After Calvin’s older brother passed away, he devoted himself to taking care of his brother’s wife and daughter.

He justified it by saying that ‘family should look out for each other.’

To others, the three of them looked just like a close, happy family.

When my mother was on her deathbed, he was busy comforting his sister-in-law, who had been brought to tears by her own son.

I knelt on the floor, crying and begging him, “My mom is dying. Please, just visit her one last time, I am begging you!”

However, Calvin’s voice was ice-cold as he snapped back, “Tell your mom to die later! I am busy!”

I waited for two whole hours, and in the end, my mother never got to see her son-in-law one last time.

Broken and exhausted, I finally asked for a divorce. “Why don’t the three of you just stay together and enjoy your happy little family.”

After my mother’s funeral, Calvin and I barely spoke. The air between us was heavy and every word was stuck in our throats.

Today was the seventh day after her passing, the day we were supposed to visit her grave according to tradition. However, Calvin went straight to his sister-in-law’s house early in the morning and did not come back all day.

It had been eight hours since I texted him at noon, asking if he would go to the cemetery with me. There was no reply, not even a single call.

This was not the first time Calvin abandoned me because of his sister-in-law, Lexi.

It did not matter if we were on a date, out shopping, eating, or even in the middle of making love, one call from his sister-in-law, and he would leave me without a second thought.

He always said his brother’s death left behind a poor widow and an orphan, and that it was his responsibility to take care of them.

I told myself that if Calvin ever crossed a line with Lexi, I would leave.

However, he denied it every time I confronted him, claiming that I was just imagining things.

I tried to find a balance, some way where he could fulfill his brother’s dying wish to look after them without destroying our own life together.

Still, it was useless.

I thought I had already grown numb to it. Yet what happened seven days ago broke me completely.

My mother had been tortured by illness for years before she finally passed away a week ago.

Before she passed, she kept looking toward the door. I knew she was waiting to see her son-in-law one last time.

I ran out to the hospital stairwell and begged Calvin to come, but he pushed me aside impatiently.

“My mom’s dying. Please, just visit her one last time. I am begging you!” I cried, kneeling on the cold floor.

However, his voice was ice cold. “Tell your mom to die later! I am busy!”

What was he busy with? Comforting his sister-in-law, who was upset after arguing with her son.

I wiped my tears, splashed water on my face in the bathroom, and forced a big smile when I went back to my mom’s bedside.

“Calvin’s just finishing up an important meeting call. He will be here soon, Mom. Just hang on a little longer.”

She waited two more hours. Then she closed her eyes for the last time and was wheeled to the morgue.

The man who once swore he would treat my mother like his own missed both her last moments and her seventh-day memorial.

I sat on the cold hospital floor for what felt like forever. My tears had already dried when Calvin finally showed up.

He crouched in front of me. Guilt was all over his face.

“Yvette, I will apologize to Mom tomorrow. Do not be mad.”

“Let’s get a divorce.”

“What?!”

Calvin frowned at me. “I get that you’re angry, but don’t say things you don’t mean.”

I looked at his handsome face with detached eyes, too tired to explain that this was not anger talking.

After a long silence, he finally spoke again.

“Can’t we just talk this through? Why do you always jump to divorce whenever you are upset? It is not like I have done anything unforgivable.”

I put on a cold, mocking smile. “Think about it. How many times have you ditched me over Lexi’s trivial problems? You even skipped my mom’s final moments just to comfort her.”

“So, this is still about my sister-in-law? Are you really that petty?” Calvin cut me off, irritation rising in his voice. “Yvette, you are a woman yourself! Can’t you understand how difficult it is for her to raise a child alone?”

“Hah!” I could not hold back a sharp laugh.

Lexi got millions in compensation and savings from my brother-in-law’s death. Calvin would also send her plenty of money every month, and his mother helped her raise the kid. What hardship did she really have?

Perhaps it was my cold laugh that finally set Calvin off. In a burst of anger, he slammed the glass to the floor.

“Can’t you be more forgiving? I fell for you because you were kindhearted. How did you turn into someone so small-minded? I’m only helping my sister-in-law. What are you imagining in that head of yours?”

“Calvin, any brother-in-law who goes this far would make people suspicious.”

His body stiffened, and he glared at me with rage. “Not everyone’s mind is as filthy as yours!”

I had nothing left to say. I turned back to the bedroom and pulled out the suitcase I had already packed.

He blocked the doorway. There was finally a hint of panic flashing across his eyes.

“Yvette, I was wrong. Please, don’t go…

“I know I messed up, but I’ll change. From now on, I’ll do whatever you want… okay, honey?”

For the first time, Calvin was truly desperate. He clung to my waist, buried his face in my shoulder. His voice trembled on the edge of tears.

“I promised your mother I’d take good care of you. Just give me one more chance, I swear I’ll make her proud. I know you’ve suffered all these years. I’ll make it up to you.”

The word suffered broke something inside me. I started sobbing uncontrollably.

So, he did know how much I had endured? Then why had he always accused me of being unreasonable?

My body shook as I beat my fists against his chest.

“This is your last chance. If you ever do this again, I really will divorce you.”

However, the very next morning, Lexi rang, sobbing on the other end of the line.

“Calvin, Ben won’t listen to me. Please talk to him.”

I stared at Calvin, holding my breath, and it was not until he refused Lexi that I finally felt the weight lift off me.

Pleased with himself, he looked at me like he was expecting praise. I wrapped my arms around his head, kissed him on both cheeks, and said, “Good job! That’s how it should be.”

“All right, whatever my wife says.”

Nevertheless, not long after, Lexi called again, sobbing into the phone. Her crying grated on my nerves.

Just as I was about to tell him to hang up, Calvin gave me a troubled look.

“Yvette, I’ll just go over there for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

Of course.

The sharp sting in my chest made my eyes burn.

“Do you remember what you said last night?”

“I remember. I’ll be back soon. I’ll give Benjamin a good lesson, so he stops bothering us, all right?”

He had said things like this many times before. Never once had he kept his word. All he had done was make my forgiveness worthless.

“Calvin, I’m pregnant.” I pulled his hand to my stomach.

“Really?” His voice carried doubt.

I nodded, but he only gave me a stern look, then said with crushing disappointment,

“Yvette, if you don’t want me to go, just say so. Don’t make up lies.”

All of a sudden, I could not help but find it ironic. Walking to the door, I swung it open.

“Then get out.”

He looked at me with that same mixture of disappointment and pleading, as though he was begging me not to be unreasonable.

Clinging to the last shred of hope, I spoke again, “I really am pregnant. We can go to the hospital right now to check. But if you walk out that door today, don’t ever expect me to give you another chance.”

He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he called his assistant to come watch over me.

Not wanting to make his assistant uncomfortable, I went straight to the study, turned on my laptop, and started looking for a divorce lawyer.

This time, Calvin came home faster than usual. However, to my shock, I heard voices outside. They were Lexi’s and Benjamin’s.

Calvin brought his sister-in-law and nephew back home.

“Yvette, come out. I have asked Lexi and Benjamin to stay with us for a while, to keep you company. What do you think?”

The way Calvin dressed up his words, so righteous and dignified, only made me sick to my stomach.

I stayed silent, refusing to come out. He knocked on the door a few times before finally using the spare key to open the study.

From the hallway, Lexi spoke in a gentle voice, “Yvette, Benjamin’s been too naughty lately, so I thought I’d stay here for a while and let Calvin help me discipline him. If you really do not want me here, I will just leave the child and go back.

“Please do not be mad. I really do not have any other choice. Do not blame me for being such a burden as your sister-in-law.”

Her voice broke into quiet sobs. Calvin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning down to comfort her in that gentle voice of his.

He frowned as he wiped her tears with his fingertips, the other hand possessively cradling the back of her head.

Lexi tilted her face up toward him. Their distance shrank to nothing; their eyes locked in a lingering gaze.

If I had not been standing there, they would have kissed.

“Get out! Both of you! Stop crying at my door and get out!”

I furiously grabbed two books and hurled them at the doorway. By sheer misfortune, one of them hit Lexi squarely on the forehead.

When Calvin saw the mark on her face, he completely lost it.

He strode over, yanked me out from behind the desk, and shoved me in front of Lexi.

“Yvette, apologize to her!”

I froze for a moment, staring blankly into his furious eyes.

Why was he so angry? He was the one who went back on his word.

When I did not answer, Calvin pushed me again. His voice was icy cold, and he kept on reminding me to apologize.

Lexi covered her forehead. Her eyes were red and forced a gentle smile at Calvin.

“Forget it, it does not hurt that much. It is our fault. We did not talk to Yvette first before moving in. That was rude of us. I just did not think…”

Her words trailed off as tears streamed down her face. She looked at Calvin, shaking her head with a forced smile.

Calvin said nothing. He shot me a glance before tending to Lexi’s wound with practiced hands.

After soothing her, he turned to me, speaking in a lecturing tone,

“I should have talked to you first, that is my fault. But we are all family. Now that they are here, what is the harm in letting them stay? Yvette, do you really have to make such a scene?

“Your sister-in-law just thought you were grieving your mom and wanted to keep you company. She meant well.”

“I do not need it! Who knows what her real intentions are!”

“Look at yourself. You are acting like some jealous shrew, imagining things out of thin air! Yvette, I will say this one last time. Apologize!”

I ignored him, turned toward the bedroom, and started packing my bags. He stood by, watching, as minute after minute passed and his patience wore thin.

Then he stormed over, kicked my packed suitcase aside, and under my furious gaze, pulled out his phone and threatened, “Think carefully. If you walk out that door, forget about ever getting your hands on the painting of the Cat Beneath the Blossoms!”

I sucked in a sharp breath. I could not believe he was threatening me with that painting. He knew better than anyone what it meant to me.

My father had been a collector and restorer of calligraphy and paintings. When I was ten, he began restoring The Cat Beneath the Blossoms. I used to sit quietly beside him, watching with fascination. That painting held so many memories of us. However, it was stolen not long after his death.

My hands trembled as I stared at Calvin. “You found it?”

“Yes, so listen to me. Stop talking about divorce, and I will give it to you.”

In the end, I swallowed my pride and apologized to Lexi just for the sake of that painting. I said nothing more about leaving.