This wasn't the first time Jade had threatened me with divorce.

But it was the first time I calmly looked at her in the eye and said firmly, "Alright."

Jade didn't get the rambling apology she was expecting. My indifference caught her off guard, and for the first time, she was furious, unable to handle the sudden shift in power between us.

"Luke, what did you just say?"

I repeated every word clearly. "I said, let's get divorced."

After I spoke, I pulled out the divorce agreement I had prepared a year ago from my file folder and handed it to her.

Jade stared at the slightly yellowed papers, disbelief etched across her face. "What kind of game are you playing now? Trying to push and pull?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're overthinking it."

Jade's eyes reddened with anger, and her fingers trembled as she pointed at me, but no words came out. It turned out that being the one to initiate a divorce felt pretty liberating.

Witnessing Jade's fury, Henry silently mouthed a word at me. "What a sore loser!"

He carefully pulled out a wet wipe, using one hand to clean the mess off Jade's dress while the other gently comforted her. "Jade, if he doesn't appreciate you, why bother with him? You got burned making hangover soup for him, and he doesn't even feel bad. Instead, he goes and deliberately throws up on you. His so-called love? It's all fake!"

Henry's indignant expression, filled with concern, made him look just like a loving husband.

Meanwhile, I seemed cold-hearted and petty. Henry deliberately displayed bloodstained palms, which made it unclear who he was trying to guilt-trip.

Jade clutched Henry's hand, her eyes turning even colder as she looked at me. "Luke, how can you and Henry be so different? If you're angry, take it out on me, but you have no right to lay a finger on him. You owe him an apology, and you're going to do it today!"

Jade, who normally fainted at the sight of blood, repeatedly stared at the blood in Henry's palm, gently blowing on it.

True love really does conquer everything.

Faced with her beloved's blood, Jade didn't feel the least bit faint.

In the past, she couldn't even stay with me for a blood test. Just a drop of blood on a cotton swab would send her running for the door. Jade didn't mention divorce again. I agreed to it, and she backed down.

To be honest, I felt disappointed.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my abdomen again, and it hit me that I hadn't gone for a follow-up check-up since my gallbladder surgery two months ago. A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. I had zero energy left to deal with the jerk and the unfaithful woman standing in front of me, so I went straight back to the emergency room. I just needed to find out if my condition was acting up again.

Before entering the elevator, I saw Jade walking away hand in hand with Henry. I quickly registered for a CT scan. The wait was excruciating, and when the results came back, I couldn't believe it.

The doctor's mouth moved, but the only words that stuck with me were 'remove the gallbladder.' I couldn't absorb anything else. He had to call my name several times.

"Mr. Clark, your condition requires immediate surgery. If you delay, it could be life-threatening."

'Surgery?'

After being admitted and completing the preoperative tests, they told me a family member needed to sign the consent form. That's when I felt a bit lost. Without thinking, I instinctively dialed Jade's number.

One ring after another.

Finally, Jade picked up, and her anger came through the phone like a tidal wave.

"Luke! It's too late to realize you were wrong! Even if you die this time, I won't forgive you easily!"

I ran my fingers over the scar from my last surgery, feeling a brief pang in my chest. But it passed quickly.

I took a deep breath, then turned to the doctor and said, "I don't have any family. I'll sign the consent form myself."

Five days later, Jade tracked me down at the hospital. As always, she found my location as if she was on a mission.

"Mom says you're not answering her calls. What's your deal?" She blurted with a face full of impatience.

I wasn't in the mood to waste time, so I said, "It's just a few stitches on your foot. You think that gives you special privileges?"

Her eyes flashed with annoyance, but I cut straight to the point. "Let's finalize the divorce today."

Staring at me like I'd just slapped her, Jade froze. When she realized I wasn't joking, her red lips pressed into a tight line.

"We're going to my mom's for some soup today. We can talk about the divorce later." I decided to settle the details back at the old house.

When we arrived, I realized her mother had moved up her 60th birthday celebration. To my surprise, Henry was on the guest list.

Jade shot back at me, "Is this your doing? You know, Mom can't stand Henry. Why would you push him this far?"

I met her glare with disdain. "If you two wanted to keep your affair under wraps, you shouldn't have made your love so public."

"Besides," I added with a shrug, "his legs brought him here, not me. I didn't drag him in."

As soon as Mrs. Mckenzie, my mother-in-law, spotted me, she gently patted my shoulder, her eyes filled with concern. "Luke, you haven't been home in over two weeks. You've lost weight!"

Henry's face went pale at her words, and it was clear. Mrs. McKenzie had invited Henry here to humiliate him. But he still wasn't willing to back down.

He approached Jade humbly and said, "Jade, I just wanted to celebrate your mom's birthday. You're not mad at me for surprising you, are you?"

He then offered a pair of emerald bracelets to my mother-in-law. "Auntie, I came across these emerald bracelets and thought of you. Please, take them as a small token of my appreciation."

My mother-in-law's eyes lit up, though she hesitated and glanced at me. She couldn't hide her temptation. Jewelry was her weakness.

But I looked right through it.

These bracelets were supposed to be my gift for her birthday. Jade had secretly given them to Henry. It was the final straw. After a year of holding it all in, I couldn't stand it anymore.

All the guests froze in shock when I grabbed my phone and called the police. "Hello, 911? I'd like to report a theft. Someone stole my property worth $10 million."

The room went dead silent.