I was holding my wife as we slept when her phone suddenly gave a special alert tone.

“Rachel, my whole body hurts. Please help me…”

The message was from Daniel. He sounded entitled, and he even attached a photo of his abs.

My wife pushed me away at once. “Wait for me. I will head over right away.”

I could not hold back my anger. “Where are you going? It’s the middle of the night, and you are going to see him? He’s your brother-in-law. Can’t you keep a bit of distance?

“Your sister has been dead for half a year. Do you have to take care of him like this forever?”

Rachel suddenly raised her hand and slapped me. “Sam, he has post-traumatic stress disorder. You already know that. I am his psychologist, so what is wrong with helping him? Why are your thoughts so filthy?

“Forget it. I can’t talk sense into someone like you. Stay home and reflect on yourself.”

After saying that, she did not look at me again.

We had been married for five years. Every time we argued, she would walk away and give me the cold shoulder. She knew how much I loved her, so she hurt me without restraint. She was certain that I would ultimately give in and try to make peace.

However, this time, I did not try to salvage the situation anymore. My heart was dead. I did not want her anymore.

I heard rustling as Rachel Gooden got dressed. She was still holding her phone while speaking softly to Daniel Wells.

“It’s okay, I’ll be there soon. Just relax and don’t think about anything.

“Don’t be scared. It’s all over…

“Don’t move around. You might hurt yourself. I’m getting dressed. I’ll be there soon.”

…

I noticed the gentle look on her face and listened to that soothing tone. My heart suddenly trembled.

So, she did have it in her to be so gentle.

It was just a pity that I was not the person she was talking to.

It felt as if my heart was being crushed. It was hard to breathe.

I quietly watched her leave, then picked up my phone and sent a message to my lawyer, John Smith.

[John, help me draft a divorce agreement. Make sure the property division is included.]

A reply came quickly. [Okay.]

Right after that, I called my father.

The phone rang twice before he answered. He did not speak first. He was clearly waiting for me.

“Dad, I’m getting divorced.”

Those few words broke the silence. A faint sigh came from the other end.

“It isn’t too late. Finish handling it and come home. The family business should be passed to you soon.

“Alright, then. Your mother and I are going to sleep. You should be able to handle something so small. Don’t drag it out any further.

“Come back soon. Your mother misses you.”

After that, he hung up.

I knew he had always been awkward and never good with words.

The fact that he had said that much already meant he had forgiven my reckless behavior and childish stubbornness.

We had finally made peace.

As I faced the empty room, I could not help looking back on the suffering of the past five years.

To stay with her, I did everything her family asked, yet their demands only grew worse.

Again and again, I endured cold glances and humiliation.

For her, I endured all of it.

Rachel did not come home that night.

As the pale light of dawn spread across the sky, I understood that our relationship was at its end.

Her call never came. Instead, my mother-in-law called.

“Sam, tomorrow is your father-in-law’s birthday. As his son-in-law, you’d better show some sincerity.”

I did not respond, yet she flared up like a firecracker.

“I’m speaking politely to you, so don’t push your luck!

“You’re the one who made Rachel angry because you’re useless, and I’m the one who’s giving you a way out!

“Bring a gift tomorrow and apologize. Don’t make me say it twice!”

I hung up immediately.

Not long after, Daniel posted a new update.

The photo showed a cheese sandwich.

The sandwich was generously filled, neatly cut, and looked incredibly appetizing at a glance.

His caption read, [Thank you to my honey for making me breakfast. Love you.]

I let out a cold laugh.

Rachel had made that sandwich for me.

Back when we were dating, she learned to cook it just to celebrate my birthday.

After that, every year on my birthday, she would make me a sandwich like this.

However, the one ritual that belonged to me had become nothing more than an ordinary breakfast for Daniel.

What was I supposed to be?

My mother-in-law must have seen that post too.

So, what right did she have to demand that I show up with gifts and apologize?

When I thought of that, I picked up my phone and called her back.

“I’ll be there tomorrow.”

“Good. Don’t forget to prepare a birthday gift for your father-in-law, and an apology gift too. Don’t be stingy.”

Her tone softened. I replied casually and hung up.

Birthday gift? Did he celebrate his birthday seven times a year?

Early the next morning, I knocked on my mother-in-law’s door empty-handed.

When she saw that my hands were empty, her face darkened at once. She did not explode, but she walked aside with a cold expression and looked down at her phone.

Rachel stood beside the couch with a hair dryer in her hand. She was gently drying Daniel’s hair.

Her pale fingers moved through his dark hair while she focused on him with a soft expression.

They chatted and laughed like an intimate couple.

Rachel glanced at me, then looked away as if she had not seen anything. She kept chatting with Daniel.

Daniel gave me a smug smile, as if he were showing off. It seemed as if he wanted to indicate that my cherished wife was tending to him without complaint.

I watched coldly until my mother-in-law suddenly asked, “Sam, what do you think you are doing? It is your father-in-law’s birthday. No gift, no wired money, and you’re here to apologize?

“At the very least, you could have brought food. You prepared nothing, so why did you even come?”

Her expression was dark. She seemed close to throwing me out.

I felt it was ridiculous.

“He celebrates his birthday seven times a year. I only skipped one gift. Now, you’re scolding me?

“Some of us have never once given a gift. Or is this not about gifts? Is it just another way to siphon from me?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Rachel rushed toward me in anger.

“What do you mean by that? You are his son-in-law. It’s only natural for you to take care of him!”

I could not help but wonder if staying with her brother-in-law twenty-four hours a day was supposed to be natural too.

“So, you are accusing us of coveting your money?”

My mother-in-law stepped forward without backing down.

“Daniel hasn’t been well since the car accident. He cannot work, so how can he support us? If you don’t want to take responsibility, then Rachel can find a husband who will!”

I almost laughed.

In this family, other than Rachel and her late sister, who had ever worked a day in their life? Who paid for this huge apartment they were living in? Did they really have no idea?

Before, I would have rushed to explain and apologize. Today, I only watched them with a dark expression.

“Then, let’s get divorced.”

I looked at Rachel, and my tone was strangely relaxed.

“I already sent the divorce agreement to your email. Check it and sign it.”

Rachel stared at me in shock.

My mother-in-law froze. She was staring at me as well.

Daniel suddenly stood up, walked to Rachel, and grabbed her hand tightly.

“Sam, do you think anyone will want you after the divorce?”

He sneered.

“You should be clinging to Rachel. Instead, you dare to talk about divorce?”

His words were full of contempt, and every sentence sounded sharp.

Rachel did not pull her hand away. Instead, she lightly patted the back of his hand and comforted him softly.

“Don’t worry. I’m here,” she said.

Only then did she turn to me. Her eyes were full of disgust and impatience.

“Sam, you’ve gone too far! Daniel has PTSD. I am his psychologist. Treating him is my responsibility.

“My sister is gone. Do you know how much pain we went through? Are you causing trouble here because you’re angry at me? Do you want everyone to suffer with you?”

She showed no regret at all. In her mind, the problem was always my temper.

However, the reason was simple. I just did not want to endure it anymore.

“Treatment? What kind of psychologist stays on call twenty-four hours a day?

“What kind of sister dries her brother-in-law’s hair?

“Rachel, do you really think I’m stupid?”

My questions made her face change instantly. She clearly did not expect me to talk back in front of everyone.

Almost at the same moment, she grabbed her phone and threw it at me.

I stepped aside and avoided it.

She picked up a glass next and shouted, “Sam, how dare you insult me? If you don’t kneel and apologize to Daniel and me today, you can get out and never come back!”

I looked at her twisted, furious face. Then, I looked at Daniel’s smug yet fake hurt expression and my mother-in-law’s arrogant gaze. In the end, I let out a cold laugh.

“Apologize? Not on your life.”

After saying that, I ignored their shocked and furious looks, turned around, and slammed the door behind me.

During the early years of our marriage, Rachel and I had been deeply in love. We had been poor, and we had struggled, but we had never even raised our voices at each other. In our circle, we were known as the perfect couple.

Everything changed half a year ago, when Rachel’s younger sister and Daniel were in a car accident.

Her sister died on the spot, while Daniel got lucky and survived. However, he stayed in the hospital for two full months.

After that, he developed PTSD and naturally became Rachel’s patient.

From then on, he kept finding excuses to interfere with our lives.

At first, he said his body hurt and that he needed treatment, so he would show up at her office during work hours every few days.

Later, he started asking for treatment after work, and it slowly turned into asking her to go to his place.

One time, my stomachache flared up. Rachel had been taking care of me, but the moment he said he was in pain and scared, she left without hesitation and stayed with him for the entire night.

When she came back the next day, she looked exhausted and explained that he was her patient and her brother-in-law, so she could not ignore him.

Things like that kept happening repeatedly.

Once, I was invited to a formal dinner and needed to bring a partner. She had already agreed to go, but after Daniel said he felt unwell, she left without even telling me.

My business partners started wondering whether I even had a wife, or if she was just an excuse I used every time. I almost became a joke to everyone.

In the end, I could not hold it in anymore.

“Who matters more to you, Daniel or me?”

She got angry when I asked that.

“Sam, are you seriously comparing yourself to my patient? Is Daniel not pitiful enough? My sister is dead, and he has PTSD. He is the last thing she left behind. I have to protect him.

“And I am a psychologist. No matter what, I cannot ignore him. He is only my brother-in-law. Are you really jealous over something like this?”

I felt unbearable pain.

Her heart had already shifted toward Daniel little by little.

Each time, she used the same excuse about him being her last connection to her sister.

Whenever I showed the slightest dissatisfaction, she called me childish, narrow-minded, and overly sensitive.

She never once asked why I had become like this.

I still remembered our fifth wedding anniversary. I had concluded a business trip early just to surprise her.

However, when I opened the door, I saw her holding Daniel tightly. Their lips were locked together, and they were completely lost in the moment.

My mind went blank. I trembled as I demanded to know what they were doing.

Rachel pulled away from him and explained calmly that they were doing trauma exposure therapy. They were recreating the scene from the day her sister died.

She said it was to help Daniel face danger again and accept reality so he could heal.

Her explanation sounded righteous, but the blush on her face gave her away.

Daniel stood behind her with a smug smile full of provocation.

Before I could even react, she said coldly, “You’re not getting angry again, are you? You know this is for treatment.”

I was so angry that I almost fainted. Daniel covered his face and apologized, saying, “Sorry, this is my fault. I got too into it.”

Then, he ran out.

Rachel immediately chased after him.

I watched her leave and felt nothing but coldness in my heart.

…

After leaving my in-laws’ place, I went straight back to the house Rachel and I lived in.

It was my property from before the marriage. Only my name was on the deed. I bought it back then just so I could marry her.

I personally supervised the decoration and design, all to create a warm home for us.

However, when I pushed open the familiar door and looked at the memories that filled the place, I felt sick to my stomach. I almost threw up.

So, I packed everything that belonged to me and called a moving company to take it all away.

Then, I sent Rachel a message.

[Move out within three days. I am selling this house.]

After that, I removed her access from the fingerprint lock and changed the password so it would only work for three more days.

Right after I finished, my phone started ringing nonstop.

In the family group chat, my father-in-law and mother-in-law were furiously cursing at me.

Their words were so harsh that it sounded like I was an enemy or a parasite who lived off of them instead of the son-in-law who gave them at least 200,000 dollars every birthday.

No one else in the group replied. The relatives acted as if they had not seen the messages at all.

At the same time, Rachel posted a new update.

In the photo, she wore a brand-new silver ring. She was also holding Daniel’s hand, and their fingers were intertwined.

The caption read, [For treatment, I can give everything. Unlike a certain someone who has a dirty mind...]

If this had happened before, the photo alone would have driven me mad.

This time, my heart was completely calm.

I picked up my phone and called my manager.

“James, put an end to the psychology research investment I approved earlier.”

He sounded surprised, but he immediately answered, “Understood, Mr. Green. I will handle it right away.”

“Also, file a report at Third Hospital. Report that the head of psychiatry, Rachel, is having an improper relationship with her patient, Daniel.

“Submit all the evidence formally.”