Chapter 1

1 Janelle's startup was on the brink of bankruptcy.

I was ready to go through hell and back to save her company with her.

Then, I found an opened condom wrapper in her coat pocket.

When I confronted her, she sneered with pure impatience.

"I'm doing this for our company! Can you stop causing drama when you don't know anything about business?"

She slammed the front door in my face, rushing out to meet a client.

Not long after, she posted an intimate photo on social media with Clayton Hayes, the CEO of Hayes Enterprises.

I quietly hit the like button.

Then, I dialed a number.

"Cancel all partnerships with Hayes Enterprises immediately."

The moment I liked the post, she deleted it.

Seconds later, Janelle called my phone.

"Caleb, are you overthinking again? I was just talking business with Mr. Hayes."

I was curled up on the couch in the dark living room.

The anniversary dinner on the table had gone completely cold.

"Janelle, do you even know what day it is today?"

Loud music and drunken laughter echoed through the receiver, clearly coming from a private VIP club.

She fell silent.

When she spoke again, her voice was dripping with disappointment.

"Caleb, I'm truly swamped right now. Can you please be a little understanding?"

"Understanding?" I let out a dry laugh. "I understand you wanting to save your company, but I don't understand sacrificing our marriage for a deal."

"Seven years together, Janelle. How could you be so cold-blooded?"

The clinking of glasses on her end grew louder as she scoffed.

"You always do this, Caleb. Can't you just grow up? Everything I do is for our future, so why are you being so selfish?"

A sharp ache shot through my chest.

My entire body went numb, my hands trembling.

Selfish?

She was calling me selfish?

Janelle let out an exasperated sigh.

"You're a grown man, yet you whine about love and romance all day. Isn't it exhausting?"

She hung up before I could reply.

I stared blankly at the screen.

In that deleted photo, she had been leaning against Clayton Hayes's chest, smiling as she kissed his cheek.

Around one in the morning, Janelle stumbled through the front door, reeking of alcohol.

Seeing me on the couch, she walked over and grabbed my hand, pouting like a spoiled child.

"Babe, why aren't you sleeping in bed?"

The stench of cheap liquor and men's cologne filled the room, making me frown.

"How much did you drink tonight?"

She threw herself into my arms, nuzzling my chest.

"So much... My head hurts so badly, babe..."

My heart softened for a split second, and I sighed, moving to get her a glass of water.

She grabbed my wrist, pulling me back down.

"I don't want water. I want that sweet lotus seed porridge you always make for me."

When I didn't move, she leaned in to kiss me with a sickeningly sweet smile.

I turned my face away and pushed her off gently. "Wait here."

In the kitchen, the untouched dinner sat cold on the counter.

Without hesitation, I dumped every single dish straight into the trash can.

Janelle loved that porridge, so I always kept dry lotus seeds in the pantry.

Unsoaked seeds were notoriously hard to peel and de-core by hand.

After prying open just a few, my fingertips turned red and swollen with throbbing pain.

I boiled the seeds, simmered the sweet grain, and stirred in sugar.

After half an hour of labor, I carried the steaming bowl to her.

She didn't even look at it, rubbing her eyes lazily.

"I'm too sleepy now."

The bowl slowly grew cold in my hands.

Just like my heart.

The throbbing ache in my swollen fingers felt sharper than ever.