I reached under the coffee table and pulled out the divorce papers I had prepared. My gaze fell on my fingers, which were slightly deformed from countless hours in the lab.

I let out a carefree smile. I picked up my phone and called my mentor, Elias Vance.

"Dr. Vance, I was wondering if I still have a chance to get involved in that classified project you mentioned."

There was a brief pause on the other end, then a voice came through, brimming with excitement.

"Of course there is! But this research is strictly confidential. Once you commit, you'll have to stay for at least five years.

"Will your wife agree to that? Without you, the company you built together could take a serious hit."

I signed the divorce papers, my voice unwavering as I said, "Dr. Vance, I'm getting divorced."

A chorus of stunned gasps came through the line. To my surprise, they were from my lab mates.

"We've always known Keira was toxic. Liam, you lovesick fool! Now you finally see what a snake she really is," one of my seniors snapped.

"Come back to the team, Liam. Your old friends are all waiting for you," another added.

"Liam, don't let it get you down. Women just slow the pace of your research."

Elias pretended to scold them for their banter, and his tone grew serious as he spoke to me. "Liam, by order of Project 707, you are to return to the team immediately."

"You'll be departing in two days. Make sure your personal affairs are in order," Elias added.

After hanging up, I walked into the guest bedroom. I had never slept there before, but now I was convinced it was the only place in the house untouched by Keira's betrayal.

When I woke up the next day, it was already 1:00 pm. Three relentless months of intense research had frayed my mind, and for the first time in ages, I finally got some real sleep.

I unlocked my phone, and it buzzed to life with a flood of messages from every chat app, all congratulating me on the new drug's successful first phase.

Keira had gone wild in the group chats, tagging me nonstop and sending digital gift cards like confetti.

But as I scrolled through the flood of praise and flattery, not a spark of joy stirred in me.

I stayed in bed for a long time, lost in a haze of thoughts. Finally, I grabbed the divorce papers and dragged myself out of the room.

The living room was empty. Keira was nowhere in sight.

On the coffee table sat a ticket to a concert by my favorite singer, Tyler Combs. Next to it was a sticky note in her familiar handwriting.

"7:00 pm tonight. Be there or be square."

I recognized it as Keira's way of rewarding me.

After a moment's thought, I decided to attend the concert—not to salvage what we had, but to end it.

Seven years ago, Keira proposed to me in the middle of a packed concert crowd. The very next day, we rushed to the clerk's office to make it official.

Now here we were again at a concert. But this time, we were there to work out a divorce. The next day, we would go to the courthouse to file it.

It felt oddly fitting.

By 5:00 pm, I stuffed the divorce papers and the concert ticket into my bag. I threw on the first jacket I found and headed out.

I used to spend a long while getting ready for any date with Keira. It was a hassle, but I secretly enjoyed it.

But now, none of that mattered anymore.

I no longer had to wait on an empty stomach for her just so we could eat together. I could just grab something quick from the shops downstairs.

By the time I got to the concert venue, it was already 6:50 pm. I messaged Keira, but she didn't reply.

I shook my head. Instead of waiting outside for her like I always used to, I simply got in line and went in.

At that moment, a notification popped up on my screen. Jackson had tagged me in a new post.

The caption hit me hard. "No concert for me, but I've got the amusement park. Tonight's too beautiful to miss!"

The photo showed him holding a woman's hand high up on a Ferris wheel. Though her face wasn't in the shot, the familiar ring on her finger told me everything.

Keira wasn't coming.

It turned out the concert ticket was meant for another man.

However, it didn't bother me. After all, if Keira could betray seven years of marriage, what was one more broken promise?

As long as she signed the divorce papers, she was free to sleep with whomever she wanted.

After the concert, I walked all the way home.

I stopped on a familiar street and realized that the muffin shop Keira and I used to visit every day just to save a dollar was gone. It had been replaced by a sleek new bakery.

It hit me that time had stolen more than just us. Even the sweetest memories we had shared had faded over the years.

It was 1:00 am when I finally got home.

The living room light was on. Keira was sitting on the couch, typing on her phone.

The moment she saw me, she frowned and stormed over. "What's wrong with you? You didn't even answer my calls or reply to my texts. Were you planning to stay out all night?"

I froze. Was Keira actually waiting for me?

But for the past three months, I had been dragging myself home later than this every single night. Maybe she only cared tonight because I wasn't working overtime. That meant she couldn't risk bringing Jackson over.

Well, once the divorce was final, Jackson could move in for all I cared.

I pulled my hand free from her grip and said flatly, "I haven't been out in a while and forgot to charge my phone. It died during the concert."

The word "concert" reminded her of her broken promise, and guilt flickered across her face.

Keira pressed her lips into a tight line. She shifted awkwardly before reaching for a box beside her, opening it carefully.

My hand instinctively reached out and touched a suit.

Back when Keira and I got married, we were too broke for anything fancy. We just had a simple dinner with close friends to mark the occasion. For years, I regretted not being able to wear a suit and walk her down a proper aisle.

But now, those regrets were well behind me.

Keira noticed the indifference on my face. Something seemed to dawn on her, and she quickly added, "I booked a church for tomorrow night. We can finally make up for what we missed."

I looked at her with a faint smile and pulled the divorce papers from my bag. "Instead of that, I'd rather you sign this."

Keira took the divorce papers, staring at me in surprise before breaking into a smile.

"Liam, you've really changed. You're not just buried in your experiments anymore. You've actually learned to get jealous, and even ask me for a present."

"I'm glad, though," she added. "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you."

To prove her generosity, she didn't even glance at the contents. She flipped straight to the signature page and signed her name.

As she handed the papers back to me, her eyes shimmering with affection, she leaned in to kiss me.

Just as I was scrambling for a way to refuse, a sharp, insistent ringing from her phone shattered the moment.

Jackson's name flashed on the screen.

Keira swiped to decline the call, but before she could reach me for a hug, the phone rang again.

She was about to explain, but I cut her off. "You should get that. It might be important."

Jackson's voice came through faint and strained on the other end of the line. He had twisted his ankle and couldn't manage on his own, so he reached out to Keira for help.

When Keira hung up, her eyes flicked to mine, tinged with guilt. "Um… Jack's in some trouble. He can't handle it alone, so I might need to go."

"Then you should go. Don't keep Jackson waiting," I replied, waving Keira off.

My understanding caught her off guard. She clutched my hand, desperate to figure out why I was acting so strangely.

But the phone rang again, a relentless summons.

As I held her gaze, Keira finally let go of my hand. With tender affection in her eyes, she confessed her feelings to me.

"I can't wait for tomorrow's wedding. It'll be our perfect moment," Keira said, her voice filled with anticipation.

Her words had barely left her lips before she turned and hurried off.

I placed the divorce papers on her wedding dress and started packing my things. By tomorrow, I would be gone, and Keira would never see me again.

Keira didn't come home that night, but I neither cared nor asked where she was.

The next morning, the lab mate Elias had sent to pick me up arrived bright and early. Before leaving, I needed to make one last stop at Jarrett Group to grab the photo of Granny and me.

After my parents divorced, Granny raised me single-handedly. That was the only photo we had together, and I couldn't leave it behind.

The moment I walked into the office, I was met with a wave of strange looks from my colleagues. It wasn't until I reached my office that I finally understood the reason behind the tense atmosphere.

Jackson was sitting in my chair, looking up at me with a challenging expression.

"Liam, Ms. Jarrett's put me in charge of following up on the new drug launch, and she even told me to pick out a new office. I think this one will be perfect. You don't mind, do you?"

The nerve of it hit me like a slap. Keira had handed such a critical project to a rookie like Jackson. She really did have a soft spot for him, or maybe she was counting on me to stick around and clean up his mess.

I met his gaze with a casual smile. "Go ahead. I'm leaving anyway."

At my words, disappointment swept over the colleagues who had been ready to stand up for me. As Keira's husband and the head of R&D, being pushed around by a rookie was the ultimate humiliation.

My lab mate was still waiting downstairs, and he had already gone out of his way to drop me off at Jarrett Group. Spending any more time on a petty showdown with Jackson would only be taking advantage of my lab mate's kindness.

Just as I was about to leave with Granny's photo, Keira showed up at the door. Her face tightened the moment she saw me tuck the photo into my bag.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I was just—"

Before I could answer, Jackson cut me off. "Clear out this office. I like it."

As I turned to leave, Keira immediately grabbed my arm. "No! This has always been your office. No one's taking it—"

I didn't let her finish. "If Jackson likes it, he can have it."

I had already submitted my resignation. Once Keira approved it, I would be officially out. But even if she rejected it, it wouldn't have changed anything.

It was just a notice, and my employment would end in a month either way.

Just like our marriage, it would be over in a month too.

Keira froze, her expression clouded with emotions I couldn't read. It wasn't until I was out of sight that she snapped out of her daze.

Keira shoved Jackson, who had been happily humming while tidying up his new desk, out of the office and slapped him hard across the face in front of everyone.

"I warned you," she hissed. "Liam's my husband, and he's also the head of R&D. Without his guidance, the follow-up work on the new drug will fall apart. You must show him respect at all times."

She spat out another curse. "Have I been too lenient with you? Did that give you the wrong idea? How dare you provoke him?"

Downstairs, my phone buzzed with a string of texts from Keira.

"7:00 pm tonight at Hopevale Church. Be there or be square."

"I've booked our honeymoon at Blossom Bay. We leave tomorrow."

"We're not coming back until I'm pregnant."

I shook my head. I pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed it into a trash can.

I was sick of her hollow, sugary words of affection.

I got into the waiting car and headed to the airport.

By 7:00 pm, Keira stood at the entrance of the church, radiant in her wedding gown.