful.

And she looked at peace.

Sean’s gaze slowly grew complicated.

Back then, Clara always asked him to accompany her to places like that. But he was always too busy.

"I’m tired of reading books like this," he used to say.

Yet now...

Sean was willing to sit in the car for hours just to see Clara for a few minutes.

"Sir," his driver’s voice sounded cautious. "We’re going to be late for the meeting."

Sean didn’t look away.

"Postpone it."

"But the meeting with the investors—"

"I said postpone it."

The driver fell silent immediately.

---

Shortly after, Sean saw someone enter the bookstore.

Leo.

Sean’s expression instantly turned cold.

The man walked casually toward Clara, then stood beside her, saying something that made Clara chuckle.

Sean immediately gripped his phone tighter.

It hurt.

For some reason, seeing Clara smile at another man felt far more painful than Moana’s betrayal.

Because back then...

That kind of smile belonged to him.

---

Inside the bookstore, Clara was completely unaware that she was being watched.

Leo took a book from the shelf and showed it to her.

"You like this author, right?"

Clara nodded slightly. "I read his novel back in college."

Leo gave a faint smile. "So your taste has always been a bit heavy."

Clara laughed softly. "And you still like to tease."

The simple scene looked warm.

Too warm for Sean.

The man immediately opened the car door roughly and got out.

His driver was startled. "Sir?"

But Sean didn’t answer.

He walked straight toward the bookstore with a tight jaw.

---

Clara only noticed Sean’s presence when he stopped right in front of them.

Her smile faded instantly.

"Sean?"

Leo slowly raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You showed up fast."

Sean’s gaze turned sharp.

"Are you following Clara everywhere now?"

Leo, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed. "Funny question coming from a guy who’s been standing in front of the bookstore after peeking out from inside his car for nearly twenty minutes."

The atmosphere suddenly felt awkward.

A few customers began glancing their way.

Clara let out a weary sigh. "Sean, what exactly are you doing?"

Sean stared at Clara for a few seconds before finally saying softly, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

That sentence left Clara silent for a moment.

But before she could speak, Leo snorted lightly.

"Stalking your ex-wife isn’t a normal way to make sure someone’s okay."

Sean’s face immediately turned cold.

"I’m not talking to you."

"But I’m talking to you," Leo replied casually. "And honestly, this is starting to sound creepy."

Sean took a step closer.

"I’m still her husband."

"Ex-husband," Clara corrected quickly.

Those two words hit Sean hard enough that he fell silent immediately.

Clara looked him straight in the eye.

"Sean," she said softly, "do you realize that what you’re doing right now isn’t healthy?"

Sean slowly clenched his fists.

Because, unfortunately...

He realized it.

He realized he was starting to become obsessed.

But every time he tried to distance himself from Clara, it only felt more suffocating.

And Sean began to fear.

He feared Clara would truly belong to someone else.

Sean felt like he was going crazy every time he thought about Clara having a new boyfriend or new husband. He felt so dizzy that his head felt like it was going to explode every time he imagined Clara being kissed by another man, let alone sharing a bed with him.

Sean was going out of his mind.

"Claraaaaaa! I’m going crazy! Damn it!" The man punched the wall in front of him.