In the Oregon circle, Isaac Martinez and I were seen as the perfect couple.

While on a business trip for half a month, the first thing I did when I got home was ask him for a divorce.

Everyone cursed me for being an ungrateful person who didn’t know what was good for me, and even started rumors that I had cheated in our marriage.

Isaac gently tried to make me happy. I tossed the divorce agreement in his face. “Sign it.”

He frowned, puzzled. “Kendall Ramirez, is there anything I have not done well enough? Did I upset you? Tell me, I will fix it.”

I laughed coldly and still demanded that he sign the divorce agreement.

But Isaac shredded it right in front of me, his eyes turning red as he stared. “In this life, I only love you.”

My eyes turned cold as I stared at his fake expression.

Thinking of the thousands of intimate photos in my phone with the same woman in different poses, and the 256G of short videos, my heart felt like it was being sliced by knives.

——

The moment the personalized ringtone sounded, I clearly noticed Isaac’s body tense slightly.

I looked straight at him. “Pick it up. Why don’t you dare pick up the phone in front of me?”

Isaac pulled out his phone and pressed to hang up the call.

Right away, his mouth forced into an awkward smile as he gave an excuse. “It’s just a marketing call. Kendall, you have to believe me, I love you very much.”

“Did anything upsetting happen to you during this half-month business trip? How about this, I will go buy cake and milk tea to reward you.”

After saying that, Isaac moved toward the door by himself.

From the side of my vision, I noticed him pick up the phone again and nervously dial that number.

The second the door shut, my phone also vibrated.

When I opened it, it was, as expected, a provocative message from Isaac’s little lover.

[Did you notice that? With only one call, I can make him leave. Are you smart enough to walk away from him?]

I ignored the messages and swiped upward. Almost everything above was her provocative messages.

Without any exception, during the half-month I was on a business trip, the two of them had already been so wildly tangled together that they no longer knew right from wrong.

For a full fifteen days, they used a total of ninety-nine little umbrellas, learned one hundred and eight positions, and ruined hundreds of pairs of stockings.

I once tried to deny all of this.

But on the man’s all-too-familiar hand in the photos, there was a scar near the canine tooth, clearly and intentionally reminding me that the hand belonged to my husband, Isaac.

That scar was the reward for when he protected me from my alcoholic father’s domestic abuse.

Now, it had become evidence of his cheating.

Isaac returned with empty hands, apology written across his face. “Sorry, Kendall. I just went to a few stores, and none of them had your favorite flavor, so I…”

I sat on the sofa and scrolled on my phone. Soon, my Facebook was refreshed with a new update.

It was posted by Isaac’s little lover.

Black Forest cake and taro boba milk tea were my favorites.

At this moment, they sat at another woman’s table.

The caption was full of bragging and insults.

[My darling specially ran around to buy these for me. As expected, spoiled girls live the happiest lives. Unlike certain worn-out women, the one not loved is the real third party.]

I switched off my phone, no longer in the mood to argue with Isaac.

Late that night, I came down with a high fever and instinctively reached out to touch the space beside me.

But it was empty.

My physical condition had always been weak, and I sometimes had fevers at night. Isaac had never suddenly gotten up and left in the middle of the night before.

Half-awake, I got out of bed and heard a man’s suppressed moans and heavy breathing from the bathroom door.

Through the door crack, I saw Isaac completely naked, on a video call, the woman’s soft, breathy sounds pouring into my ears.

The scene in front of me hurt my eyes deeply.

My chest throbbed faintly, as countless ants bit it.

I thought back to when Isaac and I were just together. He had said, “The first time is very important, so I want to wait until after we get married.”

That waiting went on for three years. During those three years, he looked after me with great care. For me, he gave up smoking and drinking, turning into a perfect boyfriend and even an example husband in the Oregon circle.

But now, seeing the man inside with a red face, whispering “one more time,” I suddenly felt he was a stranger.

With my heart like cold ashes, I picked up my phone and sent a text to my mom overseas.

[Mom, I want to go home.]

My mom almost answered right away.

[Were you wronged? Good girl, Mom will book the earliest flight for you. Come see Mom tomorrow.]

Thinking that Isaac still had not signed the divorce agreement, I firmly turned her down and then replied to her.

[I need three days to deal with the things here and to cancel the documents.]

The following day, when I came downstairs, Isaac had already set out a table full of dishes.

Seeing me come down, he warmly stepped forward to greet me. “Kendall, I’m really sorry I didn’t buy what you liked yesterday.”

“Today I made it myself for you. Come and try it first.”

When I saw the bowl of tuna casserole, my eyes paused slightly.

Isaac casually lifted the bowl of Tuna Casserole and passed it to me. “Kendall, try it quickly. It’s a new skill I learned, just waiting for you to check the result.”

I didn’t take the bowl. Instead, I arched my brow and asked, “Isaac, do you still remember that I’m allergic to seafood?”

Back then, after my parents divorced, I went to live with my father. When he got drunk, he would beat me. Even though he clearly knew I couldn’t eat seafood, he still forced me to eat it.

There was even a time when my seafood allergy almost caused me to go into shock. It was Isaac who realized something was wrong. He rushed into my house, blocked the knife my alcoholic father slashed down, and sped through seven or eight red lights to take me to the hospital.

Back then, his face was filled with fear, his eyes red as he begged me not to die.

After I woke, he even swore to heaven, “Kendall, don’t worry. As long as I’m here from now on, seafood will never appear in your life!”

Hearing my question, Isaac’s movements paused slightly.

Soon after, he still pushed the bowl toward me and insisted, “Kendall, isn’t it just a seafood allergy? If you push through it, won’t it be over? It’s not a big problem.”

I drew in a deep breath and once more set the printed divorce agreement in front of Isaac. “Sign it.”

Isaac grabbed the divorce papers in anger and ripped them into pieces again.

He stared at me. “Kendall, I just wanted you to taste a new dish. Why must you threaten me with divorce?”

“Have I not treated you well? Everything you eat, wear, and use is paid for by me. How far are you planning to push this before you stop?”

After shouting, Isaac showed a regretful look. “Sorry, I… I haven’t been sleeping well lately. My emotions are a bit out of control. Let’s both calm down first.”

After speaking, Isaac picked up his phone and turned to walk out.

I weakly supported myself on the table and slowly sat down, my vision gradually blurring.

My heart tightened painfully, forcing me to clearly recognize once more the true nature of the man who had been with me for eight years.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t slept well; he simply didn’t love me anymore.

Before, if I even slightly frown, he would feel heartbroken. To cheer me up, he would even go out of his way to act ugly just to make me laugh.

He would also call off national conferences and travel with me to relax.

After calming my feelings, I dumped all the dishes on the table into the trash bin.

Things that were not mine, why should I stubbornly keep holding them?

I went out and took a taxi to cancel my documents, and at the same time, made a stop at the company to resign.

When Assistant Sky saw me hand in the resignation letter, his face shifted a little. “Director Ramirez, you… You already found out?”

I stopped and quickly guessed something.

Then I nodded and spoke quietly, “Help me take care of it.”

Assistant Sky slid the resignation letter back toward me. “Sorry, Director Ramirez, your resignation is a serious matter. I cannot decide it. You need to go see President Martinez.”

I gripped the resignation document in my hand and didn’t make things hard for Assistant Sky anymore.

While taking the elevator up to the 33rd floor, I slipped the divorce papers into the resignation document.

After knocking and entering Isaac’s office, when he saw it was me, Isaac’s tightly knitted brows loosened.

A smile rested at the corner of his lips. “Kendall, I knew you still loved me. Earlier today, I spoke a little loudly. I’m sorry.”

“If you don’t trust me, I can write you a guarantee letter.”

My expression paused slightly, and I calmly and steadily handed the file in my hand to him. “I’ve already printed the guarantee letter. Sign it.”

Isaac took it and was about to check it carefully when his phone suddenly rang repeatedly.

A flash of panic crossed his face, and he gave me a guilty glance.

I pretended not to hear. “Sign it. After you sign, I still have other tasks.”

Hearing this, Isaac directly signed his name and handed it back to me.

I picked up the documents and walked out of the office, not asking even one more question the entire time.

The resignation process was finished very quickly. After I completed the handover of the rest of the tasks, I left this company where I had worked for almost five years without even a bit of hesitation.

I took a taxi to City Hall and also went to apply for the divorce certificate.

Staff worker: “Ms. Ramirez, we have a thirty-day divorce cooling-off period here. During this time, if either side wants to change their mind, it can be refused.”

On the ride back home, the sky suddenly started pouring with heavy rain.

Even though I rode a taxi back, I was still soaked like a wet chicken.

The moment I pushed open the door, I noticed the new pair of slippers in the shoe cabinet was missing.

That was the couple of styles I had bought with Isaac half a month earlier, not yet officially opened.

At this moment, that pair of slippers was being worn by another woman.

Isaac sat on the couch with his back facing me, and in front of him, Valerie stood, drying his hair.

Noticing me, Valerie Gibson challengingly raised her chin toward me, like a proud old chicken.

With silent lip movements, she mouthed to me: How did the chicken that couldn’t produce eggs come back?

I squeezed my fist hard, forcing myself to stay calm.

Hearing the sound, Isaac quickly stood and came to welcome me. “Kendall, you were caught in the rain. Why didn’t you call me to come get you?”

His voice carried blame and concern.

My eyes fixed directly on Valerie.

Only then did Isaac explain to me, “Valerie just happened to meet me on the street. The rain outside is very heavy, so I figured since we are neighbors, I would simply let her stay for one night.”

After finishing, he cautiously asked me, “Kendall, you don’t mind, right?”

Before I had the chance to speak, Valerie quickly said, “I believe sister isn’t such a narrow-minded person, so I’ll thank sister first for letting me stay.”

“I’d like the south-facing room. I heard the lighting there is the best.”

I refused immediately. “No. That is my room.”

Valerie’s eyes turned red, looking like a wronged young wife. “Isaac, I… I just haven’t lived in such a nice house before, so I wanted to sleep there once.”

“If my sister really cares, then I’ll go sleep in the cold, damp guest room.”

Isaac decided right away. “Kendall, you’ve already used that room for five or six years. Why not let Valerie stay there for one night first?”

“It’s only one night. It won’t make a difference.”

I refused again. “No. If I say no, then it’s no.”

“Otherwise, you can send her home. Isn’t she a neighbor? It’s only about a ten-minute walk.”

Clearly, I recalled that Valerie had once posted her property certificate on Facebook; it was the building right next door.

Without guessing, I knew Isaac was the one who gave it to her.

In eight years together, Isaac had only bought me daily essentials and never given me anything valuable.

Valerie suddenly moved closer and seized my hand, her nails pressing deeply into my flesh. The pain made me instinctively yank my hand back.

She took advantage of the movement to fall to the floor, tears shining in her eyes. “Sister, I don’t know what I did to make you dislike me so much.”

“I only wanted to hold my sister’s hand and live peacefully with you. I didn’t expect…”