"Are you really sure about this?" Hannah Kent held Irina's resignation letter, still feeling it was a pity to lose her.
Irina nodded with a smile. "Yes. I'm an only child, and my parents are getting older, so I've decided to move back home and build my career there."
"What about Prof. Parker? What about his job?"
Hannah knew everything about Irina's relationship.
They went through four years of long-distance dating in college. Later, Irina moved far away to Sterling City after graduation to marry Uriah. Everyone believed their marriage was rock-solid.
More importantly, Uriah was the youngest professor at a top college, with a bright future ahead of him. Hence, quitting was never an option.
"I'm getting a divorce."
"A divorce?"
Seeing Hannah's shocked expression, Irina smiled. "Yes. It's already in process."
Irina had always been calm and composed. Although she seemed easygoing, she had her own stubborn streak. Once she decided on something, she would not look back.
"Alright, then. I wish you nothing but success in your future," said Hannah.
She did not try to talk her out of it and simply signed the resignation form.
After that, Irina spent the entire day handing over her work responsibilities.
That evening, the divorce agreement was delivered to the office by courier. Once she had carefully reviewed all the terms, Irina signed it decisively.
That night, Hannah invited everyone out to dinner as a farewell for Irina. After dinner, someone suggested going to karaoke, and Irina did not refuse, joining them instead.
Because Uriah disliked such gatherings, Irina rarely attended gatherings with her coworkers. She had respected all of Uriah's preferences, only for everything to end so miserably.
As if perfectly timed, the night ended with a coworker singing 'Strangers Again.'
When Irina got home, it was already past midnight. As she opened the door, she found Uriah sitting on the couch, smoking.
Hearing Irina come in, Uriah quickly stubbed out his cigarette and stood up from the couch. He seemed apologetic as he said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself and smoked in the house."
"It's fine." Irina no longer wanted this house anyway. Hence, she did not care if he smoked in the living room.
After changing her shoes, Irina headed toward the bathroom.
Uriah blocked her path, determined to have a proper conversation with her tonight. "Irina, I need to talk to you about something."
Irina was exhausted and had no energy to argue. She stopped and looked at him calmly. "Okay, go ahead."
Uriah had thought that his attitude this morning would have made Irina angry, that she would give him the silent treatment. He assumed that her coming home so late was her way of throwing a tantrum.
To his surprise, Irina was completely calm. Even though he still felt vaguely uneasy inside, he knew he could not delay this any longer.
"Ms. White received a critical condition notice today. The doctors said she could pass at any time. She has a final wish and hopes that..."
Uriah believed he had done nothing wrong, yet he could not bring himself to finish the sentence.
Irina said softly, "She hopes you'll take care of Sophie for the rest of her life and wants to see you two get married?"
She still remembered everything Sophie had said earlier that day, and she had stayed silent then because she wanted Uriah to say it himself.
He finally did it, and it was clear he knew how hurtful it sounded.
"You already knew?" Uriah was somewhat surprised.
Nonetheless, since it was all out in the open now, he had no choice but to reason with Irina. He explained, "Irina, when I was little, my parents were always busy. Once when I got sick, Ms. White carried me to the hospital in the pouring rain and stayed awake to care for me for three days straight. She saved me. I can't let her die with regrets, so can you–"
Before Uriah could finish, Irina cut him off. "You don't need to say any more. I agree."
After speaking, she even smiled slightly.
That smile instantly lifted much of the gloom weighing on Uriah's heart. He happily pulled Irina into his arms and hugged her tight. "I knew it! I knew you'd understand. My precious Irina is the most understanding person in the world."
He continued, "Oh, and Irina... My marriage to Sophie will be fake, just a ceremony to satisfy Ms. White. I won't invite many people, but if there are rumors, I still hope you can help explain the situation for me."
Over the next three days, Uriah did not come home.
During that time, Irina packed up all her belongings and had everything shipped back to her parents' house.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally called Linda. "Mom, I'm coming home in a few days."
On the other end of the line, Linda sounded thrilled. "Oh? Are you taking time off? Is Uriah coming with you? Irina, how's the baby planning going? You need to eat well. A healthy body means a healthy baby. Oh, and make sure you tell Uriah: no smoking, no drinking, and no staying up late."
She continued, "Mrs. Rogers downstairs brags about her granddaughter every single day, going on about how pretty she is. Well, you're so beautiful, and Uriah is a handsome man! When you have a baby, they'll definitely be better looking than her granddaughter."
Every time they talked on the phone, Linda had so much to say to Irina. However, this time, as she listened to her mother's rambling and reminders, Irina's eyes welled up with tears.
As if she heard her daughter's choking sobs, Linda's tone suddenly changed. "Irina, what is wrong? Are you crying? What happened?"
Irina wiped her tears and told the truth. "Mom, I'm divorcing Uriah."
The moment the words left her mouth, the line went quiet for a long time. After a while, Linda's gentle voice sounded again.
"Then come home. I just bought a new set of bedding. You'll definitely love the pattern."
"Okay." Irina could barely hold it together, so she said she had something to do and hung up.
Leaning against the couch, she stared at the wedding photo of herself and Uriah on the wall, her eyes brimming with icy, unshed tears.
She thought, 'See, Uriah... Even without you, there are still people in this world who love me unconditionally.'
Just then, a chat notification chimed, pulling Irina back to reality. She opened it and saw a photo sent by Sophie.
It was a photo of Sophie and Uriah in wedding attire. Sophie wore an elegant royal-style dress and leaned sweetly against Uriah, while Uriah wore matching formal attire and looked like a refined gentleman.
Irina looked back up at her own wedding photo with Uriah. She suddenly felt that the eight years she had poured into this relationship were nothing but a massive joke. Back then, she had wanted to wear a royal-style wedding dress, but Uriah objected. He said he didn’t like her wearing it because it was too gaudy.
Not only did he have no problem with Sophie wearing it, but he also posed willingly for the photos.
It was obvious who he truly cared about.
Another notification chimed as Sophie sent another message. She wrote, [Irina, Uriah and I are getting married tomorrow. I wanted to invite you, but Mom's emotions are quite unstable, and she doesn't want to see you, so please don't come. Once it is over, Uriah and I will treat you to a meal.]
Irina sneered, thinking it was a clumsy attempt at showing off and provocation. She simply replied with just one word, [Congratulations.]
After that, she blocked Sophie. Then, she called a demolition contractor she had worked with before.
Everything in this house was a product of her love and devotion. Since she was leaving, there was no point in any of it remaining.
...
The next day arrived. Everyone attending the wedding was a relative or friend of Sophie's family.
Uriah kept searching for Irina's figure, but from the start of the ceremony to the end, he never saw her.
That evening, after taking Beth back to the hospital, Uriah wanted to go home. Sophie wanted to go with him, saying she wished to thank Irina in person. He saw no reason to refuse, believing that he and Sophie had nothing to hide since their relationship was completely innocent.
However, the moment Uriah opened the front door, he froze. All the finishes in the huge house were gone.
The walls and floors had been stripped back to their lifeless, concrete gray, and except for a few large boxes in the center of the living room containing Uriah's personal belongings, nothing remained in the home he had shared with Irina.
Under Sophie's shocked gaze, Uriah walked to the boxes and picked up the envelope sitting on top with trembling hands. When he opened it, inside was the divorce agreement Irina had signed, along with her ectopic pregnancy surgery records.
