Chapter 3

“Mom, I—”

“Listen to me! Couples fight all the time. Just swallow your pride and let it go. Victoria Brooks is already married—what harm could she possibly do now? Stop scaring yourself!”

I closed my eyes, pulled the phone away from my ear, and set it on the desk, letting her voice fade into distant static.

Outside, birds were chirping merrily.

I remembered the day I got married. My mother had held my hand, saying, “Ethan is a fine young man. Treat him well and keep your head down.”

Back then, I thought keeping my head down was the secret to a good life.

Now I knew: some lives couldn't be saved, no matter how hard you tried.

I hung up and continued writing the agreement.

When I reached the section for asset division, I paused.

Throughout our three years of marriage, the Vance family had deposited an allowance into my card every month. But I hadn’t touched a single dime of it; it was all sitting in a separate savings account.

Deep down, I had always prepared for this day.

The door clicked open.

Ethan stood in the doorway, freshly showered, wearing a tailored shirt, his hair styled back into his usual polished executive look.

He held a mug of warm water and set it on the desk.

“Drink some water first.”

I didn’t touch it.

He pulled up a chair beside me, glanced at the words on the screen, and fell quiet for a moment.

“Chloe, I’m not signing this.”

I tilted my head, looking at him.

“I know you’re mad, and I handled things poorly. But marriage isn’t a game. We have three years of history. You don’t need to—”

“Three years of history?” I cut him off. “Ethan, how many days in those three years were you actually home? Overtime, business trips, networking... out of 365 days, you were gone for 300. When my dad was in the hospital for two months, how many times did you visit?”

He stayed silent.

“Twice,” I answered for him. “The first time, you stayed for forty minutes before leaving to take a call. The second time, you stayed for fifteen because Victoria invited you to dinner.”

“And I had to beg you on my knees just to get you to show up those two times.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Chloe, I have a demanding career—”

“Right. You were busy.” I gave a cold laugh. “So busy that you raced to the airport the minute Victoria landed. So busy that you helped her move and hunt for apartments. You even knew the name of her rescue dog. But you were too busy to ever remember the anniversary of my father’s death.”

Ethan’s face went pale.

“Who told you all that?”

“Did someone need to tell me?” I turned back to the screen. “You thought your little games were invisible? Ethan, I’m not blind.”

The room fell dead silent.

He stood up, walked over to the window, and turned his back on me.

“I’m not getting a divorce,” his voice hardened. “Take a few days to cool off.”

He walked out and pulled the door shut behind him.

I stared at the closed door, a smirk tugging at my lips.

Cool off? Keeping cool was the one thing I excelled at.

For three years, I had coolly watched him play the dutiful husband, coolly watched him lose his composure around Victoria, and coolly told myself during sleepless nights to just bear it a little longer.

I had endured for so long that I didn't even remember how to cry.