Chapter 1

On my twenty-eighth birthday, the first gift I received was a set of divorce papers.

I immediately called my wife, only to be met with her cold ridicule.

"Can you stop bothering me over such a trivial thing?"

"It is just a fake divorce. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

In the background, I could faintly hear the intimate voice of another man.

Not long after, Cole Mercer posted on his social media feed.

"Thanks to Zoe, I finally get to move into my dream penthouse!"

In the past, I would have rushed over to demand an explanation from Zoe.

Now, I was simply exhausted.

--

1

In the photo, their hands were entwined against the backdrop of a sprawling luxury penthouse.

That place was my late mother's final legacy to me.

Zoe had gone through so much trouble just to let Cole live there.

Her plan was to divorce me first, then claim the property in the asset split.

She never once cared that the home was my last emotional anchor to my mother.

I stared down at my phone, then shifted my gaze to the divorce agreement on the table.

After a brief hesitation, I picked up the pen and signed my name.

It was past midnight when Zoe finally stumbled home, reeking of cigarette smoke.

The moment she stepped through the door, she collapsed into my arms, slurring her words with a heavy scent of liquor.

"Babe, I am so exhausted today."

Frowning, I pushed her away onto the couch. Her touch only filled me with disgust.

A flash of irritation instantly crossed Zoe's face, her tone turning sharp.

"Ray, can you stop throwing tantrums? I am genuinely exhausted! Can't you show a little understanding for once?"

So, she knew very well that this would hurt me.

I stared at her, enunciating every single word:

"Plotting day and night to hand my house over to your little side piece must be truly exhausting."

Zoe froze, clearly not expecting me to talk back to her like this.

After all, whenever she used to give me even the slightest sweet talk, I would be walking on air for days.

Back then, if she asked for the moon, I would have brought down the entire sky for her.

Only now did I realize that one-sided devotion could never earn genuine reciprocation.

Perhaps stunned by my sudden coldness, her eyes turned red with grievance.

"Cole's family went bankrupt! Was I supposed to just watch him end up on the streets?"

She reached into her designer bag and pulled out a luxury watch.

"I went out of my way to the mall to pick this out for you. Do you really have to pick a fight over everything?"

"Ray, you're a grown man. Can you stop being so paranoid and suspicious all the time?"

The beautifully packaged watch lay before me.

My expression remained completely blank. All I could think of was the identical watch on Cole's wrist in his photo.

Zoe had brought back Cole's free gift-with-purchase just to placate me.

Was I supposed to be grateful?

"I am allergic to metal. I don't wear watches."

I pushed the signed divorce papers across the coffee table toward her.

My voice was devoid of emotion. "I have already signed. When do you want to head to the courthouse to finalize it?"