My wife, Emma Davies, and I have held our wedding and stayed together for five years. However, we still have not registered our marriage.

Every time we plan to do it, her colleague, Keegan Estrada, somehow causes trouble.

The first time, he cannot handle a document, so she eagerly stays at the company to help him.

The second time, he has a fever. She hangs up and leaves without hesitation.

The third time, he is undergoing his performance evaluation. She gets so anxious that she leaves me waiting at the City Hall for an entire day.

This happens 15 times in total. Every time we are about to register our marriage, Keegan will always have something going on that disrupts it.

I finally understand. I do not want to waste my time on Emma anymore.

But when I walk away for real, she chases after me desperately to the point that she even disregards her own life.

Nathan's POV

Today marked Emma Davies' and my fifth wedding anniversary, as well as the 15th time we were supposed to register our marriage.

We had planned to go to my favorite restaurant for lunch, then head to City Hall afterward.

However, when I finished my work and rushed to the restaurant, I found a large crowd of people.

I froze, my expression turning dark. I looked at Emma, my eyes full of questions.

"Nathan, you're here."

Emma waved at me. "Keegan landed a big deal today. Everyone wanted to celebrate, but they couldn't get a reservation, so I just brought them along. It's just a meal anyway. It'll be lively with more people."

Her words made my chest tighten.

It had taken me two weeks to get a reservation at this place, just because it was the only restaurant in Aldrath that made Emma's favorite cuisine.

I wanted to make our anniversary perfect.

And yet, she… didn't seem to care at all.

"Hey, Nathan! I didn't want to interrupt your romantic date, but Emma insisted on helping me celebrate. You're not mad, are you?"

Emma's colleague, Keegan Estrada, flashed me a grin.

"It's fine." I shook my head, forcing my disappointment down.

"Come on, sit down," Keegan urged but didn't offer to move so that I could sit next to Emma.

I had no choice but to sit across from them.

"Emma, this meat's too fatty. I don't want it," Keegan said, smiling at Emma.

Without a second thought, Emma grabbed the piece he'd left on his plate and popped it into her mouth.

She didn't even look up, as though she'd done it a thousand times before.

Seeing that, I couldn't help but feel a sharp pang in my chest.

Emma wouldn't even share a cup I had already used. And now, she was eating food someone else had bitten into.

Staring at the table full of dishes, I suddenly lost all appetite, but Emma didn't notice.

Though my stomach was upset, I still took one drink after another for her because I knew she was allergic to alcohol and would break out in a rash if she drank.

Yet, when I had to run to the bathroom to throw up, Emma calmly took the drink from Keegan's hand just because he'd said, "Emma, I'm feeling a little dizzy."

And she, like a hero, intercepted every drink for him.

Watching the scene, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

I didn't know whether Keegan or I was her husband.

But one thing was clear. Emma's colleagues were all looking at me with pity in their eyes.

Finally, the dinner was over, but Emma seemed to have forgotten I existed. She held Keegan intimately, supporting him as they walked out of the restaurant.

As she was about to leave, I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Emma, you promised we'd register our marriage today."

Emma finally realized and looked at me with an apologetic gaze.

Just then, Keegan chimed in, "Emma, I'm so dizzy and cold. I feel terrible."

He clung to her like a koala, his head resting on her shoulder.

Upon hearing that, Emma quickly draped her coat over him and glanced at me. "Nathan, wait for me. I'll take Keegan home first, then meet you at City Hall."

With that, she hailed a cab and left.

As I watched the cab drive away, I clenched my fists tightly.

I was cold too. The bare skin on my body had turned red from the chill, but Emma couldn't even see it.

I waited at City Hall for what felt like forever.

The sky grew darker, but Emma never showed up.

This was the 15th time. Every time, Emma had stood me up for Keegan.

Suddenly, I didn't feel like it mattered anymore.

Since we couldn't seem to register our marriage, maybe we shouldn't bother at all.

Nathan's POV

The next day, I submitted my request to transfer to HQ.

My boss, Trenton Fuller, looked surprised when he saw it. "What's this? You suddenly want to go to HQ? You weren't interested when I suggested it last time."

I froze at his words.

That was three months after my wedding to Emma and before Keegan joined her company. Aside from work, she devoted all her energy to me.

We were inseparable.

So when I found out about the opportunity to train at HQ, I turned it down right away. I didn't even tell Emma about it.

I didn't want her to feel like she was holding me back.

But not two weeks later, Keegan showed up.

Since then, Emma's attention had been elsewhere.

I looked at Trenton, paused for two seconds, then answered, "I just want to push myself while I'm still young. After all, my career is the most important thing."

"But going to HQ for training will take at least five years. Have you discussed it with your wife? You won't be able to come back during that time, and you can't start a family either." Trenton tried to talk me out of it.

At his words, a bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Start a family?

Emma couldn't even find time to register our marriage, let alone have a baby.

As for discussing it… there was no need. Emma would probably be thrilled to hear I was leaving.

I nodded at Trenton. "Don't worry. I've already made all the arrangements."

"Well, in that case, I won't say more," Trenton said, signing my application. "You've got a week to prepare. Report to HQ next Wednesday."

"Thank you, Mr. Fuller." I thanked him and left.

By the time I got home, it was already 12:00 pm.

As I looked at the empty room, my heart ached.

When we first got married, Emma and I used to rush home for lunch together every day.

But since Keegan joined her company, she'd often make up excuses not to come home.

I tried to be understanding and took nutritious meals to her office. But when I got there, I saw her sitting next to Keegan, laughing and sharing a lunchbox.

After that, I never took meals for her again, and she stopped coming home for lunch.

Most nights, she wasn't even home for dinner.

At first, I called her, asking if she was coming back. But every time, Keegan's voice came through the phone.

"Emma, stay with me for a while. I don't want to work alone."

"Emma, it's so dark outside. Can you take me home later?"

Emma never turned him down. She only said to me, "Go to sleep first. I'll come back once I'm done."

Over time, I stopped calling her to hurry home. There was no point anymore.

I looked at the photo hanging in the living room and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Maybe Emma would come back if a different man took over the house.

At that moment, my phone buzzed with a text message. "Nathan, I'll be accompanying Keegan on a business trip to Cyrenza this week. Take care of yourself at home."

"Okay," I replied quickly.

This was probably the tenth time Emma had gone on a business trip with Keegan.

The first time, she said Keegan wasn't familiar with the business.

The second time, she said he was too afraid to sleep alone at night.

The third time, she said it was too dangerous for a young man to travel by himself.

We'd had a big argument over it, but Emma said I was being selfish and didn't understand.

After that, she stopped coming up with excuses. Now, she just sent me text messages to inform me.

It was fine, though. I could quietly get through these last few days in Aldrath.

Nathan's POV

The day before my flight to HQ in Utheria, Emma returned, holding a mango cake.

"I got this for you from Cyrenza," she said.

I shook my head. "I'm not eating it."

At my words, a trace of impatience clouded Emma's features. "What's wrong? You're not mad again, are you? I was just on a business trip with Keegan. Does it really bother you this much? Can't you just—"

"I'm allergic to mango," I cut her off.

Once upon a time, she remembered every single one of our anniversaries. But now, she'd even forgotten I was allergic to mangoes.

My eyes burned, and my chest tightened.

Emma froze for a moment. "Oh."

Guilt flashed across her face. "Sorry, Nathan. I've been so busy lately that I just forgot about it."

"It's fine." I did my best to hold back the sorrow rising in my chest.

It wasn't the first time anyway. I'd gotten used to it by now.

Noticing my foul mood, Emma threw the cake into the trash. "If you can't eat it, I won't eat it either. By the way, Nathan…"

She suddenly grabbed my arm. "I have some free time today. Why don't we go register our marriage?"

I froze in place.

In five years of marriage, this was the first time Emma had ever asked me to register our marriage.

But why?

I'd already decided to leave. Why was she suddenly making me question my decision?

I struggled internally, but just then, her phone rang.

I glanced at her screen. It was Keegan.

After hanging up, Emma looked at me with an apologetic gaze. "The pipes at Keegan's place burst. I have to go. He can't fix it himself. I'm going over to help."

With that, she quickly grabbed her coat and headed for the door without another word.

Watching her back as she left, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

Keegan's pipes burst, and she rushed off to help.

But when the pipes broke at our place and I called her for help, she told me that as a grown man, I should be able to fix it myself.

Recalling my hesitation just now, I suddenly realized how hopeless I was.

I began packing my luggage. Once everything was neatly organized, my gaze drifted to the photo hanging in the living room.

After a few moments of thought, I took it down.

In the picture, Emma was looking at me with such affection.

It was too bad, though. Those same eyes now turned to another man. We never took photos together anymore. But I often saw pictures of her and Keegan on his social media.

They ate together, worked together, and even went to concerts together. Those were all the things Emma had promised me we'd do.

She kept those promises, but with someone else.

I grabbed a pair of scissors. Without hesitation, I cut the photo in half and carefully packed my half away.

Since I was leaving, I wasn't going to leave even the smallest trace of myself behind.

Once everything was done, I placed the signed separation agreement right on the coffee table.

We never registered our marriage, but with all our finances mixed together over the years, it felt right to leave something in writing.

I picked up my luggage and walked out the door without a single glance back.

Before boarding the plane, I sent Emma one last text. "Goodbye."

Then, I pulled out my SIM card and boarded the plane.