I yanked her hand off my hands.

“Sophia, this is where we end things.

“From now on, let’s pretend we never met.”

She fixed her gaze on me, and her eyes shimmered as if they might tear up.

“I’ll make it up for you. Could you just try to view things from my side. I’ve known James for twenty years. I can’t just stand by and watch him die.”

As she spoke, she gradually stepped closer and wrapped her arms around me.

I used to crave such warmth more than anything else. But at this moment, it only made me feel sick.

“All you care about is James. You aborted our child and disregarded my mother’s life because of him.

“In that case, go and be with him.”

I pushed Sophia away and strode outside. The moment I closed the door, I heard her crying.

…

I first met Sophia one night eight years ago.

At that time, I was working as a cashier at a convenience store.

Several thugs had stolen goods from the convenience store on that particular night. So, I went looking for them on a street they were known to hang around.

It was there that I saw the thugs harass and insult Sophia.

I had to get the stolen goods back. Otherwise, my manager would dock my pay.

Hence, I charged at the thugs and fought them. By sheer coincidence, I ended up saving Sophia too.

That night, I lay with my head resting on her lap while she gently tended to my wounds.

When she said she wanted to repay me, I just laughed it off.

A week later, I saw her again at the convenience store where I worked.

She was the new manager.

Our relationship grew closer as we worked together.

We gradually became the kind of friends who could talk about anything. Almost every night after work, she would drag me to the small lake in town with a few bottles of alcohol. There, we would sit and talk.

Sophia told me her father did not love her. She also said her family forced her into things she did not want to do.

I just played the role of a good listener.

I liked watching her without doing anything.

She was very beautiful, more beautiful than anything I had ever seen in the twenty years of my uneventful life.

I knew I had fallen for her.

However, I kept those feelings buried in my heart and dared not confess to her.

A girl like her would never be short of admirers.

Her temporary companionship already made me feel like I had gained more than I deserved. How could I dare hope that such companionship would last long?

That was until one night when she called and said she wanted to meet me at a mansion in North City.

I rode my old bicycle to meet her. In that wealthy neighborhood, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

By the time I found her, she was already drunk.

She hugged me tightly and sobbed like a wounded fawn.

“Johnny, can you stay with me like this forever?”

I stared at her, and the air between us was thick with something unspoken.

That night, I finally let go of my insecurity and responded to her feelings.

That same night, I finally learned that she was the only daughter and sole heir to the largest private company in town, Shelby Group.

They did not hire her to work in the convenience store. She had bought it.

After that, we were inseparable, like two people who fit each other perfectly.

When we started talking about marriage, her family decided I was not good enough for them. They ordered Sophia to break up with me.

Sophia and I registered our marriage without any blessing. She dragged me up to her family and said, “We’re already married.

“On top of that, I’m pregnant with his child.”

Obviously, there was no child. It was just a lie to force her family into backing down.

I thought we would stay happy forever, but James appeared.

Everything he said and did drew Sophia’s attention.

Sophia could give anything up for James’ sake, including myself, our child, and my mother.

She finally wore down every last bit of love I had for her.

I repeatedly reflected on myself. How could two people who once loved each other so deeply end up like this?

Perhaps time did wear everything down.

My thoughts drifted and slowly slipped into darkness.

By the time I opened my eyes again, I saw Sophia holding a tray of breakfast in skimpy sleepwear.

“Hubby, you’re up. Come and eat your breakfast.”

Her voice was full of tenderness. I had never seen her like this before.

Even so, I had no desire to respond.

“Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll go to the courthouse and finalize the divorce.”

The smile on Sophia’s face instantly faded.

“Aren’t you worried that things might get so ugly that it’ll no longer be within your control?

“I’m upset about your mother’s passing too. I’m sorry. I didn’t know that the kidney donor was meant to be hers. You can’t blame me for something I didn’t know. Can’t you try to understand me?

“As for our child, it’s true that I aborted it, and I’m bearing a child for James.

“But this isn’t a big deal. When you think about it, I’m just helping a friend out. If anything, we can always have another child later.”

Every word sounded reasonable. But she did not realize that she had completely neglected me in every way.

She neglected to see how much this hurt someone who had loved her for eight years.

“She was my mom! She raised me single-handedly. She loved me more than anyone in this world. It’s because of you that I can never see her again. How do you still have the nerve to expect understanding?

“As for our child, that’s even more ridiculous! You’re my wife, yet you’re bearing a child for another man, and I’m not even allowed to have a problem with that.

“Sophia, just how pathetic do you think I am to actually believe this nonsense?!” I finally exploded and removed the last bit of pretense between us.

Her face turned red as she pointed at me with anger.

“How did you become like this?!”

After yelling at me, she stormed out. She slammed the door so hard that I could feel the intensity of her rage.

She was angry that she could not manipulate me as easily as before. I actually dared to talk back to her.

While staring at the unsigned divorce agreement, I decided that I had to end this.

If she refused to sign the divorce agreement, I would take it to court.

I was doing this for myself and my mother’s sake.

My mother never even blamed Sophia for taking the kidney that was meant for her.

Before she passed away, she held my hands. Her wrinkled face was streaked with tears.

She told me that her only wish was to see her grandchild, even if it was just once. She wanted to personally give her grandchild a gift.

However, Sophia had aborted the child and denied my mother’s final wish too. As a result, my mother left the world with regret.

I packed up my things and moved back to the humble hut my mother had left me.

My mother used to be the light of my life. But that light had dimmed, and the humble hut she left me had become my last refuge.

I lost track of how many days I spent drowning in thoughts of my mother.

It was not until a sharp and insistent ringtone pulled me out of my sorrow.

It was a call from Sophia.

“Johnny, are you still mad at me?

“Tomorrow’s my mom’s birthday. Come join us. My family and I will be there. Remember to bring a gift.”

I agreed.

As for the gift, I would bring the court notice confirming my divorce filing.

The next day, I took it with me to Mrs. Shelby’s birthday banquet.

The moment I entered, every member of the Shelby family turned to me.

Their expressions varied, but all of them equally looked at me with obvious contempt.

“He’s Sophia’s husband, the Shelby family’s son-in-law.”

“Son-in-law, my foot! He’s nothing more than just a maid or babysitter. He lives off Sophia. That’s his only place.”

In the past, I had been nothing more than a doormat in the Shelby family.

I had to clean toilets, sweep floors, prepare meals, do the dishes, and so on. Whatever they told me to do, I would do it.

I did not want to make things difficult for Sophia. However, things were not the same anymore.

When I walked up to Sophia, she already had her arm around James’. They looked so intimate like a newlywed couple.

“Mrs. Shelby, here’s a gift for you.”

After James handed his gift over to Mrs. Shelby, he glanced sideways at me. His gaze was filled with smugness.

“Oh, my! This is a painting from a famous Renaissance artist! I heard it sold for a few million dollars at an auction.” Mrs. Shelby let out a surprised exclamation.

Her eyes lit up as she looked at the painting in her hands.

James grinned from ear to ear from the crowd’s praise and flattery.

“Johnny, what did you bring? Why don’t you show us?

“Let me say this first. If it’s some cheap junk that can’t even be put on display, don’t embarrass yourself by showing it to us. We don’t want to ruin Mrs. Shelby’s mood.”

James’ words triggered a wave of laughter, and everyone stared at the gift box in my hands. They seemed to be waiting for me to make a fool of myself, just like before.

It did not matter what my gift was. Whether it was expensive or inexpensive, or whether it suited her taste or not, Mrs. Shelby would always toss it into the bin in front of everyone. After that, she would rebuke me.

It was never really about the gift. She simply hated me and believed I was not worthy of her daughter. She believed my existence alone brought them disgrace.

This time, Mrs. Shelby reacted the same as she always did.

Her face twisted in disgust as she ordered, “If you think it’s embarrassing, don’t show it to me. Go to the kitchen and bring out the food.”

Mrs. Shelby spoke to me in an authoritative way and looked at me like I was a house-trained dog—a dog she believed she could humiliate at will without it biting back.

Meanwhile, Sophia stood by the side with the same air of arrogance. She raised her chin slightly as if to say, “See? At the end of the day, you’ll still submit to me because you can’t live without me.”

This time, I would disappoint them.

“Mrs. Shelby, I believe you’ll like this gift.” I smirked as I handed the gift box to her.