Chapter 2

That night, I was negotiating with a client and ended up with an acute gastric perforation.

The doctor said I needed a family member to take care of me.

In this city, Mia was my only family. It was because of her that I came to this city in the first place.

I had no choice but to call her.

"Mia, can you come to the hospital to take care of me?"

Before I could finish, she coldly interrupted me.

"It's just a photo, and now you're pretending to be sick to trick me? I'm out right now!"

Before she finished speaking, I heard a man's voice, and then the call was abruptly ended.

Looking at the five-second call on my phone, I laughed bitterly, my heart turning cold.

I recognized the voice - it was her ideal lover, Chris.

I was her husband, drinking myself to the point of gastric perforation just to help her more.

Yet she would rather accompany her true love than come to the hospital for me.

No wonder in five years of marriage, she wouldn't let me touch even a finger. She was saving herself for her ideal man.

Maybe if I really had an accident, she would be happy. After all, without me as an obstacle, she could openly be with her true love.

That night, I spent the most painful night of my life in the operating room.

I thought I would be very angry, that my heart would ache. But surprisingly, I felt nothing, not a single emotional fluctuation.

I knew this was a sign of falling out of love. Mia could no longer affect my emotions in any way.

The doctor saw that I didn't make a sound during the surgery and couldn't help but admire me.

It wasn't that I couldn't feel the pain, it was just that in my state of despair, this little pain was negligible.

The day after the surgery, ignoring the doctor's advice, I forcibly checked out of the hospital. I printed out a divorce agreement downstairs.

Lying on the couch, I quietly waited for Mia to come home.

2

It wasn't until midnight that Mia returned home, drunk and smiling.

In five years, I had rarely seen her smile so happily.

She could smile and speak softly to others, but to me, she was always cold-faced, speaking in a commanding tone.

Seeing me lying on the couch, Mia waved her hand and coldly ordered:

"Jack, go get me some water to wash my feet."

Seeing that I didn't move, Mia's expression turned colder.

"Jack, are you deaf? I'll say it again, go get me some water to wash my feet."

I had just had surgery on my stomach and couldn't move easily. I shook my head.

"Go get it yourself."

As soon as I spoke, Mia's eyes turned ice-cold.

"You think you've grown wings now, daring to disobey me?"

Mia sat down opposite me with a mocking expression, reeking of alcohol, her eyes full of disdain.

I laughed coldly inside. It seems she had quite a few drinks today, and she was in a good mood.

No wonder, two old lovers reuniting.

If she had said she wasn't coming home tonight, I wouldn't have been surprised.

After loving each other for so many years, having dinner, drinking, and maybe rolling in bed to reminisce - not too much to ask, right?

I took a deep breath and looked at her calmly.

"Mia, let's get a divorce."

Mia's expression changed as she looked at me.

It wasn't pleading or reluctance, but shock.

"You dare to divorce me?"

Her tone was high and mighty, as if speaking to her servant or slave.

She couldn't believe I had the guts. For five years, I had been like a dog, accepting everything she did.

When we got married, she refused to serve tea to my parents as a sign of respect.

She said she had already served tea to her ideal lover's parents before, and that she would only do it once in her life.

She could only have one set of in-laws in this lifetime.

The wedding venue fell silent instantly.

It was me who jokingly took the microphone and went along with her wishes.

Under my parents' grim expressions, I served that cup of tea on her behalf.

Thinking about it now, I was such an idiot!

I handed her the divorce agreement, my expression flat.

"Sign it. I'm making way for Chris. From now on, the man of this house will be the one you've been dreaming of day and night. You won't have to face this substitute anymore."

Mia's face changed, looking a bit flustered.

"How did you know? Did you follow me?"

"If you had spoken a little quieter on the phone a few days ago, I wouldn't have heard. And didn't you go to see him today?"

I laughed coldly.

Did I need to follow her?

A few days ago, they were video calling in the living room, laughing and chatting, completely disregarding my presence.

They even openly planned their travel itinerary.

It's really ironic when I think about it. She never went out to eat with me, not even to watch a movie.

But for her ideal lover, she could drop all her work just to accompany him properly.

Mia fell silent at my questions, her eyes dodging mine.

But she quickly regained her composure.

"Jack, don't be delusional. When I married you, you had nothing. Now that you've achieved a little success, you want to fly solo? Not a chance. I'll make sure you leave with nothing, you ungrateful bastard!"

I looked at her calmly, my eyes full of disappointment.

The year we graduated, because I had a falling out with my parents, I was penniless.

Her parents demanded a $50,000 bride price, plus a house and a car.

I borrowed from everywhere, but still fell short.

Because of this, her parents always looked down on me, thinking I wasn't good enough for Mia.

Mia negotiated with her parents to pay them in installments.

I agreed readily, vowing at the time to love her, cherish her, and spoil her for a lifetime.

I never expected that after five years of marriage, I still couldn't warm her heart.