My steps faltered as I suddenly remembered how she once begged me to quit my job at Toppest Law Firm and work as a minor legal consultant in her newly opened company.

At that time, I was still the eldest son of the Gray family, and she was just a poor student receiving financial aid.

My act of moving into a shabby apartment for the sake of love was even ridiculed by friends as "bravely running towards love."

Agnes also laughed, saying we were a couple bound by fate and even went to various temples to pray for a talisman of love, hoping we could meet again and fall in love in our next life.

But the talismans she prayed for were completely burned five years ago by a cigarette Milan left smoldering.

I was furious at the time, wanting to fire Milan, but she casually remarked.

"It's just some useless paper from those fraudulent guys trying to scam people for money. Nothing precious. I used to fall for that when I was younger, but not anymore."

I have asthma, so she was the one who initially forbade anyone from smoking inside the villa.

Back then, I didn't want to admit that Agnes no longer loved me, so I stubbornly stayed by her side.

But she remained indifferent, watching as the smoke made my face turn red, while she focused on protecting the fainting Milan.

Step by step, I helped her climb to the top, willingly retreating to the background, sacrificing everything, including my career, for her.

But she thought she had succeeded on her own and even tried to use that to control me.

Is this really the girl I've loved for so many years?

Seeing me stand still for so long, Agnes sneered. "Don't try to use divorce as some reverse psychology trick. I've been over that for ages. If you don't want to be my husband, there are plenty of others who do!"

I looked coldly at the two of them standing side by side. "There are plenty of people who would, right? Isn't the one beside you just waiting for his turn?"

Agnes' face turned ugly, but Milan pulled her into his arms and said.

"I've indeed been waiting for her all this time. So what? She got to where she is today on her own. You're just a freeloader living off a woman. What right do you have to put on airs?

"I can't stand you doubting her! And I can't stand your petty, paranoid jealousy!"

She didn't refute Milan's "righteous defense" of her, tacitly agreeing with him.

It was she and Milan who secretly got a dubious marriage certificate, and it was she and Milan who were ambiguous, yet now I'm the one being accused of being paranoid.

Once a woman's heart changes, it truly leaves one cold.

At this point, no matter how much love I once had, I can no longer continue this marriage.

I went upstairs, packed my things, and placed them in a suitcase.

I took out the divorce agreement Agnes had hidden in the safe and signed it cleanly. "Since you already prepared it, it saves me the trouble of printing one."

As I handed her the pen, bitterness spread through my heart.

I had seen her love me with her whole heart, which made her current indifference all the more painful.

She grasped the pen with a grim expression, without saying a word.

I wouldn't delude myself into thinking her hesitation meant she still loved me.

Because I clearly knew that Agnes just couldn't handle the idea of the man who once pursued her relentlessly suddenly walking away.

You could call it possessiveness or pride, but it certainly wasn't love.

The moment she signed, I caught a flash of excitement in Milan's eyes that he couldn't suppress.

After signing, she flung the divorce papers at me with a haughty expression.

"If you want to make a fuss, I'll entertain it, but you should know, the divorce cooling-off period is only 30 days. If you wait past 30 days, don't expect me to wait for you."

Milan chimed in mockingly. "Tsk! A man in his 30s throwing a tantrum. I think you should just leave him alone and let him calm down."

He really had a knack for sowing discord between couples, not missing a beat.

In the past, I would have snapped back immediately, but now, even saying one more word feels exhausting.

Silently, I took the signed divorce agreement and walked out of the villa.

As a light drizzle began to fall, I couldn't help but look back, hoping she would rush out to stop me. But what I saw was her supporting the wobbling Milan as they walked back inside.

I let out a sneer and resolutely walked into the rain.

At this point, I can't believe I'm still harboring fantasies about her—it's pure foolishness.

I returned to the villa my parents left me, took a quick shower, and went to sleep.

The next day, I woke up feeling dizzy with a stuffy nose and a slight fever after checking my temperature.

I popped a couple of cefalexin pills and was about to sleep again when my phone on the bedside table started vibrating nonstop. Half-asleep, I answered the call, only to hear Agnes angrily demanding.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you? You knew Mr. Walker was hosting today, and you knew he values harmony between couples. So you deliberately picked a fight with me yesterday?

"Are you just trying to force me to submit to you? Milan was right—children of capitalists like you are so calculating! You're actually trying to use this to threaten me."

Her tone grew sharper, and her words more cutting.

I swallowed my temper and replied, "So, you called me just to say all this?"

She snorted coldly, her tone impatient. "Get over here right now! I have to close this deal!"

I sighed helplessly, wanting to tell her it was none of my business anymore, but she hung up on me.

Her company carried some of my hard work too, so I went anyway.

As soon as I entered the private room, Mr. Walker warmly greeted me.

"Hey, Gray guy, glad you made it!"

Milan was sitting to Agnes' left, serving her food in an overly intimate manner.

A seat had been left empty on her right for me, but I didn't sit there. Instead, I pulled up a chair next to Mr. Walker.

Her face darkened with displeasure.

But I didn't care anymore. I was only here to exchange pleasantries with Mr. Walker, my father's close friend who has always looked after me.

Agnes knew about their relationship, which was why she called me to this dinner.

Thanks to me, Mr. Walker had given Agnes several orders. I owed him my gratitude.

But since I had taken cefalexin, I had to drink water instead of alcohol.

I hadn't expected Milan to chime in with a wolfish grin. "It's been a while since Lawyer Gray dealt with the company. Seems he's forgotten that substituting water for alcohol at the dinner table is frowned upon. Those who don't know better might think you're deliberately disrespecting Mr. Walker."

Before Mr. Walker could respond, Agnes frowned and shot me a look. "Don't you have any manners? Hurry up and apologize to Mr. Walker!"

With that, she refilled a glass with wine and pushed it toward me.

She knew my tolerance for alcohol was low and had told me before that I didn't need to worry about drinking at such dinners. Yet now, she was personally forcing me to drink.

Mr. Walker smiled kindly. "It's okay. If he doesn't want to drink, that's fine. I'm just stepping out for a moment; you all go ahead and eat."

Agnes' voice turned icy. "Do you really want to ruin this deal?"

My heart trembled, and I lowered my voice as I looked at her. "I took cefalexin."

She froze for a second but quickly laughed mockingly. "Stop making excuses. Drink up and get the deal signed. If we lose this partnership, don't blame me for turning hostile."

The girl who once loved me wholeheartedly was long gone. Her love for me had completely faded away.

When Mr. Walker returned, Agnes pretended to be affectionate and held the wine glass to my lips. "River's in a mood with me, but it seems he'll only drink if I feed him myself."

Mr. Walker chuckled warmly. "Seeing how well you two get along puts me at ease. A couple must work together to go far. I get what you're saying, don't worry—the deal is still yours."

Agnes' eyes sparkled with joy, and she immediately urged. "Well, aren't you going to toast Mr. Walker? We should thank him for his generosity."

I looked at her expressionlessly. "Are you sure you want me to drink?"

Milan taunted. "What's a grown man whining about a little alcohol for? Come on!"

With that, he lifted his glass and downed it in one gulp.

Agnes' face darkened, and she leaned in close, whispering harshly in my ear, "You want a divorce, don't you? Fine, drink this, and I'll divorce you. Don't drink, and you can sue for divorce—I'll drag it out for a year or more if I have to."

After hearing that, what was there left to misunderstand?

If she didn't want an amicable parting, then she couldn't blame me for resorting to tricks.

Smiling, I took the glass. "Alright, here's to all of you, thank you for your care."

Seeing me finish the drink, Agnes finally looked satisfied and averted her gaze.

But within ten minutes, my face went pale, and I collapsed to the floor, looking extremely unwell.

Mr. Walker panicked, almost jumping out of his seat. "What's going on?! Call an ambulance, now!"

I coughed weakly, barely able to muster the strength to look at Agnes. "I told you, I took cefalexin. Well, you got what you wanted. Please, just leave me alone from now on."

With those words, I passed out. Mr. Walker, furious, turned to Agnes. "What the hell? You knew he took cefalexin, and you still forced him to drink? Didn't I say it was fine if he didn't drink? Were you trying to kill him?"

Agnes was flustered. "No, I didn't know... I thought he was just making excuses..."

Milan quickly chimed in. "River always jokes around, Agnes didn't expect him to actually have taken cefalexin—it's his fault for not making it clear."

Mr. Walker wasn't having any of it. "Enough! No more excuses. There's no way he'd joke about his life!"

The ambulance arrived swiftly, and as they were about to leave, Mr. Walker turned to them with a cold expression, leaving behind one final remark.

"There were always rumors about you and Mr. Walsh, but I never believed them. I even thought of using this opportunity to help you and River get back together. Now, it seems unnecessary."

"Our future collaborations are also unnecessary."

As I was being lifted onto the ambulance, I saw Agnes standing there, stunned and lost.

In fact, I had secretly poured most of the alcohol onto my sleeve, only drinking a small portion, but the effect was still strong.

After inducing vomiting, I was sent for gastric lavage.

Mr. Walker stayed by my side the entire time. Since my parents passed away, he has been the only person who has been unconditionally good to me.

After losing the partnership, Agnes was swamped, rushing to handle the backlog of goods, with no time to bother me.

Yet, she still had flowers sent to my hospital room to apologize.

A week later, she suddenly barged into my hospital room, furious.

"River! You set me up?!"