On my birthday, some thugs cornered me, trying to kidnap and extort me. Panicking as I tried to escape, I desperately dialed Julien Ramirez for help. His irritated voice came through, "Do you have to bother me with every little thing? Why would any thug bother with you?"

After managing to dive into a nearby pond and evade capture, I finally turned on my phone. There it was, a post on Salem's Facebook page. "I mentioned wanting to see penguins in Antarctica, and someone made it happen." The picture showed Julien holding her affectionately, the wedding ring conspicuously absent from his finger. At that moment, I realized our marriage was over.

When Julien returned from the trip, I lay exhausted on the couch. He tasted the leftover food and sneered, "Your cooking's as bad as ever." In the past, I would have argued with him over such remarks. But now, I just closed my eyes, too weary to respond. My mind was still tense from the ordeal, and I couldn't muster the energy to fight.

Julien saw my indifference and pressed his lips into a thin line. He silently scraped all the food off the table into the trash. Sauce still stained the table, and the kitchen bin was overflowing—tasks that used to fall to me, chores he was clearly not used to. Once, I exhausted myself cleaning up after him, but now, I didn't care how he handled it.

After clearing the table, Julien tossed me a small box, saying grandly, "Here's your birthday present. You said you wanted to see snow, so I've brought it back for you." "Just put it down," I replied, glancing at the box without moving. I knew he was trying to reconcile. In the past, I'd coyly demand birthday gifts from him, only to be met with angry retorts. "You're how old now and still want birthday presents? You think you're a kid, how shameless!"

His gift now meant I was supposed to make peace. But why should I? Silence hung between us. Julien's expression darkened, and he pulled me up from the couch. "Arielle, who are you trying to impress? I didn’t spend yesterday with you, so what? I got you a gift. What more do you want?"

Yesterday was my birthday. Julien, supposedly "on a business trip," called to say he had a surprise for me. As the birthday girl, I went to great lengths to prepare a feast for his return. I watched the clock hands circle round and round, the dishes growing cold, yet he never showed up.

If not for Salem's smug Facebook post, I'd never have known that the man who claimed to dislike animals took Salem to Antarctica to see penguins. I winced at the pain in my legs. In the light, Julien finally noticed the dried wound—blood mixed with dirt, crusted over, some marks scarred. His expression turned icy, "How did you get hurt?"

I stared at him, and he stood tall, showing no signs of guilt. The day before, I stepped out to buy Julien's favorite foods but was stopped by threatening thugs trying to kidnap me. Trembling with fear, I called Julien for help, but he showed no concern, even questioning the thugs' taste if they bothered with me.

I could even hear Salem's sweet voice on the call, "Julien, come look at this penguin, it's so cute! Can we go back to Antarctica next time?" He hung up at that moment of hesitation. If I hadn't known how to swim and dived into the pond to escape, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Once I escaped, I was too exhausted to tend to my wound, letting it worsen. His current line of questioning felt absurd. I replied calmly, "It's none of your concern. I'll handle it myself."

Julien's brows knitted tightly as he rose to fetch the first-aid kit. He'd never done this for me before, and I doubted his abilities, intending to refuse. But Julien pressed me down to sit, then knelt to treat my injuries with practiced ease. "I've tended to Salem's wounds countless times; I've got the steps memorized. Yours are child's play."

He spoke as if to himself, catching his slip midway. He leaned in to gauge my reaction, "You're not mad, are you?" I looked at him, expressionless, noticing his bare ring finger, and softly urged, "Hurry up."

Julien shot me a puzzled look but resumed his task. Unexpectedly, a cheerful ringtone broke the silence. Julien, who usually hated loud ringtones, only assigned such a tune to Salem. He rose, cleared his throat, and took the call on the balcony.

Even through the glass, Salem's naïve voice was unmistakable. "Julien, I had a nightmare that the prince with the princess died. Do you think I might die too?" Even from afar, I could sense Julien's tension. "Salem, don't do anything rash. I'll come to you right away."

Hanging up, he barely glanced my way, only passing me a tutorial video on wound dressing before leaving. He headed for the door, unusually offering an explanation. "Salem attempted suicide. I need to see her. Take care of your wound yourself."

Salem, his childhood friend, was a girl struggling with depression and prone to suicidal acts. Whenever Salem called threatening to harm herself, Julien would leave me without hesitation to be by her side. I once screamed at him, asking why she always called only him. Julien's reply was simple; as her childhood friend, he was the only one she trusted.

Three hours passed with no sign of him. The wound Julien had started dressing reopened, exposed to the air, multiplying the pain. Pale-faced, I hailed a cab to the hospital to have it properly treated.

Returning from the hospital, I looked down at the wedding ring on my finger and felt a wave of nausea wash over me. Without a second thought, I pulled it off, letting it slip from my fingers into the trash. The deep imprint it left on my skin was a stark reminder of a union now shattered.

Julien Ramirez, who once begged me to wear the ring, had long since replaced his with a matching couple's band he shared with Salem Gomez. Now that I had removed mine, I felt an unexpected sense of relief, as if the chains had finally fallen away.

I opened the small box Julien had given me. Inside was a snow globe, a simple memento of something I had always longed to see. I picked it up, feeling its coldness seep into my hands, though it couldn't touch the chill in my heart.

Salem's latest post had just been updated. The photo showcased a magnificent, icy castle. The caption read: "Love is action. Because I said I wanted to see snow every day, the one I love built me a castle and even got me a pet."

Julien looked at her adoringly, cradling Blizzard, the snow fox. I glanced down at the snow globe in my hands—it was merely a small token, discarded and forgotten.

Seeing Julien openly embracing the snow fox triggered a storm of emotions in me. After we got married, Julien traveled frequently for work, so I got a dog named Bailey to keep me company. One day, I returned from grocery shopping to find that Bailey had disappeared.

Noticing dog hair on his suit, I held back tears as I questioned him. He replied with irritation, "This is our home. You shouldn't have gotten a dog without asking me first. You're lucky I didn't do worse."

Seeing my tear-filled eyes, he casually added, "I just gave it away. I didn't hurt it—I just don't like animals."

Julien's rare returns came at the cost of banishing my dog. Now, as he held Salem's beloved Blizzard, I finally understood. It wasn't that Julien disliked animals; he just despised anything associated with me.

That night, when Julien came home, I was already asleep. He entered the bedroom, surprised to find the lights off.

"Arielle, why didn't you wait up for me?"

I was exhausted and needed rest. Without stirring, I kept my eyes shut, pretending to sleep. There was a time when I would stay up late waiting for him, preparing his favorite midnight snacks, hoping to share the bed and night with my husband.

Each time, he complained about my supposed snoring, choosing to sleep in the guest room instead. Yet I had verified with a doctor—I didn't snore.

This time, Julien lay down beside me, something he rarely did. His hand wandered over, forcing me to face him. Only then did I see the lipstick mark on his collar—a mocking challenge.

Desire burned in his eyes as he whispered close to my ear, carrying the distinct scent of Salem's perfume. "Arielle, I want to..."

Instinctively, I pushed him away, rejecting his touch. His face darkened with anger, glowering at me. "Arielle, I'm here because I want to be with you. Don't be ungrateful."

In the past, I had initiated these moments, hoping to please him with outfits and props that never saw the light of day. Julien would smirk, seeing me as nothing more than a joke.

"When you wear those, you look ridiculous. They excite me on others, but not on a washed-up woman like you."

Now, I turned my back to him, saying, "It's that time of the month. I'm not in the mood."

He wouldn't remember my cycle anyway. Julien laughed bitterly.

"Arielle, playing hard to get with me? You'll come to me begging one day."

Fuming, he grabbed the blanket and stormed out, pausing at the doorway, perhaps expecting me to plead like before.

The first time we slept apart, I begged him in tears, but he refused, saying I disgusted him. Sleepless nights followed, even requiring sleeping pills to rest.

Now, I was used to nights without him, sleeping even more soundly.

With or without him, it made no difference.

As the door slammed shut, I opened Salem’s post. It revealed a man's hand, holding a cup of coffee, each finger perfectly defined. The caption read: "When Salem's time of the month comes, my childhood sweetheart makes me a comforting cup of coffee. Salem is so lucky~"

My heart remained indifferent, yet my grip on the phone turned my knuckles white as nausea swirled in my stomach.

Julien disgusted me.

No wonder he sought me out; Salem was unavailable, and he needed someone to satisfy his needs.

My mind drifted. Julien once loved me with such attention to detail.

Back then, I was a Mason heir, suddenly moved to fund a student from a poor background—Julien. I covered all his college expenses. He didn't disappoint, attending a top-tier university and, with my help, launching a company, entering high society.

I was drawn to his ambition, falling deeply in love. After he confessed, marriage followed naturally. He loved me, caring for every aspect of my life.

I thought we were destined for happiness, until his childhood friend Salem returned from abroad. Everything changed. Julien’s love shifted inexorably to her.

It became clear that old bonds triumphed over new ones. Desperate, I tried everything to keep him, but time passed, and familiar faces meant more than distant memories.