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…”

“The bedroom will go to Valerie. Tonight, you just make do and sleep inside the guest room.”

Isaac made a direct decision. Worried that I might keep bothering him, he warned me, “Kendall, don’t forget, this house is mine.”

“You already don’t have a home in Oakland. You’d better stop showing those small tempers. If you keep causing scenes, how will that look?”

My chest felt as though it had been sliced open by a sharp knife, blood seeping, the pain unbearable.

Sure enough, the longer a person stayed beside you, the more they understood how to hurt your heart.

After sitting blankly inside the guest room for thirty minutes, I finally remembered that I had gotten caught in the rain and needed to shower to chase away the cold.

When heading upstairs to grab clothes, I heard the unclear and suggestive breathing of the two people coming through the crack in the door.

Valerie lay beneath him and spoke shyly, “Brother Isaac, you’re so good to me. I just mentioned wanting to come to your place for some fun, and you actually brought me in front of that long-faced woman.”

Isaac gently pressed a kiss onto the sweat on her forehead. “She has no family or friends in Oakland. If she leaves me, she has nowhere else to go.”

“She’s only a miserable and burdensome parasite. How could she ever match your scent, baby?”

The two of them stayed sticky-sweet, starting another round of their fight.

I stood by the doorway with cold limbs, the sharp pain making my throat unable to make any sound.

Compared with Isaac’s betrayal, what I could not accept even more was his line, “a miserable and burdensome parasite.”

From start to finish, it was clear I had never received his preference. Whether in love or in marriage, I had always relied on myself.

Anything Isaac bought for me, I would give back a present of the same worth to him.

Late at night, smoke choked me awake.

The instant I opened my eyes, thick smoke rolled everywhere, and the fire had already spread close to me.

I had no time to think. I pushed open the window, planning to jump out. The guest room was on the ground floor; nothing would happen.

But when I noticed the fully locked metal bars on the window, my entire body stopped in place.

These bars clearly were not there when I left earlier this morning!

“Kendall, does being stuck feel nice?” Valerie’s voice came from the doorway.

I grabbed the blanket and rushed into the washroom to soak it with water, threw it over my body, and kicked the weak door open.

Valerie was shocked by my move and shouted.

I did not even look sideways as I shoved Valerie away and walked straight out.

Just after stepping outside, I collapsed from having no strength.

In a daze, I saw Isaac standing in front of the doctor, coldly scolding, “Hurry and give Valerie a full-body exam. If anything happens to her, all of you will answer for it!”

The doctor paused. “But that woman is already three months pregnant, and she breathed in too much smoke and dust. If she is not treated quickly, she may end up with a lifelong coughing illness…”

Isaac said coldly, “Don’t bother about her. Hurry and look at Valerie first. Didn’t you notice Valerie’s skin has already been burned?”

I slipped back into unconsciousness again.

When I woke up, waves of numbness and pain spread through my arm.

Isaac pushed the door open and walked in, his face gentle. “How is it? Do you feel better?”

Thinking about the scene before I passed out, I opened my lips, but in the end, I said nothing.

Isaac set down the meal box. “I’ll help feed you.”

Just as his words ended, his phone rang again with that exclusive custom ringtone.

He gave me a guilty look, then lied to me, “Kendall, a client is asking for me. I might not be able to stay with you.”

“You be good, eat your food, take your medicine, and cooperate with the doctor’s checkup. After I finish my work, I’ll come see you.”