I picked up the suitcase that I had packed long ago and walked out as everyone watched. I didn't spare Jessica another glance.

I had barely left when my phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, I saw that it was Dad. I hesitated for a long while before finally answering the call.

His furious roar exploded like a firecracker over the phone. "Michael, you must be tired of living! How dare you ask Ms. Lowe for a divorce? Get back here right now."

I didn't want to go back. My father, Theodore Jefferson, had gotten involved in an affair with the neighbor, Pauline White. She was now his mistress, and my house had become their home. I had no home left.

However, Mom's ashes were still there. If I was going to leave, I needed to take her with me.

The moment I stepped through the front door, a hand almost hit me as it swung toward my face. I had already been slapped once by Jessica today, and I had no intention of enduring a second slap.

I caught his wrist and shoved him away. Dad had too much to drink and could barely stand straight.

He clearly hadn't expected me to fight back. He widened his bloodshot eyes and cursed, "You ingrate! Are you trying to cut off my livelihood? How am I supposed to gamble without money? Do you want me dead? You ungrateful bastard!"

Dad had hidden the truth about Mom's death so Lowe Group would keep sending him money. But now that I had filed for divorce, the money was gone for good.

Pauline couldn't help but chime in, "Michael, this is your fault. With Ms. Lowe's status, dozens of people dream of marrying her. Why can't you learn to appreciate what you have?"

I replied calmly, "I won't change my decision. There's no point in persuading me. I'm only here to take a few things today, and I won't be coming back for good. Don't bother informing me if you two get married in the future."

With that, I returned to my room.

Dad lost his temper. "You ungrateful brat! What in this house do you think you have the right to take? Or… did you come back for your mother?"

The urn I kept by my bedside was gone. Hearing Dad's words, my heart clenched with fear. Sure enough, I turned around and saw Mom's urn in his hand.

My expression turned cold as I strode over to him. "Give it to me. You have no right to touch—"

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded. Dad had smashed the urn onto the floor, sending gray ashes scattering everywhere.

"I have no right? How dare you say that about your own father?" he shouted.

At that moment, the last thread of my sanity finally snapped. I lunged at him like a madman and pushed him to the ground forcefully. "That was your wife! The woman you were married to for decades! Are you even human?"

My words ignited his fury. He grabbed a beer bottle from the table and brought it down on my forehead with a loud smash. Blood streamed down my face and stained my white shirt crimson.

Pauline let out a shriek of terror. "Theodore, stop! You'll kill him!"

I lifted my head as the blood ran into my eyes and stared at Dad, who looked equally stunned.

Dad fixed his gaze on me for a few seconds, but there was no guilt or mercy in his eyes. Instead, he looked eerily delighted. He took out his phone and took several close-up shots of my bleeding face. After that, he dialed a number hurriedly.

His voice instantly softened into a tone of flattery once the call connected. "Ms. Lowe, I heard my son upset you again? Don't worry, I taught him a good lesson! Look at the photos I sent you. I didn't hold back at all. Please, be magnanimous and forgive him this once.

"After all, you two have been together since your school days, and you've been married for a decade now. How can you get divorced out of nowhere? Besides, it was my poor judgment in forcing him to break up with you back then. But speaking of the car accident, it was my son who—"

Jessica interrupted coldly from the other end of the call, "What does my accident have to do with him? Did he even contribute anything?"

Taken aback, Dad hurried to explain himself, "Yes, of course. It's because you've been blessed by good luck. But he really did—"

Jessica sounded like she was completely out of patience. "Do you want money?"

At this, Dad's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes! The payments for the medical bills can't stop."

Before he could finish, a clear male voice came through the phone. "Jessica, Michael is just being immature. We shouldn't drag Mrs. Jefferson Senior into this, right?"

"You're just too compassionate." Jessica let out a laugh and said to Dad before hanging up, "If you want me to keep paying, then make Michael crawl on his knees like a dog and beg me for forgiveness."

Dad stared at his silent phone in anger and cursed furiously, "I beat you up so badly, and yet she still doesn't care? Saving her from the car accident back then was a complete waste of time!

"I don't care what you do, but you must get money out of her! I'm drowning in debt, and I need that money to turn things around. If you can't get it, I'll kill you myself!"

My expression was numb and indifferent.

I collected what little ashes I could salvage from the floor and placed them back inside the urn. Then, I walked out with it in silence.

Before Mom had fallen ill, I once believed I had a happy life.

I was in a relationship with Jessica back in college. She kept her wealthy background a secret, so I thought she was just an ordinary woman. We genuinely loved each other and planned a future that belonged only to us.

Unfortunately, Mom found out about Dad's affair with Pauline. In a rage, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma. She required exorbitant medical bills to keep her alive.

Spouses were the first in line to sign the surgical consent form.

Dad refused to pay a single cent and forced me to break up with Jessica. He looked down on her for being poor and said that she couldn't be of any help financially. He demanded that I find a rich older woman instead. If I couldn't bring in the money, he was going to sign the treatment refusal form.

I caved in.

On my birthday, I smashed the birthday cake that Jessica personally made for me. To make her give up on me, I mocked her with the cruelest words I had ever said in my life before breaking up with her. Then, I started going on blind dates.

Most of the wealthy older women were eccentric or had disturbing fetishes.

Regrettably, Jessica witnessed the most humiliating moment of my life. Sneering, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me to a luxury car. "Michael, don't you just need money? I have plenty of it!"

She drove the car like a madwoman. Consequently, we got into an accident because she failed to brake in time. I carried her on my back for dozens of miles down the mountain roads before losing consciousness at the entrance of the hospital.

When I woke up, Dad had already learned that Jessica was actually a rich heiress. He made an excuse and lured her out for a meeting. Then, he drugged both of us and staged a scandal. The media exposed the whole incident to the public, nearly ruining Jessica's reputation.

In the end, she swallowed her humiliation and married me. It was only natural that she had hated me all these years. After all, I had abandoned her for money and forced her into this disgrace.

I had stopped blaming her long ago and put everything behind me.

Not long after, one of Jessica's friends sent me a photo of Jessica with a young man standing behind her. When he smiled, he looked strikingly like a younger version of me.

Jessica treated him differently from other men.

She had countless lovers over the years. Every anniversary, she would bring her lovers over and parade them in front of me. However, those men were merely tools she used to spite me.

In contrast, the young man was the only person she didn't treat with disdain but rather as an equal. They took photos like a couple, ate meals together, and went out to the movies…

Their interactions were much like ours back then when we were college students. Our relationship used to be simple, sweet, and ordinary.

I replied bluntly, "Congratulations."

If my departure meant Jessica could finally find her own happiness, then the divorce was the best outcome for both of us.

I applied for an overseas study program. While waiting for the date of my departure, I worked at my best friend's bar to earn some extra cash.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Jessica's new lover.

One of Jessica's friends yanked his arm. "This is Jessica's husband. Don't you think you two look a little alike?"

Annoyed, the young man rolled his eyes and strode in my direction. "Hi, I'm Simon Zetterman. So, you're Michael?"

He was smiling, but the smile never reached his eyes. "How strange. Why would Jessica be with an old man like you? People say that I look like you, but I don't see it. Do yourself a favor and hurry up with the divorce."

I nodded. "Then you should remind her to file the divorce with me as soon as the cooling-off period ends."

Simon seemed to be triggered by my words, and his expression darkened instantly. "The unloved one is the true homewrecker. You're just an unnecessary obstacle in our relationship!"

I was about to say something when he suddenly stared past me. Without warning, he smashed the glass in his hand. Blood poured out from the deep cut in his palm and splattered on the floor.

"Who hurt him?" Jessica rushed over from a distance. She glowered as she fixed her gaze on me.

I said, "Judging from the scene, it seems I must be the person who did this."

Simon glared at me and shouted loudly, "Yes, I deserve this. It's all my fault! It has nothing to do with Jessica!"

"Michael, you've gone too far. You want to divorce me, yet you hurt and insult my friend at the same time?" Jessica stared daggers at me.

Pulling Simon aside, she said coldly before leaving, "The medical fees I covered for your mother will only sustain her treatment through tomorrow at the latest. If you don't want her thrown out of the hospital, get on your knees and apologize to Simon sincerely and then beg for my forgiveness!"

I laughed as their figures disappeared from my sight. I was suddenly curious about what expression she would make when I didn't turn up to apologize to her tomorrow.

…

Third-Person Point of View

The next day, Jessica kept sending Michael messages all morning.

"I invited all my friends today. Are you ready with your apology?"

"As long as you're sincere, I'll give you another chance. You can still be my husband, and I'll continue covering your mother's medical bills."

"I'll see you at the Lowe residence at 8.00 pm. Don't be late."

As night fell, the Lowe residence was already crowded with people before the clock even struck eight. They were all here to see Michael make a fool of himself.

They whispered, "Let's guess what excuse he'll come up with this time to beg for Ms. Lowe's forgiveness."

"Ms. Lowe, maybe you should divorce him for real this time. A leech like him isn't worth it. Simon is the much better choice!"

Simon gazed affectionately at Jessica from the side, but she was preoccupied with checking the time on her watch. Michael was actually late.

She sent him another message. "Where are you? You're already late. I'll give you another 30 minutes!"

But when she sent the message, a notification popped up informing that her message hadn't been delivered. Michael had blocked her number.

Jessica's best friend, Sandra Graham, couldn't help but tease, "Jessica, could Michael be serious this time? Did he really decide to divorce you?"

Jessica frowned and said, "That's impossible. Michael cares about his mother's life more than his own. He can't live without me."

Richard Dawson, Sandra's new boyfriend, spoke up at that moment. "Wait, are you talking about Eleanor Brown? The woman in Room 6602 at Walter Hospital was actually Michael's mother? But she passed away months ago…"