Wendy's expression froze. Her eyes widened and she gritted her teeth.
"Just because I can't satisfy you, you want to get divorced? Xander, are you out of your mind?"
Ignoring the displeasure in her eyes, I nodded nonchalantly.
I grabbed all the traditional medicine on the table and threw them into the trash can.
"No, my mind is working perfectly well. I just don't want to be a monk at such a young age. What, you haven't received the divorce papers yet?"
Wendy's face stiffened, feeling humiliated and angry.
"You want to get divorced? On what grounds?" She grabbed my wrist. "Xander Smith, you were the one who said you didn't mind my condition and would help me get better. Now you say you're not willing to do that anymore? How can you be so shallow?!"
Pressing closer, the anger in Wendy's eyes didn't seem feigned, but I wasn't joking.
I shook her hand off and glared at her. "Yes, I'm shallow. So find someone who's not! Someone like..." I narrowed my eyes, looking mockingly at the pocket where she hid the photo. "Caleb? What about him?"
Wendy frowned.
After a long silence, she suddenly chuckled. She softened her tone and spoke like she was coaxing a child.
"I see. You're jealous. Honey, Caleb and I are just coworkers. Really. I'm sorry I couldn't make it today, but don't worry, I promise I'll go to every treatment session after this."
As she spoke, she reached out to take off my wet coat.
I pushed her hand away, picked up my bag, and headed for the bedroom, scoffing.
"Treatment? Is it really necessary? You guys kicked me out of the group. Stop acting..."
Wendy immediately blocked the doorway, gazing at me innocently.
"That's not true at all. I really can't get aroused. My friends were just talking nonsense. I was afraid you'd misunderstand, so..."
Wendy was about to explain when Caleb's phone call suddenly interrupted her.
Immediately, she said anxiously, "Caleb needs my help. I'll be right back."
She changed her shoes and walked away in a hurry.
'See, Wendy? Your lies always get exposed.'
Leaning against the doorframe, I chuckled mockingly.
"Go ahead. You two should take care of your needs."
Being exposed, Wendy could no longer hold back her anger. She lashed out.
"Xander, why do you have to be so bitter?"
Failing to draw a response out of me, she gave up and slammed the door as she left.
I surveyed the cold mansion. It was no longer the warm home it used to be.
I remembered how I had poured all my resources into establishing our own hospital to support Wendy's dream of becoming a doctor.
I silently supported her from behind, even agreeing to her request to bring Caleb in, but it turned out I had brought a wolf into my home.
How could she betray me?
Lowering my eyes, I called a real estate agent.
"Hello, I have a house for sale. It's urgent!"
The next day, I went to the hospital to pack my things, planning to take a short vacation.
But as I was walking out with a box, Caleb suddenly intercepted me. He handed me a thin, sheer pair of underwear.
"Xander, I heard you've been looking for a treatment for Wendy. Wendy praised me when I wore these, so I bought you a pair too."
He smiled brightly as he handed me the bag, feigning generosity.
Seeing the undisguised smugness and gloating in his eyes, I grabbed the underwear and shoved it into his mouth.
"Wear it yourself! I'm already divorced! You can keep that trash!"
Caleb choked and coughed violently, tears welling up in his eyes.
"But Xander, I don't mean any harm. Is it because my gift is too cheap?"
Wendy ran over anxiously and slapped me in the face.
"What are you doing?! Apologize to Caleb right now!"
A scheming look flashed in Caleb's eyes. He feigned understanding and comforted Wendy.
"It's okay, Wendy. Xander probably thinks the gift I got him is too cheap for a rich man like him..."
Wendy glared at me, her eyes burning with anger. She raised her voice and yelled, "You shove the gift in his mouth just because it's not good enough for you? Xander, apologize to Caleb right now!"
The quarrel drew a crowd who pointed and whispered.
I gnashed my teeth and looked incredulously at Wendy. Then, I yelled, "Apologize? When you slept with him, did you ever think of..."
"Shut up!"
The crowd stirred. Wendy covered my mouth and scolded me sternly.
"Have you lost your mind? If you dare to slander Caleb again, prepare to get fired."
"There's no need to fire me. I quit!"
I shook her hand off and walked away coldly.
"Quit? Xander, are you threatening me? You think you're so tough, huh? Go on, walk out! If you walk out, it's over between us!"
Wendy grabbed me and squeezed the words out through gritted teeth.
I simply gave her a cold smile.
"Okay. Remember to sign the divorce papers and send them to me."
The woman was stunned. She tightened her grip on my arm, confusion evident in her eyes.
"What divorce papers? Quitting isn't enough, you're threatening me with a divorce now?"
Her pretentiousness disgusted me.
The divorce papers I sent her clearly showed 'read', yet she's still pretending!
I yanked my hand away, met Wendy's questioning gaze, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"You just need to sign them and send them back to me. That's all."
Not wanting to argue with her anymore, I picked up my box and headed out.
Behind me, Wendy was furious. She shouted at me.
"Xander, don't you dare walk out, or you'll regret it!"
I snorted and got on the elevator.
As soon as I got to the lobby, I heard Wendy's voice, full of resentment, over the hospital intercom.
"Director Xander Smith lost his professional ethics and slandered Dr. Cox. As his family member, I sincerely apologize...
"Director Smith is hereby suspended and dismissed. His year-end bonus will be given to the affected staff member as compensation..."
I did not expect her to paint me as a madman and try to ruin my career for Caleb's sake.
The next second, everyone in the lobby pointed and whispered, their voices filled with indignation.
"So that's the guy who framed Dr. Cox, huh? I can't believe he would do something like that out of jealousy."
"And he's a director? He must have gotten in through connections. I feel bad for Dr. Cox."
A woman rushed over and poured the remainder of her drink over my head.
"Ptui! You don't deserve to be a doctor. Get out of the hospital!"
The sticky sensation made my skin crawl.
I ran to the underground parking lot. I was about to start the car when Caleb stood in front of it, looking at me with a smug smile.
"Xander! Tsk, tsk, look how pathetic you are!
"Wendy has been lying to you all along. Every time she said no to you and told you she couldn't do it, she would go at me hard in the hospital the next day.
"Every! Single! Time! She wants it so much it makes my legs weak. You poor thing. You've been living like a monk for two years."
I gritted my teeth and secretly recorded what he said on my phone.
Caleb suddenly pulled out the divorce papers and handed them to me. Seeing my confused look, he chuckled.
"Because you're so pathetic, Wendy took pity on you and signed them. She's so angry right now that she doesn't want to see you. She wants you to get lost!"
I snatched the divorce papers and saw Wendy's signature on them.
My clenched fists suddenly relaxed. Wendy was indeed heartless.
She said she didn't want a divorce, but as soon as I left, she signed the papers.
I smiled self-deprecatingly.
Ignoring Caleb, I hit the gas and went straight to the state vital records office to get the divorce certificate. Only then did I find some peace in my heart.
But as soon as I got home to get my luggage, I ran into my in-laws outside, laden with bags and packages.
"Andy? Mary? What are you doing here?"
Mary grabbed my hand and looked me up and down, her eyes full of sincere concern.
"Xander, Wendy said you two had a fight and you want to divorce her. We were worried Wendy might have mistreated you, so we took the night train to come check on you."
I was stunned, my fingers curling slightly. Mary held my hand tightly, worried.
"Xander, Wendy wouldn't have been able to achieve so much without your support throughout the years. You told me last time that you were looking for a traditional medicine practitioner for her, right? Why do you suddenly want a divorce?!"
Andy also looked at me and spoke earnestly.
"Xander, if that ungrateful girl dares to wrong you, I'll beat her to death with a stick!"
Looking at the elderly couple, dusty from their trip, my nose felt stuffy.
I remembered when I first started the hospital with Wendy, I was so busy I barely had time to rest.
Mary, who lived in the countryside, would send me some chickens from home every now and then, and Andy would praise me to anyone that would listen that I was an amazing son-in-law.
I unconsciously tightened my grip on the bag containing the divorce certificate. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't say them.
But when I looked up, I caught a glimpse of Wendy and Caleb getting it on on the fourth-floor balcony.
My heart grew colder, and my tightly clenched hand slowly relaxed.
I smiled.
"You two must be tired from traveling. Let's go upstairs first."
I took the elderly couple upstairs, deliberately slowing my pace to let my in-laws enter the door ahead of me.
As the door opened, we saw Caleb pressing down on Wendy on the couch, the two of them lost in a passionate kiss.
The elderly couple's eyes widened in shock. The bags and packages they were carrying fell to the floor with a thud.
The sound alerted the two people on the couch.
"You animal! What are you doing!"
Andy grabbed a slipper and threw it at Caleb, causing Caleb to scream in panic and hide behind Wendy.
"Mom, Dad? What are you guys doing here?"
Wendy's voice trembled, her face ashen as she glared at me.
"What the hell, Xander? You called my parents over?! You better explain to them Caleb is just helping me with my illness!"
Ignoring her shouting, I went to the bedroom to grab my suitcase.
Mary's eyes turned red. She pointed at Wendy and shouted, "How did I give birth to such an ungrateful child?! Do you have any respect for Xander or this family?"
Andy was equally enraged, his hands shaking.
"You even brought him home?! Today, I'll beat you to death! You're a disgrace to our family!"
Andy grew increasingly furious. He grabbed a golf club from the corner and swung at Wendy.
Wendy and Caleb kept dodging and explaining, but the elderly couple wouldn't listen. They called Caleb a homewrecker while hitting them both, turning the living room into chaos.
"He's not a homewrecker! I'm pregnant!" At a critical moment, Wendy suddenly screamed in tears.
The air froze.
The ruckus stopped abruptly. Even Caleb looked stunned.
I snorted.
Sure enough, Wendy's affair started even earlier than I thought.
Caleb told Wendy's parents pitifully, "Wendy and I are truly in love. I know it's not fair to Xander, but the baby is innocent. It's Wendy's first baby!"
As soon as he said this, Wendy firmly embraced Caleb from behind and looked at her parents.
"Mom, Dad, it was Caleb who cured my Sexual Arousal Disorder. We have to be grateful and repay him for his help! Don't listen to Xander!
"Besides, Caleb said he doesn't need to be my husband, he just wants to give me a child, so as long as Xander can be a little generous, our family will have a child.
"I never wanted to divorce Xander. He's just petty. You have to help me persuade him!"
Wendy's twisted logic slowly made Andy and Mary feel conflicted.
Clang!
Andy's golf club fell to the floor. The old man in his seventies clenched his teeth and stomped his feet in frustration.
That was because Wendy and I had been married for eight years without any children.
Old people really wanted grandchildren.
Mary looked back and forth between Caleb and me. In the end, she said to me with a frown, "Xander, can you..."
My in-laws, who were still filled with righteous indignation a second ago, now cast pleading looks my way. I found it absurd and laughable.
Wendy's mistake was not as important as a grandchild after all.
I smiled and reached into my bag for the divorce papers.
Wendy seemed to have gained confidence. She said, full of arrogance, "Stop making a fuss, Xander. Caleb said he's willing to take a step back. When I have the baby, you'll still be my husband and the baby's dad!
"You know I can't get aroused with you. Now that you've quit your job at the hospital, you can stay home and take care of me during the pregnancy. I'll give you a thousand dollars of extra allowance every month. The three of us can live in harmony together. How does that sound?"
Live in harmony with a cheating woman and her lover?
In her dreams!
I gave Wendy a sharp slap.
With a sneer, I said, "You and Caleb go ahead and live happily together!"
In front of the stunned people, I slammed the divorce certificate on the table.
"Wendy, we're already divorced. A thousand dollars is not enough. I want half your assets!"