On our seventh wedding anniversary, my wife's secret admirer of five years deliberately drove his car into mine. While I was unconscious, the woman who once claimed to love only me, Jimena, took it upon herself to sign a waiver, freeing Francisco from any responsibility.

When I regained consciousness, Jimena pleaded with me, "Francisco just made a foolish mistake; we can't destroy his life over this. He's just infatuated with me."

Looking at Jimena's composed face, despite the evident tension beneath the surface, I knew our marriage had irrevocably changed.

"What if I insist on holding him accountable?" I asked, keeping my voice steady as I looked at her.

Jimena met my gaze with disapproval. "Kayden, you're a lawyer. You know how damaging a criminal record can be for someone just starting out. Haven't you always said that justice is about fairness and compassion? Francisco realizes his mistake, and he even attempted to harm himself over this. Hasn’t he suffered enough?"

As she spoke up for another man, her words stung with a bitterness I couldn't easily describe. Sensing her tone was too sharp, Jimena paused. Unlike before, I didn't jump in to mend the situation. Instead, I observed her quietly.

After a long moment, Jimena explained that she couldn't watch a young person ruin his future and asked me not to overthink it. I chuckled softly but remained silent.

Jimena seemed uneasy at my quietness. She hesitantly called my name, "Honey, I..."

Before she could finish, a nurse burst into the room, urgency in her voice, "Dr. Foster! The patient you brought in yesterday has woken up and is threatening to harm himself!"

Jimena's expression changed, and she quickly left, saying, "I’ll go check on him."

Francisco had pulled stunts like this before; I never took them seriously. But I hadn’t expected Jimena to be swayed by him.

Not long after, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a social media update from Francisco: "She says she doesn't care about me, but her actions tell a different story." The post included a picture of Jimena looking worried as she checked on him.

I scrolled up and saw many similar updates, almost all accompanied by photos of Jimena. Without my realizing, they had shared so many moments. Many times when she claimed to be working late at the hospital, she was actually with Francisco.

Through his posts, their story unfolded clearly. In the middle of the night, unable to sleep, I got up and went to the window. Looking out, I spotted two figures not far from our building.

"Jimena! You do care about me! Why else would you be so worried about me?" Francisco's voice was full of emotion as he faced Jimena, who remained impassive.

"I'm just trying to be kind..." she began, but Francisco interrupted her.

"Jimena, stop lying to yourself! It doesn't matter to me! As long as I can be with you, I don't need anything else."

For a moment, I saw Jimena's resolve falter. Francisco noticed her hesitation and suddenly reached up to cup her face, kissing her. Jimena raised her hand as if to push him away but then let it fall. After a few repetitions, she resignedly embraced him in return.

Watching them kiss passionately in the dark, I lowered my head and laughed at my own naivety. After a while, a passerby’s noise disrupted the moment. Jimena seemed to snap back to reality and pushed Francisco away, causing him to fall to the ground. Yet he laughed, seated on the pavement.

Jimena muttered, "Crazy fool," under her breath before walking away. I let out a small laugh, then sent a message and returned to my bed.

The reply came quickly: "Really?!"

An instant later, my phone rang. Just as I was about to answer, Jimena opened the door and came in from outside.

I casually ignored the incoming call.

Jimena Foster noticed that my room's window offered a clear view of where she had just shared a kiss with Francisco Gilbert. A flicker of guilt crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself and tentatively asked, "Sweetheart, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Whenever Jimena called me "sweetheart," it was a sign she was feeling guilty or wanted something from me. Sidestepping her question, I calmly inquired about Francisco's condition.

She hesitated before saying, "Oh, it’s nothing major. Just a childish tantrum. As his primary doctor, I can’t just ignore him." She seemed to realize she’d slipped up by mentioning her role as his doctor.

"Francisco hit his head, I..." she began.

"No need to explain. I don't care," I cut her off before she could continue with her excuse. Jimena frowned slightly at this.

"What do you mean you don't care? What could I possibly do with Francisco? You know I can't stand people who are too needy," she retorted, her voice a mix of frustration and defensiveness.

I chuckled lightly, "You can't stand him, yet you still keep seeing him, right?"

Caught off guard, Jimena paused before admitting yes. She pointed to my phone, which was still vibrating. "Who's calling you in the middle of the night?" she asked.

I glanced at it and replied dismissively, "Just a telemarketer."

Jimena didn’t believe me and reached for my phone, but I blocked her hand.

She narrowed her eyes with suspicion, "Are you hiding something from me?"

I replied flatly, "I'm a lawyer; my phone has a lot of clients' confidential information."

Jimena opened her mouth as if to argue but stayed silent. Without another word to her, I took my phone and walked out. The moment I answered, an excited female voice burst through the line.

"Kayden, are you really coming to work for my company as a legal advisor? Have you divorced Jimena? Are you ready to be with me?" Elise Chapman's excitement was so loud it made my ears ring.

Elise had asked me to join her firm as a legal advisor a while ago, but I had declined because of Jimena. I had once told Elise that I would only consider it after divorcing Jimena. Elise had jokingly called it a no-brainer at the time. Everyone thought Jimena and I were deeply in love. Jimena had even given up her inheritance to work as an ordinary doctor.

But then Jimena's feelings changed. Amid Elise’s persistent questioning, I finally responded, "Yes, I'm preparing for a divorce."

My admission seemed to quiet Elise. She softly asked if something had happened.

"I'll explain when I have the chance," I replied. "I'll see you in a week."

Jimena exited the hospital room just as I ended the call and asked who I was meeting in a week.

After saying goodbye to Elise, I turned to Jimena. "Just a client," I said. She seemed satisfied with that and didn’t ask more questions.

She wrapped her arms around my waist, her voice softening, "Kayden, earlier today, I was just too anxious. I signed the waiver because I didn’t want to owe Francisco anything. You understand, right?"

While I believed Jimena's intentions were genuine at the time, I realized she might not even know her heart had already drifted away from me. I smiled.

"I understand. I'm tired and need to get some rest now," I said.

Jimena immediately encouraged me to get some sleep, apologizing for arguing over something trivial when I should be resting.

Looking at her seemingly sincere expression of regret, I couldn’t fathom her actions today. Bowing my head, I tried to mask my sorrow. Just one more week, and this would all be over.

During my three-day stay in the hospital, Jimena Foster visited me every day after work. On the surface, everything seemed normal. But I knew that every night, she was meeting with Francisco Gilbert.

From his frequent social media updates, I saw they went stargazing at the beach and traveled across the city for barbecue. Even tonight, when Jimena claimed she had an overnight shift, she was actually at a hotel with him. In a video Francisco posted, he asked her repeatedly if he had a place in her heart. Just when I thought she wouldn't answer, she softly confirmed it. At that moment, my heart shattered completely.

The next morning, Jimena arrived unusually early, carrying breakfast as she entered my hospital room. I noticed the name on the breakfast packaging—it was from a place more than six miles away, close to the hotel she visited with Francisco.

"Why'd you go so far to get breakfast?" I asked.

Jimena paused for a moment as she unpacked the meal. "I had nothing better to do this morning, so I drove there. You like this place, right?"

"You go ahead and eat; I have a meeting in the department," she said before leaving.

No sooner had Jimena left than the door swung open again. To my surprise, I was calmer than I had anticipated when I saw Francisco standing there. Before he could say anything, I told him Jimena wasn't around.

Francisco looked momentarily caught off guard, then smirked slightly. "I know she's not here. I'm just dropping off her coat."

Returning a coat? I chuckled dryly. If he really intended to return it, why bring it to me? I glanced at the coat in his hand, took it, and tossed it aside. "Thanks," I replied coolly.

Clearly irked, Francisco asked why I wasn't curious about why he had her coat. I continued eating my breakfast indifferently.

"What does one coat prove? For all I know, she could have just handed it to you casually," I replied.

Francisco glared at me, frustrated. "Yesterday, she..."

Before he could finish, Jimena suddenly burst in. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her expression hardening when she saw Francisco.

"Just returning your coat," Francisco replied, still smarting from her previous coldness.

"Thank you for yesterday," Jimena said dismissively, clearly eager for him to leave.

Hurt, Francisco gave her a wounded look before turning and exiting the room. As soon as the door closed, Jimena hurried to explain, "Kayden, don't listen to his nonsense. There's nothing between us. He didn't have any clothes when he left the hospital yesterday, so I lent him my coat. I didn't expect him to bring it here and make a scene."

I finished my last spoonful of cereal and slowly responded, "He didn't say much, only that he was returning your coat."

A flash of regret crossed Jimena's eyes—probably for saying too much. She stood there awkwardly and muttered, "Alright then."

Just then, her phone rang. I saw the name "Francisco" flashing on the screen. Jimena glanced at her phone and quickly said there was an emergency in her department and left.

Watching her lie more smoothly with each passing day, I chuckled bitterly and began drafting a divorce agreement for myself. When Jimena returned, her lips were slightly flushed. I glanced at her, then averted my gaze, while she instinctively touched her lips.

Seeing the divorce papers open on my screen, Jimena looked panicked for a moment. "Kayden, you're a corporate lawyer, right? Why are you looking at divorce documents?"

I replied nonchalantly, "Just preparing something for a friend."

Jimena seemed to want to ask more, but her phone rang with a distinctive ringtone from her department. "There's a patient that needs immediate attention; I have to go," she said, rushing out.

Watching her hurried departure, I buried my head back in the divorce papers, determined to focus on my future without her.