Chapter 1

On Faculty Appreciation Day, my wife, Hannah, was officially promoted to Distinguished Full Professor.

We had only done a quick courthouse wedding when we got married, but tonight, she went out of her way to host an elaborate dinner party at home.

During the meal, she pulled out a bouquet of lilies given to her by her male student and prepared to place them into a glass vase.

Without warning, I slapped the flowers out of her hands, shattered the vase onto the hardwood floor, and faced the stunned room.

"Let's get a divorce," I said coldly.

Hannah stood frozen for a long moment before her face twisted in rage.

"Zack, what the hell is wrong with you? It's just a bouquet from my student. Are you seriously throwing a tantrum over this?"

My mother-in-law chimed in immediately. "Hannah just earned her endowed chair, and it's Faculty Appreciation Day! What's wrong with a student showing gratitude? Are you really that insecure and jealous?"

I glanced at the white petals scattered across the floor and spoke with absolute clarity.

"Yes. I am divorcing her because of this bouquet."

1.

The dining room turned dead silent.

My father-in-law scowled, my mother-in-law froze with her fork mid-air, and my parents stared at me in sheer disbelief.

My mother recovered first, quickly grabbing my arm. "Zack, stop this nonsense. Today is Hannah's big night."

Hannah's expression shifted from shock to blazing fury.

The venom in her eyes looked ready to burn me to ashes. "Say that again?"

I repeated myself, my voice quiet yet echoing across the entire room. "I said, I want a divorce."

My mother-in-law slammed her fork onto the porcelain plate, pointing a finger right at my nose.

"Zack, have you lost your damn mind? Do you have any idea what today means?"

"Hannah reaching the top of her academic field brings honor to our entire family! What kind of sick game are you playing, trying to ruin her celebration?"

"My daughter works day and night in the lab. Is she not even allowed to receive a single bouquet of flowers?"

I ignored her completely, keeping my eyes locked on Hannah.

Her attractive face was contorted in sheer exasperation. "All over some flowers? Has your jealousy made you completely deranged? I was just putting them in a vase!"

My father slammed his palm onto the dining table, glaring at Hannah with quiet authority. "Watch your tone."

Hannah took a sharp breath, instantly wiping the fury from her face and replacing it with a look of heartbroken remorse.

She patted her mother's hand reassuringly, then turned and bowed slightly toward my parents.

"Mom, Dad, I am so sorry."

"Zack must be overwhelmed with pressure at his pharmaceutical firm lately. Please don't blame him."

"I'll have a proper talk with him later."

She reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped aside to dodge her touch.

Hannah wore a pained, understanding smile. "I'm sorry, Zack. I've been so consumed by my promotion evaluation that I neglected you. That's on me."

"But these are just ordinary lilies. Aren't you reading too much into this? He is just an innocent student."

Hannah's older brother, Chad, chimed in to smooth things over. "Brother-in-law, you must be misunderstanding. Hannah was just being polite. She couldn't just toss a student's gift in the trash in front of everyone, could she?"

"He's right, Zack," Chad's wife, Lana, added softly. "I've met young Tristan. He's a sweet, well-mannered kid. He definitely didn't mean anything by it. Just apologize to Hannah and let's move past this."

I swept my gaze across everyone at the table.

My father and father-in-law were frowning in silence.

My mother looked torn, her eyes shifting from confusion to annoyance toward me.

Hannah was truly a master manipulator. In just a few words, she had turned my legitimate stand into an unreasonable tantrum.

Ignoring her rehearsed act, I pointed at the crushed lilies on the floor, their scent growing heavier by the second.

"You claim these are just ordinary flowers, right?"

I stared directly into her eyes.

"Then do you dare to shut every door and window in this living room right now?"

"And sit in this room with me, breathing in these flowers, for just one hour?"