After half an hour, Gregory deliberately provoked me by sending me a photo of him and Amelia soaking in a bubble-filled bathtub. They were holding their hands tightly together. There was also a faint mark on his ring finger where his wedding ring had been.

I stared at the screen, but to my surprise, I felt nothing. Instead, I found it hilarious.

After all, this was not the first time Gregory had cheated on me.

Two years ago, I caught him cheating on me for the first time.

I trembled in anger and shouted through gnashed teeth, “Divorce!”

At that time, I loved him wholeheartedly, and I was obsessed with him. I could not tolerate even the slightest betrayal.

He knelt at my feet and cried till dawn. He repeatedly swore that it was just a mistake.

I cried throughout the night, but I never backed down.

Gregory tried different ways to earn my forgiveness in the following month.

He took me to the restaurant where we had our first date. He flipped through the photo album of our university days and recalled details from the first time we met to the day we tied the knot. He even waited outside my office the entire day.

I eventually gave in when I saw how exhausted he looked.

To be fair, he really did do well during that time.

He even wrote me a letter of guarantee and kept me updated on his schedule, down to the minute. He also turned down business dinners to come home for meals.

Unfortunately, it did not last. In just less than half a year, I caught him cheating again with a company intern.

At that time, Gregory defended himself by saying that he was drunk and had mistaken the intern for me.

I said nothing. I merely looked at him with a cold smile. He flew into a fit of rage out of humiliation and slammed the door on his way out.

Ever since then, Gregory had become unrestrained with his cheating.

He stopped hiding it and did not even bother to make up any excuses.

He openly dated his mistresses and brought them home countless times.

I fell into self-doubt for a long period.

When I looked at myself in the mirror every morning, I would inevitably scrutinize my increasingly haggard appearance.

I began to notice loose skin and the fine lines around my eyes.

I wondered if I had lost all my charm.

I wondered if I was so boring that Gregory had to seek pleasure elsewhere over and over again.

Those thoughts were like serpents sinking their poisonous teeth into my every nerve.

I started to suffer from insomnia. Clumps of hair even gathered on my pillow and filled the sink.

The psychologist diagnosed me with severe depression. Those words stung.

I felt like I had been trapped inside a maze without an exit. Whenever I thought that I had finally found a way out, I would eventually bump into Gregory flirting with another woman.

Those memory fragments ran through my head so many times that I felt suffocated and wanted to scream in the middle of the night.

Worst of all, despite knowing that my marriage was hopeless, I still could not break free from this disgusting prison. It was as if I had been cast under a spell.

Whenever I made up my mind to leave Gregory, he would casually say this to me, “Dear, I’ll be home for dinner.” I would pathetically become hopeful again.

We fought many times. During the worst bout, I even used a knife on him.

I grabbed a fruit knife and pressed it against his neck. My voice was hoarse as I said, “Gregory, since you can’t keep yourself in check and stay faithful to me, we’ll get a divorce! You can enjoy your life while I can be free.”

I knew I was sick. Gregory drove me mad to the point that I was not myself anymore.

He sighed in exhaustion and gently pushed the knife away.

“Melody, stop making a scene. It won’t do you any good.

“I promise you that you’ll always be my wife. You’re my only legal wife.”

The most ridiculous part was that even my friends tried to talk me down.

“Gregory’s great at earning money. You should be grateful. He gives you all his money and keeps you in his heart. What more do you want?”

“It’s true that he flirts around with other women, but you’re still the one who matters the most to him. As a woman, you need to be more big-hearted. There’s no need to cause such a fuss over it.”

“Those are meaningless flings. None of the women surpasses you. Why must you keep picking a fight with him and making things hard for yourself? You’re not a kid anymore. Stop being obsessed with the idea of faithful love.”

Those words cut like a dull knife and slowly made me feel accustomed to my humiliating married life.

It took me a long time to finally admit the truth that Gregory did not love me anymore.

He was not the young man who used to make me blush or the one who held my hands tightly during our wedding while tearfully delivering his vows. That man was long gone. The man whom I had loved so deeply had already died the night he cheated on me the first time

Since then, Gregory was no more than just a stranger in his old skin.

The next morning, I called my former mentor, Professor Fiona.

“Professor Fiona, are you still looking for people to join your research expedition team? I would like to join your team.”

The person on the other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds.

When I graduated, Professor Fiona strongly encouraged me to join her research expedition team. It was one of the top research teams in the country. But it required year-round assignments at remote and harsh field bases.

Gregory held me in his arms and said, “Melody, I don’t want you to go so far away.” He swayed my arm playfully like a child. “Stay at home. I can take care of you.”

“Melody.” Professor Fiona’s voice brought me back to reality. “Have you considered this carefully? Life will be harsh in the team. Besides, there may be long stretches where you won’t be able to contact anyone.”

Professor Fiona paused for a moment.

“What about Gregory? Does he agree to let you go—”

“Professor Fiona,” I interrupted her and firmly said, “I’ve decided to file for a divorce.”

“What happened? Did you two have a fight?”

I nodded with a smile before shaking my head.

“Gregory cheats on me.”

“Are you sure you can give up your ten-year relationship?”

“There’s nothing I can’t give up.” I wiped my face. “Professor Fiona, I need to go as far away from here as possible.”

“Okay. You can come with me, Melody. I’ve been saving a spot for you all this time!”

I handed in my resignation letter to the company. My superior looked at me regrettably and said, “Melody, with how skilled you are, you’d be promoted to manager in no time. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider this?”

I shook my head with a smile.

I had reluctantly accepted this nine-to-five job to prove my ability to Gregory.

My dream was to join the research expedition team and travel around the country.

I sacrificed my dream in exchange for his betrayal. How foolish!

Gregory did not show his face for the next few days.

I sent him a message on WhatsApp, but he did not reply to me. I called him, but he did not answer my call either.

I needed to wrap up my work, so I was not in the mood to cajole him.

So, I finalized my departure date with Professor Fiona. We would leave after two weeks. On that day, I went to Gregory’s company.

When I pushed open the glass door of his office, I saw Amelia straddling him and kissing him. They appeared disheveled, and her blouse was mostly unbuttoned.

“It looks like I picked a bad time.” I closed the door calmly, but the sound snapped them out of their passion.

Amelia fumbled with her buttons, but her skirt had already slipped down to her calves.

She shot me a glare that was full of resentment and bluntly said, “Ever heard of knocking? Didn’t anyone teach you basic manners?”

Gregory said nothing and gave her a sidelong glance with a tinge of amusement.

He slowly adjusted his tie before the corners of his lips curled into a prideful smile.

“So, you’ve finally decided to come looking for me?”

He smacked Amelia on the butt and said in a teasing tone, “Babe, give us a minute. I need to have a little chat with my wife.”

Amelia glared at me again with resentment. Before she left, she purposely slammed the door.

“Missed me after just a couple of days?” Gregory leaned back in his office chair. “Like I always say, why cause a fuss like a kid? See. I just have to give you a few days to cool off, and you’d come running back to me­—”

However, I interrupted him calmly. “I want a divorce.”

Gregory’s hands froze in mid-air. He narrowed his eyes and stared at me. “Say that again.”

I looked him in the eye and enunciated every word, “I said, I want a divorce.”

Gregory let out a bark of laughter like he had just heard a ridiculous joke.

“Melody, when did you learn how to use such methods to get my attention?”

He moved closer to touch my face.

“I know I’ve neglected you recently. I’ll cancel all my appointments next week and take you to the Maldives. How does that sound?”

However, I took half a step back to avoid his touch. Gregory froze when he saw this.

Then, I took out the divorce agreement from my bag and handed it to him. He did not take it, though.

As such, I had no choice but to put the agreement on his office desk.

“I’m not joking around,” I said gently but with absolute firmness. “I don’t want to drag this out any longer. This agreement spells everything out. Our assets will be split fifty-fifty. Go through it. If you have no qualms about the arrangement, just sign it.”

Gregory rested his gaze on the agreement, and his pupils contracted.

He returned to his office chair and flipped through a few pages. Soon after, he snorted and tore it in half.

“So, you want a divorce, huh? Over my dead body!”

I rubbed my temples in exhaustion.

“Why make this harder than it already is? Once we’re divorced, you can even bring home a hundred women, and no one will care about it.”

“Melody.” He softened his tone as if he were comforting a child. “We’ve been together since we were in university. When I started my business and I was at my lowest, you were the one who stayed by my side.

“Those women are just meaningless flings. I’ve never thought of leaving you.”

He skirted around his office desk and came to me. The smell of post-intimacy and his cologne made me feel nauseous.

He made it sound so noble, as though he were a faithful man.

He was the one who had brought women home and made out in front of me. He even celebrated another woman’s birthday when I was having a high fever. He had betrayed me countless times. He was the one who hurt me the most, like stabbing a knife into my heart.

Ultimately, Gregory was just afraid of being labelled as a man who ditched his wife after gaining wealth.

He needed me as a cover to maintain his image as a successful entrepreneur.

Perhaps Gregory was trying to make it up to me after neglecting me for so long. He did something completely out of his character by staying at home over the next few days.

When I opened the door, I was surprised to see him wearing an apron and preparing meals inside the kitchen.

Nonetheless, Gregory was used to living a pampered life. He was very clumsy, and he even coughed from the smoke.

“What’s the meaning of this?” I leaned against the door frame and watched his performance coldly.

“Melody, I’ve been thinking a lot about the old days lately.”

He smiled gently at me, and it looked like he was lost in the past.

“At that time, we were very poor. But even sharing a bowl of pasta made us happy.”

When we first started the business, we tried to save every penny we could. So, we did not rent a place with a heater or air conditioner.

It was an extremely cold winter, but we curled up in bed and held each other to stay warm.

Summer was even worse. The nights felt like being in an oven. It would get so hot that Gregory could not fall asleep. Hence, I stayed up all night to fan him so that he could sleep better.

We had been through so many hardships together. But after those hard times were over, what I received in return was endless betrayal.

How dare he even bring up the past?!

The more beautiful the memories we had in the past, the more resentment I held toward the man he had become.

Gregory was still caught up in nostalgia, and he lamented, “We were so happy back then—”

However, I interrupted him coldly. “Happy? You’re ruining the meaning of the word! Don’t you find it hilarious to talk about this now? You might as well just sign the divorce agreement.”

Gregory snorted. “It’s like I told you. Don’t even think about getting a divorce.”

There was a hint of confusion in his tone as he raised his voice. “I really don’t get it. We’ve made it through the toughest times together. We finally have everything now, and this is when you want a divorce?

“Do we really have to let it get to this state? Tell me. What do you want me to do to make you happy?”

“Sign the divorce agreement. Once we’re divorced, I’ll be happy.”

Gregory smashed the stainless-steel spatula on the stovetop, and the tiles cracked.

His expression darkened, and he pursed his lips. Just when I thought he was about to explode, he laughed.

“Fine. Let’s drag this out. After all, I’ve got all the time in the world to play your game.”

What Gregory could never understand was that the bond between us was broken beyond repair.

With that, our conversation ended on a sour note.

As if to get back at me, Gregory acted more recklessly. He went so far as to have Amelia stay with us in the house.

It looked like he was determined to provoke me.

They indulged in their wild and unrestrained behavior in the living room, dining area, and even the study.

One time, I pushed open the kitchen door and saw Gregory pinning Amelia against the fridge and kissing her. She gave me a provocative glance and deliberately let out a sultry moan.

I could not have been more familiar with witnessing such scenes. I simply pushed the duo aside and walked away after grabbing a bottle of Coke from the fridge.

Gregory grew angrier when he saw how unconcerned I was.

Unfortunately for him, his plan did not work out as he had expected.

I had already packed my luggage, and I was about to head off to the base the next day. I had no time or energy to spare for the duo in heat who could not keep their hands off each other.

On the morning of my departure, I got up early.

Gregory and Amelia had enjoyed their time from night to dawn. They were probably fast asleep at this moment.

I placed a freshly printed stack of the divorce agreement on the coffee table in the living room.

Gregory had torn a copy of the agreement last time, but it was fine. I would print another ten copies for each copy he tore.

I carefully closed the door so that I would not wake them up.

After all, we were previously a couple. As his ex-wife, I believed that the least I could do was allow him and his lover to sleep in peace.

The sun cast a warm glow on my luggage with the emblem of the research expedition team. It was a soaring eagle with its wings spread wide.

I touched the emblem.

For years, I had been an eagle with broken wings and trapped in a cage.

At this very moment, I could finally spread my wings and soar into the vast sky.