Chapter 3

3

When I woke up the next morning, Summer had already left the house.

She treated my mention of divorce like a childish joke, paying it no real mind.

She had only left a brief handwritten note on the kitchen counter.

“There is an urgent meeting at the studio. I will explain everything tonight. Do not mention divorce ever again. I hate being threatened.”

Her neat handwriting carried an unmistakable arrogance.

Summer had always refused to be controlled by anyone, though there had been one exception.

Back in college, Summer was the radiant campus beauty chased by dozens of admirers.

I was just the most unremarkable boy among those who silently admired her from afar.

Back then, Caleb was openly flirting with other girls.

He had even kissed another woman during a party at a local lounge, which Summer witnessed with her own eyes.

A massive fight erupted between them that night.

Afterward, Caleb shrugged it off carelessly, claiming it was just a forfeit from a game of Truth or Dare.

“If you can’t handle it, then let’s break up,” Caleb had sneered.

The proud, unyielding Summer actually dropped to her knees on the pavement, begging him not to leave.

She compromised again and again, only for Caleb to dump her abruptly and vanish overseas without a single word.

It took me two full years of patient devotion to pull Summer out of that dark abyss.

I spent every day carefully mending her shattered heart.

I used to believe that time was the ultimate cure for any heartbreak.

I foolishly thought that if given enough time, Summer would eventually move on.

That illusion lasted until the sixth year of our marriage, when I stumbled upon her secret private social media account.

Thousands of posts spanned across years, every single one filled with her endless longing for Caleb.

Even on the day of our wedding, Summer had uploaded a photo of her bridal gown with a hidden caption.

“The man standing beside me today should have been you. If there is an afterlife, will you let me be your bride instead?”

Even after six years of marriage, she had never truly let go of the man who trampled on her pride.

Back then, I didn't dare confront her, terrified that she would tear down our life completely.

I was terrified of being left behind with nothing.

A sudden ping from my phone pulled me back to the harsh present.

It was a notification showing a new post from Summer’s official public account.

Along with several sketches of her new jewelry line, the final photo was a mirror selfie in front of a boutique window.

In the glass reflection behind her, Caleb’s figure was unmistakably clear.

He wore a matching designer jacket from the same collection, the blue diamond ring gleaming proudly on his hand.

After years apart, the broken flame between them had clearly reignited.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, instinctively wanting to message her and confront her shameless behavior.

Yet once a wave of calm washed over me, I realized something surprising.

I simply did not care anymore.

I tapped the screen, left a casual like, and posted a brief comment beneath the photo.

“You two look like a perfect match.”

Less than two minutes later, my phone rang with Summer’s name on the caller ID.

I answered calmly, only to be met with a furious storm of words.

“Delete that comment right now! People are going to misunderstand!”

“Caleb and I are wearing sample pieces from his new apparel line just for promotional exposure. Can you stop letting your wild imagination run wild?”

Before I could reply, Caleb’s playful voice echoed through the speaker.

“Summer, back when we were dating in college, we never got around to wearing couple outfits, did we?”

“Don't you think this jacket makes us look meant for each other?”

Realizing that Summer was on a call, Caleb stopped abruptly.

“Is that your husband?” he asked casually.

“Yeah,” Summer muttered, her voice thick with awkwardness.