Chapter 1

Sydney rejected my touch with a look of pure disgust for the 108th time. It was the 99th time she asked for a divorce.

"You are already forty, and you lost your touch a long time ago. Without me, you are absolutely nothing."

"I have always been like this. If you can't stand it, then let's just get a divorce."

I sat alone in the hospital room. I was holding photos of Sydney vacationing in Cabo with her childhood sweetheart, while my mother-in-law lay lifeless in front of me.

This time, I didn't feel any lingering affection or desire to beg her to stay. I simply agreed.

Faced with my absolute resolve, she actually regretted it.

……

1

I silently took care of my mother-in-law's funeral arrangements. Then, I unlocked my phone and lit a cigarette.

In less than half a day, my wife's childhood sweetheart, Declan, had posted countless photos showing off their affection.

They were playing around in bikinis by the ocean and building sandcastles on the beach. They were completely soaking up the heat and freedom of their romance.

Even my wife Sydney, who always cared so much about her pristine public image, posted an update for the first time. It was basically an official announcement of their relationship.

In an instant, my coworkers blew up my phone with calls.

At the end of the day, Sydney would rather do remote work in Cabo for her childhood sweetheart than come back to see me and her dying mother.

Even to outsiders, this whole situation was completely absurd.

No matter what I said, it couldn't compare to a single word from Declan.

I just replied with the word "Okay" to her text. I silently crushed my cigarette and turned to walk into the pouring rain.

A few hours later, Sydney called me. Her tone was filled with impatience.

"Are you ever going to stop? You pull this same stunt every time. You are forty years old, can you stop acting like a child?"

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. In the past, whenever Sydney brought up divorce, I was always the first to back down.

She knew very well that I loved her. I was also deeply grateful to my mother-in-law and never wanted to break her heart.

But this time, I wasn't going to bow my head anymore.

I chose to let go.

I let out a heavy breath and said in a dull voice.

"Mom is gone. There's no reason for us to keep doing this."

Sydney's aggressive tone gradually softened.

"I'll come back to be with you right now. I had no idea... I'm so sorry for your loss."

I froze for a second, watching the call end, too tired to explain.

She probably misunderstood and thought I meant my own mother had died instead of hers. But none of that mattered to me anymore.

Even hearing some guy whining affectionately and calling her "sugar" in the background didn't cause a single ripple in my heart.

I felt exhausted. I went home, took some Tylenol, and slept like a log for three days.

When I finally woke up in a daze, Sydney was still nowhere to be seen.

I casually scrolled through my phone. Sure enough, I saw Declan showing off a new watch on his social media.

"I accidentally sprained my ankle, but she made me a sweet vanilla latte. Meeting her is the greatest luck of my life."

I grinned bitterly. It suddenly reminded me of that day I ran errands for Sydney in the blazing heat until I almost got heatstroke.

I had come home and asked her to make me a fresh pitcher of iced tea.

She looked at me with pure disgust.

"You are a grown man in his forties and you can't even take care of yourself? What is the point of having you around?"

"I am a career woman building an empire. I am not your maid who stays home to cater to you."

It was laughable that I still remembered this. I knew clearly that it wasn't that she couldn't make it, but that she refused to do it for me.

I faintly remembered that Declan was a struggling student I had sponsored financially.

After he graduated, I personally arranged for his internship and development at our company.

To help the kid out, I even placed him right beside my wife to work as her personal assistant.

It went from her initial wariness to him constantly being on the tip of her tongue.

I never noticed that my wife was quietly growing distant from me, yet showing infinite patience for Declan.

Until now, Sydney and I had completely gone our separate ways. We were practically strangers.

I was exhausted and decided to end this for good. So, I texted Sydney to meet me straight at the courthouse when she got back.

Sydney replied very quickly.

"I actually got delayed by some official business. Can you please stop being so unreasonable?"

"Just wait for me to get back, and I will make it up to you properly."

Make it up to me?

I only wanted to laugh. Since she refused to go to the courthouse, I simply contacted a lawyer to discuss the divorce proceedings.

After seeing the lawyer out, I looked around our empty house and finally exhaled.

Back then, I supported and trusted Sydney without reservation. I ran around pulling investments and negotiating contracts for her dreams until my stomach bled from all the drinking.

No matter when she needed me, I would always show up at the very first second.

Our home had upgraded from a tiny rented apartment to this massive luxury house. But somehow, the warmth we had in that cramped apartment was completely gone.

It was just like our hearts. After the passion faded, they had cooled down into two cold, hard rocks.