In the fifth year of our life in America, my husband, Benjamin Sanders, brought Nora Burke and her son straight to our home.

"Nora and her son are new here. They'll stay with us for a while."

We had a huge fight over this.

On my birthday, Benjamin handed me divorce papers, saying,

"Sign it quickly, Nora needs a visa, and it'll only be a temporary divorce."

I frowned, trying to understand.

But Benjamin pointed at me and accused me of being heartless.

Not long after, I saw Nora's post on Facebook:

"Ben is divorcing for me and the child! Finally, we have a place to call home."

Without a word, I liked the post, signed the divorce papers, and applied to return to the UK.

When my manager, Arlette Hernandez, saw my application, she seemed surprised.

"Kiara, you worked so hard to move here. Why do you want to go back now?"

I lowered my head with a bitter smile.

"My parents are back home; it's better if I go back."

Just then, Benjamin pushed the door open and walked in.

Upon hearing this, he frowned.

"Who's going back?"

I didn't answer, finished my chat with Arlette, and hung up.

Turning around, I found Benjamin staring at me intently.

"Who did you say is going back?"

I brushed him off, "A colleague is applying to return."

Benjamin smirked.

"I thought you were applying to go back."

"But then again, you worked so hard to be with me, how could you bear to leave?"

With that, he reached out to put his arm around my waist.

"Darling, once Nora gets the visa, let's have a child."

Benjamin has always been like this with me, sweet after sour.

But this time, I no longer cared for the sweetness.

I pushed him away, my voice cold, "We'll talk about this later."

Benjamin was surprised, then softened his tone.

"I'm not used to you not fighting with me. I thought you'd never let this go."

His words felt deeply ironic.

A couple, tearing each other apart over a stranger.

I let out a laugh.

"After all the fighting, I'm just exhausted."

Hearing this, Benjamin started to complain about our past arguments over Nora.

Saying I didn't understand him.

Saying every fight broke his heart.

That's always been Benjamin.

Testing limits.

Every time I gave a little, he'd take more.

For years, I was the one making concessions.

He wanted to move to the U.S., and I left my parents, applied to work here.

He said he wasn’t ready for kids, and I handled pressure from my parents, claiming the decision was mine.

Yet all my efforts meant nothing with one word from Nora.

I stood up, looking at him calmly.

"We won't fight anymore."

Benjamin looked at me with satisfaction.

"That's good. Nora and I are just friends. Don't get jealous over nothing."

"If..."

I followed his lead,

"If anything happened between us, you'd be the first to know."

I had heard this countless times.

Benjamin nodded, pleased.

"As long as you understand."

I responded simply, "I should've understood earlier."

I should've realized long ago that I meant less to Benjamin than Nora.

Just then, a child's voice called from outside.

"Daddy... Daddy..."

"Come play cars with me, Mom is terrible at it."

Benjamin instinctively stood up, responding as he moved toward the door. Suddenly, he turned back to me.

"I'll be with Jalen for a bit. He's just a kid, and Nora..."

I cut him off.

"No need to explain, I trust you."

Benjamin paused, said "Glad you trust me," and went out.

Nora's son had called Benjamin "Daddy" since they moved in.

I once told him I didn't like it.

Benjamin snapped at me,

"Kiara Long, where's your compassion? Jalen is just a kid, and it's already a shame he doesn't have a father."

Every time I heard Jalen call him that, I felt a pang inside.

But this time, there was nothing at all.

I touched my heart.

A broad smile spread across my lips.

It turns out once you decide not to love him, you no longer get hurt.

Joyful laughter and playful shouts floated in from outside. I could hear Jalen calling "Dad" repeatedly, with Benjamin responding tenderly each time. I listened to the lively sounds while mulling over upcoming plans. The time flew by, and suddenly, my phone rang. It was my mom.

"Did you have some cake on your birthday today?" Ava asked with genuine concern, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything yet. Before hanging up, she worriedly asked when I'd be coming back home. In the five years since moving abroad, my visits had been scarce. Initially, this was due to an unstable job situation, but later, Benjamin said traveling back and forth was too much trouble.

As I stepped out of the room, Jalen suddenly flung a toy at me. "You're bad! Why are you in my house? Are you taking my dad away again?" Before I could reply, Nora swiftly crouched down to apologize. "Sorry, Kiara, he's just a kid. Don’t take it to heart."

Benjamin, standing nearby with a guarded expression, cut in, "It's nothing to worry about, no need for apologies. Jalen wouldn't act this way if he hadn't been scared before." He spoke while positioning himself protectively with Nora and her son. "Kiara Long, holding a grudge against a five-year-old would be pretty low, even for me."

I stayed silent, feeling the blame fall squarely on me. "Carry on, I just need to grab something." Opening the fridge, I realized the cake I'd meticulously prepared was gone. A quick glance at the living room revealed the remnants—a messy cake smeared across the table. Benjamin noticed my gaze but appeared unbothered. "Oh, was that your cake? Jalen said he didn’t like the taste and left it. If you’d like, I can get another one for you."

I tossed my mangled cake into the trash, keeping my tone even. "No need." Then, I headed for the door. Benjamin soon caught up with me, asking, "Kiara Long, where are you going?"

His question puzzled me. It was unusual for Benjamin to leave Nora and follow me outside. "Why are you trailing me?" This surprised him. In the past, his pursuit would have made me ecstatic, forgiving him anything. But now, his expression faltered, perhaps thrown by my indifferent attitude.

"I... I saw you leaving without saying anything, and I was concerned," he mumbled.

I shrugged casually, "I’m just going out to find something to eat."

At that moment, Nora and Jalen approached. "Kiara, Jalen said he wants pizza. Why not join us? Consider it an apology from me." "I don't like..." I began, but Benjamin cut me off, accepting the invitation for me and told me to grab the car.

Having already decided to leave, I chose to avoid an argument with Benjamin, so I obliged and went to the garage. When I drove out, Benjamin climbed into the backseat with Nora and Jalen. It wasn't until we were on the road that he seemed to realize this and awkwardly explained, "Jalen's just really attached to me, so I..."

Watching them through the rearview mirror, they looked every bit the happy family, prompting me to interrupt Benjamin, irritated. "You all make a nice picture together. Plus, you know the front seat can be dangerous."

My comment seemed to catch Benjamin off guard. During a previous argument, he had said nearly the same thing about the front seat with frustration, "Why so worked up about the front seat? It's not even safe." The rest of the drive, I was an observer, detached from their cheerful camaraderie, in my own car.