On the wedding anniversary, my wife, Giselle Barnard, who was traveling abroad with her male best friend, sent me a message, asking for a divorce.

I texted her back calmly, "Okay."

Three days later, I finished work and flew to see her.

Giselle's male best friend, Coyle Moritz, who was sitting on the sofa with his upper body naked, said with a guilty look on his face, "Mr. Geldof, I'm sorry. I joked with Giselle that day, and I took her phone to text you without her permission. Don't take it to heart."

Giselle laughed and fell into his arms. Then she turned to me and said, "Coyle has apologized to you. Don't be so stern. I think we should just let this matter go."

I sneered and thought, "I have prepared the divorce agreement, and you just tell me to forget it."

——

I watched coldly as Coyle held Giselle's waist and took her into his arms.

He was so arrogant that he didn't even take me, Giselle's husband, seriously. But he still tried to act as if he was understanding, and what he said made me feel ashamed. "Giselle, don't be like this. What if Lemuel misunderstands us? Don't worry about me. Just go with him."

Giselle pouted, put her arms around Coyle's neck, and said in a tender voice, "All my stuff is here. It's too much trouble to move it around. If he is so petty, I'll abort the baby in my belly."

I resisted the urge to slap her.

In the past, Giselle used to be afraid of me getting jealous, so no matter who it was, she would try to keep her distance. If she met someone ignorant, she would even make sarcastic remarks.

But now she thought I was too petty. I couldn't help but blurt out, "Then I wish you two a happy marriage and a son soon."

Coyle blushed with embarrassment, while Giselle glared at me. "Lemuel, what are you talking about? Coyle and I are best friends. Do you understand what best friends are?"

I clenched my fists and tried my best to stay calm, saying, "You know what you have done. Cannot I just express my opinion?"

As soon as I finished speaking, Giselle rushed over angrily and pushed me out of the door.

The door was slammed in front of me and hit the tip of my nose. It hurt so much that tears came out.

Women were so fickle. After only three years of marriage, Giselle no longer had the patience to explain to me.

Two hours later, Giselle called and asked me to pick her up.

When I arrived, she was drunk, sitting by a table full of leftovers.

Seeing me, she struggled to get up and pressed me down on the chair. She said, "Lemuel, are you hungry? I specially ordered your favorite spicy crab."

I picked up a fork and dug around, only to find that, apart from the side dishes, there was only half a crab left.

I silently dumped all the food into the trash can, took out the divorce agreement from my bag, and placed it in front of Giselle.

I said, "Giselle, please take some time to complete the divorce procedures."

Maybe my cold attitude irritated her. After a few seconds of hesitation, she picked up the agreement and tore it to pieces. Then she threw the shredded paper in my face, shaking with anger.

Giselle asked, "Lemuel, is it really that serious? It's just a joke. If you keep harping on it, you'll be in big trouble."

I got up and left quietly.

Some things were meaningless if one made it clear.

Last month, Giselle hung out with her friends all night. When she came back, I found a condom in her coat pocket. But we hadn't had sex for a month.

At that moment, I realized that Giselle, whom I had loved for ten years, had betrayed me. I didn't get angry at that time because she was pregnant and I wanted to give her and the baby another chance.

But now, there was no need.

Half an hour later, Giselle knocked on my room door.

As soon as I opened the door, she jumped into my arms. Before I could react, she stuffed a gift box into my hand.

She said, "Lemuel, this is a wedding anniversary gift. I picked it with great care. Open it and see if you like it."

I just took a look at the box and threw it on the table because I saw the same watch in Coyle's post tonight.

He said he didn't like the color and was going to exchange it for a different style.

Not thoughtful enough, my wife planned to give me the gift that others didn't like.

Giselle was not angry at all about my indifference but smiled gently instead. She stood on tiptoes and kissed me on the lips, asking, "Don't you like it? Then I'll go with you to pick another gift tomorrow."

"No need," as I answered, I pushed her away and handed her the new agreement.

Then I asked again, "When can you go back to complete the formalities?"

Giselle crumpled the thin paper into a ball and frowned slightly, "Stop it. You know if a pregnant woman gets angry..."

I tried my best to hold back my tears and smiled a little sadly, "It's okay. Don't lie to me anymore. The baby has gone."

Half a month ago, Giselle told me that she wanted to stay at a friend's house for a few days. But then I saw a video posted online by Coyle.

Giselle looked pale and was leaning in his arms, sipping something he fed her.

The caption said, "She said she wouldn't want any child if it wasn't mine. I'm so touched. She made such a big sacrifice for me."

There was even a location, which showed a maternity and child hospital not far from my home.

I stumbled out of the house and lost one of my shoes because I was in such a hurry.

It rained heavily that night. I drove to the hospital regardless of the danger.

I would never forget how I went barefoot from ward to ward. Then I saw Giselle's calm face through the small window on the door.

I knelt by the door of the ward and cried until I almost fainted. After crying, I knew that it was time to end our marriage.

Giselle's knuckles began to turn white as she held the paper ball.

She didn't ask me when I found it out. She knew better than anyone how many calls I made that night, but she hung up all of them ruthlessly.

I couldn't wait for an explanation, and I didn't want to give her another chance.

After a long silence, she said, "It's good that you know. I don't bother to hide it from you. Someone like you can't be a good father."

Those cold words were hurtful. I couldn't bear it any longer and slapped Giselle in the face.

We had been in love for ten years and had countless arguments, but I had always been the one who gave in.

Giselle's eyes suddenly turned red. She covered her face with her hands, turned around, and left without saying a word, thinking I would coax her in a humble manner like before.

But this time, I said nothing and let her go.