Lucas glanced at me and nodded before continuing, "Cecilia stayed single for me all these years. Now that she's about to die, I have to fulfill her wish."

Then, his cheeks flushed a little, as if what he was about to say was hard to voice. "Cecilia… she saved herself for me; she's never been with a man. So, I've decided that I'm going to have a child with her."

Noticing how stiff my expression was, he hastily added, "I've talked it over with her. The child will take your last name. That should be enough, right?"

I stared at him in disbelief before jumping to my feet. "Do you even hear yourself right now, Lucas? You want to have a child with Cecilia, and you want me to raise it? I refuse. I won't accept this.

"I already turned a blind eye when you kept visiting her, and now you're telling me you want to cheat on me? What the hell is wrong with you, Lucas?"

My anger erupted in an instant, completely overwhelming my reason. Because I loved him, I had tolerated his lingering feelings for Cecilia. I had even accepted him caring for her.

Yet, his words felt like a hard slap to my face. It was both painful and humiliating.

Lucas froze, as if he wasn't expecting such a strong reaction from me, who had always indulged him. He came back to his senses and snarled, "What on earth are you doing, Fiona? I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm notifying you."

His brows knitted together as he looked at me, whose face was flushed crimson, with annoyance. "Besides, just because I married you doesn't mean my body belongs to you. I don't need your permission to have a child with someone else.

"Most importantly, if you hadn't forced yourself into the picture, I would've already been with Cecilia. You took advantage of me when I was at my lowest!" After saying that, he glared at me resentfully.

All of a sudden, I lost all strength to argue or question him, because it had never occurred to me that Lucas would blame me for his breakup with Cecilia.

Back then, someone secretly took nude photos of Lucas and used them to humiliate him. When his then-girlfriend, Cecilia, found out, she fled the city. His parents, who had been lifelong educators, couldn't bear the blow and fell seriously ill.

At that moment, I, who had had a crush on him for years, stepped forward. I did take advantage of the situation.

But I had no choice. From the moment I first laid eyes on him at school, I knew he was the one for me. Everyone knew about his relationship with Cecilia, and I would never have tried to come between them.

When she left, and he drowned in despair, I couldn't bring myself to look the other way.

During the two years he struggled with depression, I stayed by his side. Perhaps my sincerity reached him, or perhaps he had finally let go of Cecilia, because two years later, he asked me to marry him. I thought my efforts had finally paid off.

Even after we were married, I continued to take care of him meticulously. I didn't dare slack off, as I was afraid his depression would return.

But now, six years later, he thought all his regrets with Cecilia were my fault.

What a joke. With a single sentence, he erased all my effort and sincerity.

"What am I to you, Lucas? A disposable ATM?" I practically shouted.

My eyes were ablaze with anger. My lips trembled, and I couldn't form another complete sentence.

I couldn't understand how he could treat me like this. We had been married for six years. Did he even have a heart?

"Do you really have to make such a big deal out of this, Fiona?" He looked at me with obvious disgust. "Forget it. No matter how you feel about this, I'm going to have a child with Cecilia."

I was about to argue when his phone rang. The ringtone was distinctive, and I knew immediately it was Cecilia.

Her voice came through the line, faint and weak. "Lucas, my stomach hurts again. I want to see you… Can you come?"

Cecilia sounded fragile. I watched as concern and tenderness flashed across his eyes. It was a look he had never once shown me.

Instinctively, I grasped his hand. "I'm not agreeing to this, Lucas. You're my husband—"

He flung my hand away, irritation written all over his face. "Cut it out, Fiona. Cecilia is sick; she needs me right now. Even if you're jealous, can you not do this right now? This really isn't the time.

"Can you not make this about yourself? Cecilia doesn't have much time left."

His forehead creased, as if I were the one being unreasonable. Just then, I felt my heart shatter.

"Lucas," I called out weakly. "You can only choose one. Me or Cecilia. Who are you choosing?"

"Do you really have to do this, Fiona? Cecilia is sick, and you still want to compete with her? Fine, I'll tell you straight. I choose Cecilia! Are you happy now?"

"Since you made your choice, let's get a divorce, Lucas." My jaw ached as I clenched my teeth. "Since you're still hung up on Cecilia, there's no reason for me to keep clinging to this. Let's stop tormenting each other and get a divorce."

I couldn't wrap my head around the reason that he couldn't forget Cecilia, yet he still refused to let me go. Did he really think he could treat me like a fool and trample over me for the rest of my life?

I had turned a blind eye to too many things before. But I didn't want to put up with him anymore.

He wasn't the only man in this world. I could always start over.

Lucas' eyes widened with disbelief when he heard that. He grasped my arm and demanded, "What the hell has gotten into you, Fiona? What's the meaning of this? You want a divorce?"

I scoffed. "Isn't that obvious? Or do you want me to sit around and wait for you to cheat right in front of me?"

His expression froze for a moment before he sneered, "This little stunt of yours won't work on me, Fiona. Once we're divorced, even if you regret it and come begging me later, I won't take you back."

"I won't. I'll have the divorce agreement ready as soon as possible. All you have to do is sign it."

At that moment, I felt inexplicably calm. Perhaps his actions had made me see things clearly at last.

I realized he didn't love me, and no matter what I did, it wouldn't change a thing. I was no longer needed now that Cecilia was back.

Noticing how serious I was, his expression darkened with anger, and he glared at me. "Are you serious, Fiona? Fine. Let's get divorced. Whoever backs out is a coward!" With that, he grabbed his bag and stormed out the door.

Three days had passed since that argument, and neither of us had contacted the other. If anything, he kept posting vague updates on social media. When I checked, most of them were photos of him and Cecilia.

The two of them were practically made for each other; one was a scumbag, and the other was a bitch.

I knew what he was doing. He wanted to get under my skin.

In the past, if I had seen Lucas that close with another woman, I wouldn't have been able to take it. I would have swallowed my pride and begged him to forgive me.

But now, I didn't love him anymore. So, I no longer felt jealous.

I hadn't wasted these three days either. I had already asked a lawyer to draft the divorce agreement. I left the divorce agreement behind that day, finally putting an end to my marriage.

After six years of marriage, I realized everything I owned fit into a single suitcase.

I moved into a small apartment near my company.

I had bought it years ago to make commuting to work easier. However, after marrying Lucas, I never stayed there again. Even when I worked overtime or had business gatherings, I still went home to be with him.

Yet, reality showed me how wrong I had been. I couldn't get him to love me, even after putting him first in everything. All it did was make him think I couldn't live without him, so he never had to consider my feelings.

After unpacking, I noticed several missed calls from Lucas on my phone. When I didn't answer, he sent me an essay.

"Do you really want to get a divorce, Fiona? Weren't you the one who said you'd stay with me forever? How dare you go back on your word now?

"Remember, you were the one who got down on your knees before my parents and swore you'd be good to me for life. Have you forgotten that?

"We can get a divorce, but you have to tell everyone it's your fault and has nothing to do with me. My parents won't be able to handle it otherwise.

"Alright, Fiona, I'll meet you halfway. Once Cecilia and I have a child, I'll have one with you as well. Haven't you always wanted a baby?"

When I read the last sentence, I was so livid I wanted to laugh. So, this was his solution? He wanted to give me a child to make it up to me.

I smiled derisively. I thought he contacted me because he still had feelings for me. Turns out, he was just afraid I'd expose the disgusting things he had done and that his parents wouldn't be able to take it.

After all, infidelity was something conservative elders could never accept. But why should I bear the consequences of his mistakes?

Back then, to protect Lucas, I ignored all the judgmental looks and married him. I spent a fortune to buy back his nudes.

When he said he didn't want children because it was too much trouble, I accepted it. I even told my parents that I was infertile so they wouldn't pressure him.

Yet, what did I get in return? A husband who wanted to sleep with his first love and have a child with her.

I ignored him and blocked him on every social platform. The moment I powered off my phone, I felt an inexplicable sense of relief. I had wanted to do this for a long time.

Lucas was an only child who had been spoiled and doted on since birth. So, he was used to getting his way.

In the past, whenever I upset him, he would block me. He would only remove me from his blocklist after I swallowed my pride, apologized, and begged for his forgiveness.

Back then, I loved him. Even though I thought his behavior was childish, I indulged him. But now that I tried it myself, I finally understood him. It felt incredibly good.

Cutting someone who wasn't worth my time out of my life felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

To my surprise, Lucas showed up at my company the very next day. I was going over the contracts my employees had submitted when my secretary, Jordan Stanton, knocked and walked in. "There's a gentleman outside asking for you, Ms. Sinclair. He claims he's your husband."

I was caught off guard when I heard that. It took me a moment to realize that the person outside must be Lucas. I didn't know what he wanted, but I still motioned for Jordan to bring him in.

Lucas stormed into my office, sat across from me, and threw his bag on my desk. "What kind of idiots are you hiring, Fiona? They don't even recognize me. Fire them at once!

"Also, why did you block me? Even if you're jealous, you should at least know when to stop."

As soon as his words sank in, I found it painfully ironic. We had been married for six years, yet this was the first time he had ever come to my company to look for me.

For six whole years, he refused to let me post a single photo of us together on my social media. Yet, now he was complaining that my employees didn't recognize him.

How ridiculous. I calmly closed the contract and looked up at him. "What do you want?"

Noticing how apathetic I was, his expression hardened. Yet, something occurred to him, and he suppressed his anger.

"Cecilia can't afford chemotherapy, and I don't have enough either. Give me your card, and I'll forgive you for upsetting me the other day." Lucas extended his hand matter-of-factly, as if I was supposed to do anything for him, including paying for his first love's treatment.

I couldn't help but chuckle. How low had I sunk before for Lucas to think I asked for a divorce just because I was jealous? How else could he demand something so absurd now?

Not only did I have to accept him having a child with his first love, but I was now expected to pay for her treatment as well. That was beyond humiliating.

I stared at his outstretched hand and burst into laughter again. Then, I rose from my seat, walked to the door, and opened it. "I've decided to get divorced, Lucas. There's no point in clinging to me now. I don't think any woman in this world could accept her husband having a child with his first love and still paying to support her. So, let's part on good terms, okay?"

Lucas stiffened. By the time he came back to his senses, my employees' eyes were already on the two of us. After all, office workers loved this kind of scandal.

His face flushed crimson, and he shot daggers at me with his eyes. "Have you lost your mind, Fiona? What the hell are you saying in front of all these people?

"My parents were singing your praises in front of me the other day. When did you become so heartless? You won't even help save a life now?"

Gazing at him, who was furious, I felt even more certain that divorce was the right decision. "What am I saying in front of all these people?" I sneered, looking into his eyes. "Do you really think I'm clueless, Lucas? Have you forgotten what you had said in the hospital two days ago?"

Lucas froze when he heard that.

"I've already given you and Cecilia my blessings. Don't expect to get anything else from me, or you'll end up with nothing." With that, I spun on my heel and stormed away.

I let my emotions get the better of me and aired our dirty laundry in public. That was humiliating enough as it was. I didn't want to stay and endure everyone's sympathetic gaze.

To my surprise, as soon as I reached the elevator, Lucas caught up to me. He reached out to stop me, gasping for air. "What did you mean by that, Fiona?"

I stopped in my tracks and snapped, "I meant what I said. Do you really not remember what you said, Lucas?"

Lucas pursed his lips. His cheeks burned as he stammered, "W-What did I say? I-I don't know what you're talking about."

I looked at him and, for the first time, realized how terrible his acting was. I felt a twinge of regret. I should have divorced him outright instead of choosing a mutual separation to save his dignity.

"Lucas, two days ago, you said you were sick of me, and that you didn't want to be with me anymore; you only stayed for the money. You said your heart only started beating again when Cecilia came back."

As soon as my words sank in, the color drained from his face.