As soon as I finished checking into the hotel with Primily, Edwin called.

"Gina, my mom is old. She watches our kid and cooks for you every day. I don't expect gratitude, but at least show some basic decency. Do you have any idea how worried she was when you walked out just like that? Come home and apologize to her immediately!"

Clearly, my "defiance" had upset Betty, and Edwin was now out for justice. His tone was laced with entitlement, and his voice was loud enough to burst through the receiver.

Primily glanced at me anxiously. I gave her a reassuring pat and turned on the TV to distract her. Then, I stepped outside to take the call as I didn't want her to witness her parents arguing.

"Edwin, when I was rushing Primily to the hospital last night, where were you? Oh, that's right, you were celebrating another woman's birthday. Who are you to lecture me?"

Edwin let out an irritated scoff.

"Why must you put it that way? You know that Diana's one of my most important clients. I'm not like you, Gina. I don't sit at home all day and wait for money to magically appear."

It was the same excuses, over and over.

Sure, Diana was technically a client, but their relationship had long crossed professional boundaries.

He'd claimed the opened condom wrapper left on the car seat belonged to a friend who used his car, dismissed the lipstick stain on his collar as a careless accident during a business dinner, and justified the Valentine's Day gifts of designer bags and cosmetics as necessary gestures to appease a major client.

He didn't even bother trying to come up with convincing lies anymore.

"Gina, don't drag Primily into your little tantrum. She's sick. I've never seen a mother as irresponsible as you," Edwin continued.

So, he knew Primily was sick.

But instead of checking on her, he chose to use her illness against me.

"Don't push me," Edwin warned. "How is a stay-at-home mom like you going to support a child? Or are you willing to give up custody? What did Primily ever do to deserve this? She's just a kid. Why should she grow up without both parents because of you?"

I had thought about divorce, too. But I was in my 30s, had been out of the workforce for years, and had a young child to care for. I had to face the reality.

It all boiled down to my foolish mistake. I had believed Edwin's sweet lies.

We met in college while applying for financial aid.

I was an orphan, and he was supporting his widowed and unemployed mother. While our classmates enjoyed the carefree days of youth, we were both scraping by just to make ends meet.

We studied hard, worked even harder, and bonded over our shared struggles.

One night, as I was walking back to my dorm from a late shift, someone grabbed my arm and tried to drag me into an alley. Edwin had appeared and knocked the guy out with a brick.

He held my hand tightly as we ran and didn't let go even after we reached the dorm.

"I knew you had a night shift today. It was dark, and I-I couldn't stop worrying. Gina… can we face the future together?"

At that moment, I thought his feelings were genuine.

After we got married, we worked together to build a life together. He handed over his paycheck every month, and I carefully budgeted every dollar.

When we started our business, we worked day and night, and it finally paid off.

Life began to look promising.

But then Betty injured her leg back in her hometown. She showed up at our door looking humble and apologetic. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Gina..."

Edwin had assured me it would only be temporary, and I took on the responsibility of caring for Betty and managing the household.

Yet, "temporary" stretched into months, then years.

As Edwin's business flourished, we bought a house and a car. Meanwhile, Betty's attitude toward me had changed. Her affection in the early days was genuine, but so was the contempt now.

Before hanging up the phone, Edwin uttered, "Gina, you'd better think this through."

He was so confident I wouldn't leave him.

Even though my emotional reserves were depleted, my personal bank account had just received a significant deposit. This time, he was going to lose.

I called a friend to discuss my next steps, but our conversation was interrupted by an unexpected call.

To my surprise, it was from Diana.

Diana had asked to meet me at a café.

When I arrived after dropping Primily off at preschool, my hair was clinging to my face from the sweltering heat.

She gave me a condescending once-over, then claimed she wanted to clarify things.

"Though I'm under no obligation to do so, I don't want to be labeled as a homewrecker. That's unfair to me. Edwin and I are business partners and friends, nothing more. I understand, though.

"For a middle-aged housewife, seeing a capable woman around her husband must be unsettling. I even heard you had a fight with Mrs. Campbell and ran away from home with your child.

"Ms. Wright, maybe this isn't my place, but Edwin and I are business people. We're not as idle as you seem to think. And as adults, we should recognize when we can no longer keep up with someone else's pace. It's better to step aside gracefully than to become an annoying stumbling block."

Diana's tone was polite but steeped in arrogance, like that of someone used to being in control.

I sipped my water slowly and watched her.

"Ms. Howard, I take it you've lived a pretty comfortable life?"

Her faint smirk answered my question.

The first time I'd heard Diana's name was from Edwin.

He'd talked about the heiress of Howard Group with envy, saying, "Gina, how is it that everything we work for our whole lives is just the starting point for her?"

Back then, I'd tried to console him by telling him that life wasn't just about wealth. Happiness came from cherishing the present and being with the ones you loved.

Looking back now, I realized how foolishly naïve I had been.

I continued, "So, I'm guessing you wouldn't know what it's like to live in a basement where your clothes get moldy, or consider instant noodles a luxury meal, or clean up after a bedridden elderly woman when she soils herself…"

"Are you trying to play the 'we've been through so much together' card?"

Diana cut me off and said, "Because I'm really not interested. You've clearly had too much free time on your hands. No one glorifies hardship anymore."

I shook my head.

"No. What I'm saying is that Edwin started as nothing more than a penniless boy. His success was built on my hard work. Whatever happens between Edwin and me is our business. You have no place in it, and you certainly don't get to dictate my future."

After that, I placed a bill on the table. "That's for my water."

Just then, a startled voice called out, "Gina?"

Edwin bellowed in anger, "What is wrong with you? Isn't it enough that you pester me with your ridiculous accusations? Now you're harassing my clients too? You're acting hysterical!"

Diana gently stopped him.

"You've misunderstood, Edwin. I asked Ms. Wright to meet me. Lately, I noticed you've been stressed about family matters, and I didn't want it to affect your work. I only wanted to clarify things, but she said I had no right to. That's on me. I've overstepped."

Edwin's expression darkened, and then he chuckled wryly.

"This isn't your fault. I shouldn't have let my personal life affect my work. Gina's been sitting at home for years and completely reliant on me. It's made her paranoid. She misunderstood your kindness and owes you an apology."

He turned to me with a scowl. "What are you waiting for? Apologize to Ms. Howard right now!"

I stared at them indifferently as I commented, "Do you two think your pretense of innocence fools anyone? Honestly, it's disgusting."

Edwin's expression twisted with rage, and he roared, "Gina! Apologize to her this instant, or I'll seriously reconsider our marriage!"

He then pressed his fingers to his temple and muttered to Diana, "I'm sorry. Gina's an orphan, so no one ever taught her basic manners…"

Before he could finish, I picked up my glass of water and splashed it right in his face.

Edwin's perfectly groomed hair was drenched, revealing a receding hairline he worked hard to hide.

"Are you mad?" he shouted, his voice cracking.

"You don't have to reconsider anything," I said while setting the glass back on the table. "We're getting a divorce."