Chapter 2

When I said I wanted a divorce, everyone around the table laughed.

Julian did too. He sat at the head of the table holding his wine glass, looking at me with amusement,

As if waiting to watch a comedy show.

It wasn’t until they finished their previous conversation that they remembered what I had said about the divorce.

Julian's best friend, Marcus, spoke first. "Clara, you should count your blessings."

"Divorce? If it weren't for Julian, who would even know your name?"

Then, the rest of the group started throwing insults at me, one after another, each worse than the last.

"Yeah, Clara. Think about it. You were just a daycare assistant when Julian noticed you. He gave you status, used his connections to get you promoted, and when you weren't happy, he bought a whole preschool just so you could be the director. What, now that you're well-fed, you're going to bite the hand that feeds you and look down on Julian?"

"And everything on you—the gold jewelry, the BMW you drive, the latest iPhone—which of these didn't come from Julian's pocket? Don't be so ungrateful, alright?"

They were right. Julian had indeed given me everything.

But it was a transaction from the very beginning.

When he wanted to please me and get benefits from me, he spared no expense.

I didn't force him to do any of it. Besides, I had suffered endless humiliation in this marriage.

Yet, I had never said a single bad word about him.

In front of others, to maintain his alpha-male image, I always acted like a submissive, quiet wife.

But him? He either degraded me at every turn or let his friends look down on me.

The higher his image soared, the cheaper my status became.

I didn't understand why he had to do this.

In the beginning, his friends respected me, even putting me on a pedestal because of his status.

Why couldn't we be equals? Why did I always have to be a step below him?

The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt. I stood up, wanting to leave.

Anyway, I had said what I needed to say.

Once I packed up, I would see him at the courthouse.

But though I wanted to leave, someone wouldn't let me.

With a single look from Julian, one of his lackeys blocked me at the door.

Julian swirled the wine in his glass, ran his eyes up and down my body, and said,

"Sure, we can get a divorce."

"I haven't cheated, and I haven't abused you."

"Return everything I bought for you, and we’ll sign the papers."

He was convinced I wouldn't dare to go through with it.

So he used every disgusting method to pressure me.

I said, "Even in a standard divorce, your assets are partly mine."

"So, the things you bought that I wear are mine too."

After I said that, Julian let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Ha. Married for a few years, and you didn’t learn anything else, but you sure learned how to bite."

I didn't want to waste my breath on him. I took a step to leave.

But his lackey hadn't received the command to let me go, so he still blocked the exit.

Furious, I raised my hand and slapped the man hard across the face.

The force of the slap was so strong that my own body trembled slightly.

Startled, Julian stood up and finally gestured for the man to back off.

When I got home, Leo thought Julian was back and quickly shut his computer in fear.

But when he realized it was just me, he muttered a curse under his breath and went right back to playing his game.

I didn't nag him like I usually did. Instead, I went straight to the master bedroom.

I started packing my everyday clothes into the suitcase.

I also packed up all the gold jewelry Julian had given me.

I packed until midnight. After making sure Leo was asleep, Julian finally came home.

He was being supported by a couple of his friends.

When I opened the door, Julian's eyes were incredibly bloodshot.

The man who had insulted me at the dinner table earlier said, "Clara, Julian was crying pretty hard just now."

"Don't make jokes about divorce ever again."

I ignored him and didn't offer to take over helping Julian.

I just let them dump him onto the sofa.

Once the man left, Julian seemed to sober up a bit.

He wrapped his arms around my back and murmured,

"Clara, come here and help me undress."

"Tonight, I’m going to make you cry, you disobedient little thing."

"Let's see if you ever dare mention divorce again."

As he spoke, he started unbuttoning my top from behind.

I slammed my elbow into him, pushing him away, and stood up straight.

Seeing how drunk he was, I didn't say much. He wouldn't listen anyway.

I went to sleep in the guest bedroom.

The next morning, I made a simple breakfast.

Once the Italian tutor arrived for Leo,

I grabbed my suitcase and drove back to my mother's house.