I truly questioned my standing in Shawn's life at this moment.

I had never once witnessed him make such a worried expression, despite being married to him for eight years.

I even broke my leg while saving him from an oncoming car once, yet he didn't express an ounce of worry, only insulting me and implying that the injury was my deserved punishment.

Yet now, Yvonne had merely staged a minor fall, and Shawn was frantic enough to immediately dial the emergency line. Perhaps he genuinely had feelings for Yvonne.

I had no desire to dwell on that anymore, though. "I'll have my lawyer deliver the divorce agreement tomorrow morning, so let's call it a day and go our separate ways, Shawn."

I simply walked out of the office after saying that, not once looking back.

I felt the cool breeze around me as soon as I stepped outside, making me shiver as I walked.

All of a sudden, I felt a void inside, as if I had suddenly been left without a home.

Unbothered, Shawn returned home utterly intoxicated that night, stumbling in well after midnight.

"Let's do it in the bathroom tonight, Yvonne…"

I had just opened the door when Shawn stumbled and collapsed into my embrace, the heavy, obnoxious scent of perfume immediately assaulting my senses.

I felt nothing but utter nausea when he pressed his lips to my neck. I instantly pushed him away with considerable force.

Having no one to lean on, Shawn staggered before hitting the floor. He then whined loudly, asking, "Why did you push me away, Yvonne? Do you no longer care for me since you're with child now?"

He sounded injured and deeply heartbroken. "You can't do this to me! You still have to love me more than you love him, even if he is my son!"

I thought my ears were failing me. "W-What? What did you just say, Shawn?"

"I'm talking about our baby, Yvonne. You surely haven't forgotten that night we spent…" Shawn mumbled, trailing off in his drunken recollection.

I had assumed Shawn had lost all ability to provoke me while in such a state.

Yet, in that instant, I completely lost all reason. I gripped his collar tightly and questioned him like a madwoman.

"I have always wanted a baby while we were married over the years, yet you always claimed that a baby would derail your career. I foolishly believed your excuses this whole time!

"How could you just turn around and knock Yvonne up? You made a complete fool out of me, Shawn! How could you even live with yourself?"

Shawn offered no response whatsoever. He was too far gone, completely out of it while under the influence of alcohol.

I was the only one in the entire living room, whispering, sobbing, and repeatedly demanding an answer to the same question.

Shawn had collapsed and was already sound asleep on the floor by now.

I, on the other hand, had gradually calmed down, my voice raw from all the sobbing.

It was then that Shawn's phone pinged with two incoming messages. I happened to catch sight of my name on the screen. I immediately unlocked the phone to read the messages.

Shawn had sent, "You don't have to be afraid of Leslie. I'll simply tell her that the baby was adopted once he's born, and she'll surely raise the baby for us, Yvonne."

Yvonne replied, "You shouldn't divorce Leslie for now, then. Otherwise, we'll have no one to raise the baby. If not, we could always have an abortion. I really can't be bothered with raising a child."

I wiped away my tears after reading the messages and let out a chilling, humorless laugh. "I gave you my all for eight years. I helped you secure your business and boost your standing. Is this how you're going to repay me? By betraying and conspiring to deceive me? Your easy life is coming to an end, Shawn!"

That very night, I gathered all my belongings and left the home that belonged to Shawn and me.

I would never set foot here again. I was resolved to let that place serve as the tomb for my naive and ridiculous love.

I drove straight back to my parents' place that night, arriving to the heartwarming sight of my parents, who had kept the house lit up while waiting for my arrival.

"Why are you all by yourself, Leslie? Where’s Shawn?" Mom peered around while asking, confirming that I was indeed the only person stepping out of the car.

I let out a deep sigh, my eyes reflecting undeniable weariness. "I'm divorcing Shawn, Mom."

"Huh?" Mom and Dad were both visibly astonished.

Dad quickly composed himself, saying, "It's probably for the best that you're getting divorced. I could always see the greed and opportunism in that man's eyes, so maintaining a long-term relationship with someone like him was only ever going to hurt you."

I married Shawn despite Mom and Dad's strong objections back then, foolishly believing in the depth of our relationship.

I only realized now that I had been deliberately deceiving myself all along.

"You should hurry up and come in, Leslie. I'll make you some lasagna," Mom said. She then led me into the house, and soon after, I was enjoying a serving of steaming lasagna.

Dad asked, "It must be incredibly exhausting managing all those companies, right?"

I replied, "It wasn't that bad, Dad."

I deliberately concealed my true identity to protect Shawn's strong, competitive ego all these years.

He simply saw me as a woman who was exceptionally capable of acquiring business contacts. He remained utterly unaware that those connections he valued so highly were, in fact, properties belonging to the Reed family.

I was perfectly willing to let the Reed family incur minor losses through our collaborations, all in order to boost his performance. I did it all just to help him fulfill his aggressive and competitive professional aspirations.

That said, I no longer needed to tolerate his ever-growing ego since he had betrayed me. I fully intended to watch him try to fend for himself in the brutal business world now that his primary support was gone.

…

It was the following day, and Shawn didn't even pay any mind to my absence, assuming that I would throw a fit for two days and then return home.

However, he was briefly taken aback upon reaching the company and being handed the divorce agreement.

"I'll sign those damn papers, then! I'm sure she wouldn't actually have the nerve to go through with the divorce, though!"

In the afternoon, Reed Group sent out an impromptu announcement, ordering all top executives to congregate in Bridgeport for an emergency meeting.

Meanwhile, I was enjoying a peaceful afternoon, leisurely settled in a cafe near the Reed residence, sipping coffee while listening to a high-end property agent detail available luxury villas.

Oscar was sitting right across from me.

I asked, "Are any of the villas to your liking? I'll pay the full amount for you right now, and the deed can be transferred to you as early as tomorrow."

"Have you finally figured things out and become generous enough to spend money on me, Ms. Reed?" Oscar teased.

I playfully punched him on the shoulder, saying, "You ought to give it a break. Have I ever skimped on you, Oscar?"

Oscar pouted slightly, brushing off my comment with a look of indifference. "Have you really made up your mind about divorcing Shawn?"

I hummed in assent.

Oscar exclaimed, "That's wonderful! You should definitely consider me once you're single, Leslie!"

"Huh?"

I was still pondering Oscar's remark when my phone suddenly rang.

The voice on the other end said, "What the hell are you playing at, Leslie?"