Chapter 7

Elaine reached the office before me.

I got out of the car, seeing him there, squinting, holding a cigarette, pressing his thumb against his temple.

Noticing my gaze, he looked up and put out the cigarette.

"Let's go!"

The divorce process went smoothly.

The moment I got the divorce certificate, I couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"What about your stuff in the house?"

"Toss it."

We turned and walked in opposite directions.

There was still a lot left for me to handle.

I called a familiar organizer to clear out all the male belongings from the house and pack the rest for storage.

Midway through, a young girl came from the study with a 36-inch photo frame.

"Sis, what do we do with this?"

Inside the cracked, web-like glass was an enlarged red registration photo.

Seeing the two heads leaning together, looking happy, I felt a bit dazed.

This was hung at our bedside, replacing a wedding photo.

We never took wedding photos, nor held a ceremony, just quietly registered behind everyone's back.

The reason was his family's disapproval.

If we insisted on being together, it had to be a secret marriage.

I didn't mind, but Elaine felt bad about it for a long time.

At first, he said he'd make it up to me once he was established, making our marriage public.

Later, he said it didn't matter; as long as we were happy, who cared if others knew?

Eventually, he smashed the frame, saying harshly, "I'm so glad I listened to my mom."

"Throw the frame away, shred the photo."

After handling everything, I boarded a plane abroad a week later.