Chapter 2

2

When I was discharged from the hospital, Garrett was in the living room, stroking Buster gently while whispering sweet words.

"Daddy's sorry. I'll never let anyone else take you out again. It's too dangerous out there. What if someone stole you before your mommy found you?"

The "mommy" he referred to was obviously not me.

Ever since I married Garrett, whenever he talked to Buster, he always referred to me as "Aunt Talia."

It was all because Bianca had begged him with tearful eyes when they broke up.

"Garrett, no matter who you marry in the future, please don't let Buster call that woman Mom. I am his only mom. Please, I'm begging you."

I had never realized Garrett was such a man of his word.

Meanwhile, every single promise he had made to me after our wedding had been broken without a second thought.

I was pale and weak, but Garrett didn't offer a single word of concern. He only glared at me with pure disgust.

"You can't even handle a simple task. Before we got married, you worked so hard to please my mother and charm my family. Now you can't even look after a dog?"

Garrett brought up my past efforts so casually, tearing away whatever dignity I had left.

I admitted that I had put in a lot of effort to marry him back then, and coming from a prominent family, his parents favored me naturally.

Bianca came from a shady background, and her mother had worked on the streets. Garrett marrying her would have only disgraced the Cole family name.

Yet, all I did was interact normally with his parents, but in Garrett's eyes, I was a manipulative woman who schemed her way into his life.

I should have seen through him long ago. Sadly, it took me six whole years to realize that when things start wrong, no amount of devotion will ever make them right.

Garrett berated me until I seemed worthless. The news of losing our baby lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it down.

Earlier, I hadn't had the chance to tell him. Now that I wanted a divorce, there was simply no point.

"Talia, are you seriously divorcing me over a dog?"

Garrett repeated his words, snapping me back to reality. I remained unusually calm.

"Yes. It is because of that dog."

"You are utterly ridiculous!"

Just as Garrett finished his sentence, someone knocked on the door. He glared at me through gritted teeth before stomping over to open it.

Standing outside was none other than Bianca. Buster caught her scent, wagged his tail frantically, and leaped into her arms.

Garrett's cold eyes softened immediately.

"Bianca? What are you doing here?"

Bianca wore a gentle, practiced smile with minimal makeup and a pristine white dress, looking every bit like the innocent girl of his dreams.

"Garrett, I just wanted to check on Buster. If I hadn't happened to pass by, he might have been lost forever. I raised him since he was a puppy, so how could I not worry?"

As she spoke, she shot a subtle, mocking glance at me, filled with blame and provocation.

Garrett seemed to have already forgotten our argument. Her words instantly fueled his anger toward me.

I was sick of watching their little drama. I packed only my essential belongings, walked to the door, and looked at Garrett coldly.

"I'll send the divorce agreement to you again. Sign it when it's convenient so we can end this cleanly."

As I closed the door, I heard Bianca's fake, startled voice from inside.

"Did I come at a bad time? Did I cause a misunderstanding? Should I go out and explain things to her?"

Garrett scoffed with contempt.

"She just wants attention. She almost lost Buster and hasn't even apologized, yet she has the nerve to play the victim. Ignore her. She'll come crawling back in two days!"

His arrogant confidence made me laugh inwardly.

Even without seeing Bianca's face, I knew she was smirking with triumph.

I walked away without looking back.

In the past, whenever I stormed out, I always went back on my own because everyone in Manhattan knew how much I loved Garrett Cole.

But now, that love was gone. More accurately, I was exhausted.

A dog that belonged to someone else would never be loyal.

A man was no different.

In Garrett's mind, my existence was the only obstacle keeping him and Bianca apart. I wanted to see if they would truly live happily ever after without me in the way.