"You're back?"

Jennifer was sitting on the sofa. The moment she saw me return, her smile disappeared, and her demeanor turned lukewarm. She didn’t even ask how I was doing physically.

Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to come back suddenly. She had probably been in a good mood, but the moment I opened the door, her face darkened.

For a married couple to reach this point, where we were just keeping up appearances, it really felt meaningless.

"Yeah," I replied casually, my tone equally indifferent. It was then that I noticed her posture on the sofa seemed a bit subconsciously tense.

I frowned slightly, and in the next moment, I heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom shower.

There was someone else in the house.

"Who's in the shower?"

Even though I already had a guess in mind, there was still a sliver of hope when I asked the question.

However, Jennifer's expression immediately turned unpleasant as she forced an explanation.

"It's Henry. His water's been shut off for a week, so after work, I brought him here to take a shower. Don't overthink it—it really is because of the water issue."

"Got it. I'm not overthinking."

My calm response seemed to confuse Jennifer. She scrutinized my face repeatedly, trying to detect any trace of anger, but when she found nothing, she finally relaxed.

"You actually managed to think it through. For once, you're not being dramatic. How rare."

‘Dramatic? So that's what she thought all my past behavior was?’

I didn’t respond and instead went straight to the bedroom. I pulled out a suitcase from the closet and began packing silently. During this time, Jennifer didn’t even glance in my direction.

As I packed, I realized how little I had accumulated in these years of marriage. I wasn’t someone who craved material things, but still, the realization was sobering.

I left behind everything Jennifer had given me, as well as anything we had shared over the years. I didn’t want any of it. I didn’t want the memories, either.

When I finished packing and stepped out of the room, Jennifer was drying Henry’s hair with a blow dryer. She was kneeling on the sofa, chatting and laughing with him. At that moment, they looked so much like a loving couple.

It felt like I was the unnecessary one in this household.

Jennifer’s back was to me, and the noise from the blow dryer drowned out my footsteps. She didn’t notice I was there, but Henry did.

The moment he saw me, he slowly lifted his gaze, a smug expression flickering across his face. He curled his lips slightly.

His look seemed to say, "See? You’re never going to win against me."

I kept a blank expression. I didn’t want to win, nor did I feel like I had lost. I simply stood there, quietly watching Jennifer patiently dry Henry’s hair with the utmost tenderness.

That tenderness... I couldn’t even remember the last time it had been directed at me.

So, it wasn’t work stress that made her snap at me when she came home. She had just been saving her gentleness for someone else.

The blow dryer shut off, and when Jennifer turned around and saw me, her expression froze. She quickly offered an explanation.

"I was just drying his hair. I didn’t want him to catch a cold and miss work tomorrow."

"Got it. You don’t have to explain everything to me," I replied casually, my tone indifferent.

Just that one sentence gave Henry the opportunity to chime in. His face carried a hint of timidness as he spoke.

"Lee, I don’t think I’m welcome here… Maybe I should leave."

As he said that, he made a show of getting up to leave. Jennifer quickly stopped him.

"You just took a shower. If you go out now, you’ll catch a cold."

"I’m not saying that you’re unwelcome here," I said. "The one who doesn’t belong here is me. You stay. I’ll leave."

I walked back to the room, grabbed my suitcase, and headed straight for the door.

Jennifer noticed and her expression darkened. She stepped in front of me to block my way.

"Lee, what are you doing? I was wondering why you were so calm when you came home. What kind of scheme is this now?"

I let out a small, almost imperceptible laugh. I was too tired to guess what kind of person I had become in Jennifer’s eyes after someone else’s meddling.

I looked at Jennifer with a calm gaze, my tone completely devoid of emotion.

"There is no scheme, Jennifer. Keep an eye on your email. I’ll be sending you the divorce papers."

"You want to divorce me?"

To my surprise, Jennifer didn’t erupt in anger upon hearing those words. Instead, she furrowed her brows, her expression carrying a faint trace of confusion.

"Lee, you have no reason to divorce me. All I’ve done is look after Henry, and I’ve always treated him like a younger brother. Other than that, I can only assume you no longer love me and have no feelings for me anymore."

"Think what you want. The divorce is happening," I replied.

I didn’t even spare her a glance. At this point, arguing was pointless.

My attitude seemed to unsettle her slightly, and her expression shifted. She must have realized this wasn’t one of my so-called “dramatic acts” like before. This time, I was serious.

She instinctively stepped forward and grabbed my arm.

"Lee, stop this nonsense. Let’s talk properly—"

I yanked my arm free, a strong wave of disgust flashing across my face.

"Don’t touch me!"

With that, I turned and walked away. The force of my movement caused Jennifer to stumble slightly.

Anger flared in her, and she shouted after me, "Lee! Where do you think you’ll go without me? Back to your family? Don’t forget—you’ve already severed ties with them! Come back here! I haven’t agreed to the divorce yet!"

I ignored her completely. I walked out, got in my car, and drove straight to the office. Once there, I packed up my desk and submitted my resignation to HR.

"Are you sure about this, Lee?" The HR staff member, Diane, looked at me, trying to gauge my expression, already suspecting something from my stony demeanor. She hesitated as she held the resignation form.

"Yes," I replied firmly.

I understood her confusion. Everyone in the company knew I was Jennifer’s husband. While she had always kept business and personal matters separate, it hadn’t stopped private gossip.

As expected, she looked a bit troubled.

"I can’t approve this myself. Maybe we should wait until the CEO comes back?"

"No need. My position doesn’t require her signature. Just follow the process," I said.

Five years ago, when Jennifer founded this company, I was one of its earliest employees. Back then, the company had only a handful of staff. I was simultaneously a tech worker and a business runner, juggling countless tasks. I was incredibly busy for a long time.

But in the last couple of years, as the company began to thrive, Jennifer kept me in a low-level position. I was earning a basic salary—less, even, than Henry, who was just a personal assistant.

Diane sighed. Technically, my resignation didn’t need approval from someone at Jennifer’s level, but her worry was evident. She signed the form, likely dreading Jennifer’s wrath later.

I returned to my desk, grabbed my things in a cardboard box, and prepared to leave. On my way out, I caught glimpses of my colleagues’ sympathetic gazes and overheard their whispered conversations.

"He’s really leaving?"

"I liked Lee. He was the one who patiently taught me how to run business deals when I first joined."

"Well, it’s because of Ms. Robinson’s new assistant... She’s really been a bit too..."

I walked past without a single change in expression.

The moment I stepped out of the company’s office building, I saw Jennifer arriving with Henry.

When she noticed the box in my arms, her anger erupted immediately.

"Lee! When will this stop? Do you really want to leave me that badly? You’re even resigning from the company?"

"Lee, calm down. I heard you’ve been here for years. Don’t make any rash decisions," Henry chimed in, his voice dripping with mock concern, clearly enjoying the chaos.

I didn’t respond or even glance at him. Jennifer, seeing my attitude, took several deep breaths to suppress her rage.

"Fine. Fine! You’re determined to divorce me, aren’t you? Then let’s do it! I’ll sign the divorce papers right now! But, Lee, don’t you dare regret this!"

Her words made me stop in my tracks. For the first time, I showed a slight reaction.

"If you’re signing the papers, let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau this afternoon."

That afternoon, we finalized the divorce without a hitch. Jennifer was clearly still fuming as she stormed off with Henry right after the paperwork was done.

I didn’t bother speaking to her again, relieved that the process had been so swift.

Standing outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number I hadn’t called more than a handful of times in the past three years.

The line rang twice before a familiar voice, firm and slightly stern, answered with a hint of surprise. "Hello? Lee?"

I pursed my lips briefly before speaking, my voice hoarse.

"Dad, Mom, I want to come home."