Chapter 3

3、

I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek where she'd hit me.

Leo told one little lie, and Sienna didn't hesitate to slap me in public.

It was crystal clear now. She never truly cared for me.

Since I didn't say anything, Sienna assumed she was right.

Right in front of me, she grabbed Leo's hand and gave it a soft, comforting kiss.

I pulled out my phone and snapped several clear photos of them.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded.

My voice was perfectly calm.

"I'm going to have my lawyer send you a new set of divorce papers. If you don't sign, I'll see you in court."

"And just so you know, since you're the one cheating, you won't get a single dime from me."

Sienna stared at me for a long time, then laughed out of pure spite.

"Marcus, stop trying to threaten me with your dirty money."

"I'm telling you now, if we divorce, it'll be because I decided to leave you. You don't get to dump me!"

With that, she dragged Leo into my car.

The driver looked at me, completely lost.

I shook my head. I didn't want to fight over something so trivial. I just got into the front passenger seat.

In the rearview mirror, I could see them. They were holding hands tightly.

I looked away and stared out the window.

I couldn't help but remember three months ago. Sienna had a sudden stomach ache in the middle of the night.

She was so pale from the pain that I panicked. I reached out to rub her stomach to help her feel better.

The moment my hand touched her pajamas, she poured a cup of scalding hot tea all over me.

She apologized later, but that feeling of total rejection had haunted me for weeks.

Maybe that was when I started falling out of love with her.

We arrived at the convention center quickly.

When she saw me get out of the car, Sienna scowled.

"Why are you getting out? You don't belong here!"

Leo chimed in with his fake, sugary tone.

"Professor, don't be so harsh. Maybe Mr. Thorne just wants to listen and learn. Even if he's uneducated, it's good to have a curious mind!"

Sienna scoffed.

"Him? Listening? He'll just embarrass himself."

They were like a comedy duo, not even giving me a chance to speak.

Just then, a colleague walked up to greet Sienna.

"Professor Dalton, good to see you. And this must be your husband?"

Sienna glanced at me coldly, then naturally wrapped her arm around Leo's.

"That's right. This is my husband, Leo Ross. He's also a researcher at my institute."

The group immediately started sucking up to them.

"Professor Dalton and Mr. Ross, what a stunning couple! A match made in heaven!"

"Truly. With both of you working together, I'm sure you'll achieve even more in the medical field."

They walked into the hall arm-in-arm, soaking up the praise.

Watching them, my heart felt heavy and hollow, even though I was done with her.

Five years of marriage. No matter how busy I was, I always came home to cook for her and draw her bath.

I gave her my heart and soul. I did everything to protect our marriage.

Yet, she refused to even acknowledge me to her colleagues.

I had been waiting for the day she would finally accept me.

And instead, I got to watch her introduce another man as her husband to the whole world.

Ten years of devotion had officially become a joke.

Suddenly, a man in a sharp suit hurried toward me. He bowed respectfully.

"Mr. Thorne! I'm Lewis Vance, the head of the seminar and the Director of the Research Institute."

"We've been waiting for you! If you didn't show up, this whole seminar would be pointless."

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