I dropped Emily off at her home first.

I wasn't someone who liked to expose my personal matters to others. So, over the years, I hadn't uttered a single word about any issues between Hank and me to her.

When I got home, Hank and Selena were sitting on the sofa with serious expressions on their faces.

Hank tried to put on a smile upon seeing me, but it disappeared when he saw the divorce agreement in my hand.

"Yara, Selena and I really didn't cross any boundaries. Will you forgive me this time, please?"

Before I could say anything, Selena stood up stiffly.

"Yara, we made a mistake, but Hank and I have just started. I promise that I will never meet Hank again.

"I... I never thought of destroying your family..."

After just two sentences, she started crying, her shoulders trembling, and she looked like a delicate little white flower.

Hank's feet shifted slightly, as if he wanted to comfort her. But considering I was there, he stood stiffly in place with his thin lips tightly pursed.

I stared at the two of them in amazement.

I hadn't even said anything yet, but they made me feel like a nasty old woman who was trying to break up a couple.

Wow, they were really good.

I held my forehead and sat down on the sofa, trying to look nice.

"I don't mean to blame anyone. I am a very democratic person. Since you two genuinely like each other, I am happy to support you.

"As for this..."

I glanced at the two of them and handed the divorce agreement to Hank.

"Don't worry, I won't fight for the property. Our marital property will be divided equally."

But it was obvious that the two of them were not on the same page as me. They still believed I was angry with them.

As soon as I finished speaking, they both knelt down in front of me without hesitation.

If I hadn't been sitting down, I would have probably jumped out of sight from fear.

"Honey, I'm sorry, I truly realize my mistake. You can hit me if it makes you feel better. I'll do anything you want as long as you calm down.

"I brought Selena here to end things once and for all right in front of you.

"Honey, I don't want a divorce. I love you and can't live without you."

Hank, with a teary voice, was about to cling onto my thighs and wipe his tears if I hadn't dodged quickly enough.

Selena went even further. She slapped herself twice, and her entire face turned red.

"It's my fault, I'm despicable. It was me who seduced Hank. Yara, please forgive him.

"Your six-year relationship surely won't fall apart because of such a small matter, right?"

Looking at Selena's tearful eyes, I wanted to yell at the sky.

Why was this different from what I had imagined?

Shouldn't the mistress want us to get a divorce? Why was she still helping Hank make excuses?

Alright, since you thought I was angry, I decided to create a scene.

I stood up abruptly, slammed the divorce agreement on the table, and yelled, "You are unfaithful, why should I forgive you? Feeling disgusted with myself every day after forgiving you?

"Hank, if you really love me, just sign it, and we'll go our separate ways from now on."

Hank looked at me with teary eyes, his lips trembling. And after a moment, he finally spoke.

"Honey, if you really can't accept it, you can have an affair too. And then we'll be even and can live our lives peacefully, okay?"

What?

His words felt like thunders were crashing all around me, leaving me extremely shocked.

I could never have imagined that Hank, a well-educated man, would say something like this.

What did I do to deserve this?

Unfortunately, he didn't agree to divorce.

But it didn't matter. I had evidence of his cheating. If it really came to that, I could file for divorce.

But I was someone who cherished friendships!

Due to the relationship between our families, if it could be avoided, I was unwilling to take that step.

So two days later, I met with Selena alone again.

Selena seemed much more normal this time.

She was confident, and even carrying a hint of arrogance in her demeanor.

"Yara, why do you want from me?"

I ignored her attitude, took a sip of coffee, and got straight to the point.

"Don't you want Hank to divorce me and marry you?"

Selena curled her lips and said neatly, "No."

There were so many words stuck in my throat, and I felt deeply frustrated.

"Wait, isn't the ultimate goal of a mistress to become the legal wife? Why would you want to be a mistress if you don't want to replace me?"

"No. At least Hank is not the one I want to marry."

"Why? Hank is handsome and rich."

"He's a chatterbox."

"He is thoughtful and caring."

"He's a chatterbox."

...

Fine, I lost.

Hank's chatter was really scary.

Before getting married, I thought he just enjoyed sharing things with me. It was not until we lived together after marriage that I realized Hank's nagging was reflected in all aspects of life.

For example, one time when we were driving on the highway, he was like the controller in the passenger seat.

One moment he wanted me to step on the brakes, then he wanted me to turn the steering wheel. Sometimes he wanted me to pay attention to road signs, sometimes he wanted me to maintain distance...

The most frustrating part was that he didn't even know how to drive. Whenever we went out, either I drove or we had a chauffeur.

He annoyed me for two hours that day. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I stopped on the emergency lane and slapped him. Then I drove him to the back seat.

It was the same at home as well.

Especially when I was working, he would sit beside me and recount every detail from his start of work to the end of the day, regardless of the occasion.

I was a person who enjoys peace, but as time went on, I became more and more afraid of being in the same space with him.

"Then why do you like him?"

Thinking of those, I unwillingly argued again.

Selena rolled her eyes and said, "Of course it's because of money. Your husband is very generous in buying things and even more generous in giving money."

She made a valid point, but I couldn't accept it.

"Those are our joint property. Aren't you afraid that I will reclaim what rightfully belongs to me?

"I don't care. You went after him, so you have to take responsibility for this. It's unfair that both of you get what you want while leaving only me disgusted."

Probably because she didn't expect my outburst, Selena's mouth hung open in surprise.

After a while, she sighed and said, "Honestly, I really can't help you with this.

"Hank's father is not good at socializing, the Shaw Group has no strong backing, and it is facing increasing difficulties. The only source of profit for the Shaw family now is the company you and Hank have been maintaining since your marriage. And it's you and your father who have brought profit to this company.

"Think about it, under these circumstances, can Hank really leave you?"

What a clever mistress!

I straightened my back and my expression became much more serious.

"How do you know all of this?"

"Investigation. Do you think I did it aimlessly? Let me tell you this, if your family had a son, I might have considered becoming related to you."

I laughed and said, "With such a smart mind, being a mistress is truly a waste of talent."

"Well, everyone has their own aspirations. Here's some advice for you, your husband is not as innocent as he seems."

After saying this, Selena stood up and trotted away like a fluttering butterfly.

I was left with one hand supporting my head, sighing helplessly.

"Do we really have to file for divorce?"

After parting ways with Selena, I headed straight to my parents' house.

Aside from discussing the divorce with them, I also wanted to verify the situation of Hank's family.

When my parents heard that I wanted a divorce, their eyes widened until I showed them the photo of Hank and Selena kissing.

My mother got angry and slapped my father.

"I told you not to arrange this marriage, I told you! Look at this, our daughter is unhappy."

"When did I ever say anything about arranging a marriage? It was you who said you and Maria were close friends, and you watched Hank grow up, so he's reliable..."

My dad blinked his eyes, lacking confidence in his voice.

Seeing that my mother was about to continue, I immediately gestured for her to stop.

"I'm not blaming you guys. Getting married was my own choice, and if it wasn't the right one, then getting a divorce is the solution. Besides, Hank and I don't have any kids, so there's not too much trouble to divorce now."

My dad sighed. "It's not about that, it's just I can't believe Hank would betray you."

I shrugged and asked about another thing.

Speaking of Hank's father Howard, my father's face was filled with indescribable expression.

"Howard... I don't even know what to say about him. I introduced him to my connections, but he said that he wasn't good at flattering others. So, all the connections I've built over the years were just based on flattery?

"That company of his is barely holding on. Every year, Hank uses the dividends from your small company to fill the gaps for Howard. How long do you think it will last?

"These days, who doesn't rely on connections to do business? Not to mention his family is a traditional business."

I felt a little sad.

In fact, over the past few years of running the company with Hank, I noticed that he had the same flaw.

He didn't enjoy dealing with clients or being the "bad guy," so I ended up handling most of the company affairs.

All these years, I never took any of his dividends, but I didn't expect that they all went to his father's company.

Well, if I did divorce him, would the entire Shaw Group collapse in an instant?

It was truly distressing!

I nudged my father.

"Dad, if I divorce Hank, would you still support him?"

A trace of pity flickered across my mother's face, but she remained silent.

My dad glanced at me and said, "It depends on you."

Hearing this, I clapped my hands and jumped up.

"Alright then, I'll go back and have a good talk with Hank. If we can part ways amicably, our families can still be friends."

To my surprise, when I returned home, I found Hank sitting on the sofa with a gloomy expression on his face.

Hearing the door open, he looked at me and questioned me in a hoarse voice.

"You went to your parents' house? Did you tell them about me and Selena?"

I frowned in displeasure at his tone.

"How did you know?

"Well, if we're getting divorced, I thought I should inform my parents."

Hearing my response, Hank reacted extremely strongly. He swept all the objects on the table to the ground.

"Why do we have to get divorced? Do you have someone else?

"I'm already so desperate, why won't you just forgive me?"

I keenly felt that something wasn't right with Hank's state of mind, I cautiously stepped back towards the door.

"Hank, calm down, we are still in the negotiation stage."

But Hank's full attention was on me, and my retreat also irritated him.

He suddenly stood up from the sofa and ran towards me, yelling, "Why are you running? Are you going to find another man?"

I quickly turned around and tried to twist the doorknob, but due to nervousness, I failed to open the door several times.

When I finally opened the door, he had already grabbed my hair.

"Hank, calm down."

Hank didn't respond to my begging.

He kicked the door shut, dragged me into the bedroom and threw me on the bed.

Before I could get up, he forcefully pinned me down, reeking of alcohol.

"Let's have a baby, if we have a child, you won't want to divorce."