Chapter 1

On the night of our fifth wedding anniversary, Gavin Cole and I went camping on Pinecrest Peak.

Halfway through the evening, he took a phone call and abandoned me on the mountain summit.

That night, a once-in-a-century rainstorm struck the area, triggering a massive mudslide.

I huddled inside the fragile tent, desperately calling and texting Gavin over and over.

The call finally went through at dawn, but it was not Gavin who answered. It was his childhood sweetheart, Roxanne Miller.

"Gavin had too much to drink last night and is still asleep," she purred. "If you have something to say, you can just tell me."

I stared at the massive boulder that had rolled down and stopped less than ten feet from my tent, my voice completely hollow.

"It is nothing important. Just letting him know we are getting a divorce."

......

1

The floodwaters receded, leaving behind a scarred landscape and roads completely blocked by thick mud.

The evening before, I had been wearing an elegant dress with flawless makeup. Now, I looked like a ghost crawling out of the depths of hell.

To survive, I had no choice but to trudge down the muddy mountain trail on foot.

My phone rang. It was Gavin.

"Alina, you did not come home all night. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull?"

His cold, demanding voice pierced through the receiver.

When I did not answer immediately, his tone grew sharp with impatience.

"Are you deaf? Did you hear what I said?"

"I am at Pinecrest Peak," I replied quietly.

There was a brief pause on the other end, as if he suddenly remembered something.

"Send me your live location. I will come pick you up."

His voice returned to its usual distant, icy tone.

I had not wanted to tell him.

However, the path down the mountain was treacherous.

Tree branches had scratched my arms and legs, and my ankle was badly swollen.

In my condition, I was not sure I could make it all the way down alone.

Four hours after sending my location, I finally dragged my battered body to the base of the mountain.

The man who had promised to come immediately was nowhere to be seen.

I looked at the last text in our chat, which read, "Be right there." I shook my head bitterly.

None of it mattered to me anymore.

In the end, a kind driver passing by gave me a ride to a nearby hotel.

After showering, I collapsed onto the bed and instinctively checked my phone.

The newest post on social media was from Roxanne.

"Even on the roughest roads, there will always be someone willing to drive you home."

Attached was a photo of Gavin gripping the steering wheel with one hand.

Five years of marriage and seven years of history vanished into thin air at that very moment.

Staring at the screen, I blocked both of their numbers without a hint of emotion.

I do not know if it was psychological, but cutting them off brought an overwhelming sense of relief.

I had always suffered from insomnia whenever sleeping away from home, yet I slept more peacefully that night than I ever had before.

Early the next morning, I returned to the house from the hotel.

A serious matter like divorce deserved to be discussed face-to-face.

When I unlocked the door, the apartment was completely empty.

I let out a soft laugh. I should have expected this scene.

I spent the entire morning packing up my belongings.

Just as I was about to make a simple lunch, Gavin unexpectedly walked through the front door.

Normally, seeing him home in the middle of the day was an impossibility.

"Where have you been the past two days?"

"You skipped work this morning too. Alina, do you have any sense of discipline left?"

"It will not happen again," I answered flatly, meeting his cold gaze without any emotion.

Gavin seemed caught off guard by my quiet response.

He froze in place as he watched me turn around and walk into the bedroom.

In the past, I would have stormed into his office and caused a massive scene.

I would have screamed at him, demanding to know why he had left me stranded.

That kind of emotional outburst was what he hated the most.

When my lunch delivery arrived, Gavin looked at the takeout bag with utter disgust and tossed the entire thing into the trash can.

"I have time tonight," he said in a patronizing tone. "I will take you to see a movie."

He sounded like he was granting me a royal favor. Remembering that I needed to discuss the divorce, I agreed.