Chapter 5

My actions froze instantly. I turned and stared at him, unwavering.

It felt as if my heart had been gouged out, the continuous stabbing pain numbing me into weary acceptance.

I laughed bitterly in my fury. "Why should I?"

He frowned slightly, as though I were being unreasonable. "Adrienne, can you stop being so selfish? It's just a room."

Alex rushed over, his face stern. "You're so cruel! Dad already said Ms. White isn't well. What if she gets sick in that awful place?"

"And what about me?"

With the last thread of hope, I ignored Alex's fists pummeling my stomach, and locked eyes with Hank.

He only remembered Suzanne's frail health but had conveniently forgotten my severe allergy to mosquitoes.

Once, during a film shoot deep in the mountains, a mosquito bite sent me into anaphylactic shock. I collapsed, my heart stopped, and I nearly died.

The incident even made the headlines.

Back then, Hank had clutched my hand tightly, his eyes full of regret and sorrow. He'd promised me, "Adrienne, I'll never let you go through something like this again."

But now? When had he forgotten even that?

My emotions toward Hank's farewell were not something that arose in an instant. It was the sudden provocative video, Hank's repeated distant and evasive gazes, and more importantly, the fact that he gradually started to forget the details of our relationship.

A flicker of memory seemed to surface in Hank's mind.

He pressed his lips together and avoided my gaze. For a brief moment, his face turned pale.

If I wasn't mistaken, there was even a trace of guilt in his eyes.

Then, Suzanne let out a delicate cough and spoke in her soft, considerate tone. "It's fine, Hank. If Adrienne doesn't want to, I can stay in House No. 6. It's no trouble."

Her words only strengthened Hank's resolve. His eyes hardened as he turned back to me. "Adrienne, stop being childish. Suzanne isn't someone you can compare to."

After the numbness came calm acceptance and then surrender.

I didn't feel the sorrow I had anticipated. My voice was cold, my smile sharper. "No. Why should I hand over the room I earned?"

But I had overlooked one crucial thing.

The right to choose belonged to the children.

Alex reminded me of the rules, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "I pick House No. 1 for Ms. White."

Once again, and for the final time, I looked into Alex's face as he eagerly sought Suzanne's approval. Deep within my gaze, I buried my disappointment and farewell.

Without warning, I spoke clearly and decisively. "Hank, I want a divorce."