Chapter 2

At first, Chloe swore to me that she was only getting close to Austin to get revenge.

But as time went on, she started coming home later and later. Soon, she stopped coming home at all on some nights. I began to sense that something was deeply wrong.

Then, one day, a notification popped up on my phone—a receipt for a hotel room booking.

I called Chloe immediately. No answer.

I kept calling, over and over.

When she finally picked up, I heard soft, rhythmic breathing in the background.

Chloe quickly gasped out an explanation, saying she was just getting a massage at a spa, and hung up immediately. She was terrified I would hear more.

I was an adult. I knew exactly what they were doing.

But I lied to myself. I forced myself to believe it was just part of her "revenge."

I told myself to wait. I trusted her. I loved her. I tried to understand her.

What I got in return was only cold distance and endless silence.

Our arguments became more frequent.

She started defending him, saying Austin had no choice back then, that he didn't mean to steal the money and run. She said he had severe depression.

And she kept throwing that pathetic excuse in my face: “We are just friends.”

On the other end of the video call, Chloe looked slightly uncomfortable. I delivered my final ultimatum:

"Chloe, if you don't come home tonight, don't ever come back."

With that, I hung up.

I printed out the divorce agreement on our home printer. I flipped through the photos on my phone. There were barely any photos of us together.

She loved taking photos. Back when she was with Austin, she couldn't stop posting couples' photos on Instagram.

She just didn't want to take photos with me.

I waited until 4:30 AM, but Chloe never returned.

My stomach flared with a burning, intolerable pain. The physical exhaustion finally forced me to close my eyes.

When I woke up the next morning, the house was still empty.

Just as I was hesitating to call her, the front door clicked open.

Chloe walked in with a bright smile, holding a grocery bag. "Ethan, look! I bought some fresh shrimp. I'm going to make you a nice seafood soup to help you recover."

She rarely cooked. The few times she did were always when I was furious, and she would reluctantly whip up a dish to pacify me.

Even though I knew her apologies were always empty words, I had always forgiven her.

I kept hoping that one day, she would finally wake up and love me back.

But this time, I was just too tired.

I took the grocery bag from her hands, fighting the nausea in my stomach. I gave her a pale, tired smile. "Chloe, did you forget? I'm severely allergic to shellfish."

Of all the ingredients in the supermarket, she had to choose the one thing that could literally kill me.

How was I supposed to believe she was actually trying to make amends?

"Oh," Chloe laughed awkwardly, scratching her neck. "Well, you just have so many dietary restrictions. No this, no that... I guess I just forgot."

"We've been married for three years, Chloe. Once, I had anaphylactic shock and ended up in the ER because of shrimp. Another time, I broke out in hives for three days. Do you really not remember any of that?"

Chloe’s smile vanished, replaced by an annoyed scowl. "I have a million things to manage at the company, Ethan!

How am I supposed to remember every tiny detail? Do you have to pick a fight over such petty things?"

I didn't want to engage in this meaningless argument anymore.

I chose silence.

Then, my eyes fell on her other hand. She was holding another large bag of groceries, packed to the brim with various ingredients.

But what she said next turned my blood to ice, making my entire body tremble.

She smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling. "Austin is coming over in a bit. I was worried he wouldn't like my cooking, so I wanted to make some of his favorites."

"He's very picky about food. He loves spicy dishes, and he absolutely hates the taste of garlic and ginger..."

Once she started talking about Austin, she couldn't stop. She rambled on and on, her voice filled with excitement.

Every single word was a knife, plunging deep into my chest.

I couldn't take it anymore. I roared, "Enough! Is he your husband, or am I?!"

"Ethan, how can you yell at Chloe like that?"

Suddenly, a tall figure barged into the kitchen. Before I could react, he shoved me hard, sending me crashing against the kitchen island. It was Austin.

I clutched my lower back where I had hit the counter, a sharp pain shooting through my spine. My head spun.

"This is our home! Chloe, what the hell is he doing here?!" I demanded.

Hearing my harsh tone, Chloe snapped too.

"I told you, he is my friend! What's wrong with inviting a friend over to our house? Besides, Austin came here today to apologize to you. Why do you have to be so aggressive?"

"Yeah, Ethan," Austin said, stepping closer to me. He pat my shoulder with mock sympathy. "It's all my fault. I hate that I'm always causing friction between you and Chloe."

"It's just... I'm all alone in this city. Everything is so unfamiliar, and I don't have anyone else to turn to..."

Austin lowered his head, pretending to look incredibly hurt and vulnerable.

Then, he sighed. "Maybe I should just leave. I don't want to ruin your marriage. It's my fault. Chloe is such an amazing person, she shouldn't have to fight with you because of me..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Chloe threw her arms around him.

Right in front of me, she gently patted his back to comfort him.

She glared at me, her eyes filled with resentment. "It's not your fault, Austin."

"Some people are just incredibly insecure and petty. He has to check my location and call me a thousand times a day! He's suffocating!"

Austin smirked at me from over her shoulder. He gently took Chloe's hand. "Chloe, please. I'm sure Ethan only does that because he loves you and is worried about losing you."

I took a step back, leaning against the wall for support.

I forced myself to stand straight, refusing to show any weakness, even though the metallic taste of blood was rising in my throat.

I looked at the two of them clinging to each other. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.

"Chloe, let's get a divorce."

"I've already printed out the divorce agreement. It's on the desk. Just sign it."

Chloe froze. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Divorce? Ethan, are you out of your mind?"

"You're divorcing me over this?"

She asked repeatedly, but I only looked back at her with absolute certainty.

"Yes. A divorce."

"I'm setting you both free."

I turned and walked out of the kitchen, not wanting to look at them for another second. Behind me, Chloe screamed in frustration. "I told you, Austin and I are just friends! Stop making things up!"

"Divorce? Fine! Don't you dare regret this, Ethan Miller!"

Seeing that I wasn't responding, she chased me into the living room, pointing a finger at my face.

"I am so sick of your jealousy! Don't you have any friends of your own?"

"I told you, nothing is going on between Austin and me! You just can't stand to see him happy!"

"He has severe depression and has no one else in this city. I'm just showing him some basic human decency! Why do you have to be so heartless?"