She didn't ask if I was okay. Instead, she clapped a hand over her mouth in mock surprise.

Then she turned to Daniel, her voice sugary sweet.

"Danny, look at her knees. Since when did things get this wild?"

The glass of milk in my hand froze midway to my lips.

Daniel had been away on business for days. At her words, he glanced up at me.

His eyes were full of disgust.

Two words, cold as ice.

"Just eat."

My chest tightened. I tried to explain.

"I slipped in the bathroom yesterday."

"Enough." Daniel cut me off, irritation dripping from every syllable. "Nobody wants to hear it."

Claire immediately stepped in, playing the innocent peacemaker.

"Danny, don't be so harsh. She just had an accident, that's all. Right, Lillian?"

She winked at me. Her eyes glittered with triumph.

Daniel slammed his chopsticks down with a sharp crack, stood, and walked out of the dining room.

All he left behind was his retreating back.

I stared at the plate of breakfast he hadn't touched. Suddenly, I didn't want to explain anything anymore.

The warmth drained from my heart, degree by degree.

After that, Claire's remarks grew bolder.

In front of relatives and family friends, she'd say things in that half-joking tone of hers.

"Lillian's wonderful, really. It's just... two years of marriage and still no baby."

"Makes you wonder if her attention's been somewhere else entirely."

I'd stay up late making hangover soup for Daniel when he came home from late-night events. Claire always managed to beat me to it, taking the bowl right out of my hands and carrying it to him with a radiant smile.

"You're not feeling well, Lillian. Leave the caretaking to me."

At first, Daniel said nothing.

Then he started looking at me with impatience, as if everything I did was unnecessary.

Eventually, he stopped looking at me at all.

One evening, Daniel lost his temper over a project proposal, shouting at whoever was on the other end of the phone. After he hung up, he sank into the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose.

I was about to go pour him a glass of water.

Claire was already there, a warm glass of milk in hand, settling onto the cushion beside him.

"Danny, have you noticed the way she looks at you? There's nothing genuine in those eyes. Cold. Empty."

"I'm not like that. I actually care about you."

Daniel was quiet for a moment.

Then I watched him lift his hand and, as naturally as breathing, pat Claire on the head.

His voice was low.

"I know."

In that moment, I understood with perfect clarity. It was over.

He believed every word Claire said.

Claire turned around and flashed me a victorious smile.

Nausea churned through my stomach.

For the first time, I felt physically sick.

Family dinners at the Sanchez estate were always Claire's stage.

This time, she set her sights on a red mosquito bite on my neck.

In front of every relative at the table, she pointed at my throat, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

"Oh my, Lillian, what's that on your neck? So red. Sounds like someone had quite the night."

My hand flew to my neck on instinct.

Daniel's expression darkened the second he heard her. He looked at me the way someone looks at something filthy.

A sharp pain lanced through my chest.

Claire saw his reaction and pressed harder.

"Well, I suppose after two years of marriage without managing to produce an heir, a girl's got to find some way to keep a man's attention."

"The real question is... who left that pretty little mark?"

The moment her words landed, the entire table went silent.

Every pair of eyes turned toward me, scrutinizing, probing, picking me apart.

My face burned.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I grabbed the teacup in front of me and hurled the contents straight at that lying face.

Warm tea streamed down her cheeks, smearing her flawless makeup into a mess.

"Ahh!"

Claire shrieked.

Daniel shot to his feet and yanked me out of my chair. His grip was terrifyingly strong. A ring of red welts bloomed around my wrist instantly.

"What the hell is wrong with you!"

I wrenched free of his hand and let out a cold laugh.

"She just slandered me in front of everyone. Are you deaf?"

Daniel's eyes were bloodshot, boring into me.

"So she said something and that gives you the right to attack her? You've humiliated the entire Sanchez family! Apologize to her. Now."

Apologize?

For what?

I looked past him. Claire was dabbing at her face with a handkerchief, but behind the delicate performance, her eyes gleamed with triumph.

I spoke slowly, every word razor-sharp.

"She deserved it."

"You—" Daniel was shaking with rage. "You're absolutely hopeless!"

A crack split the air. His palm connected with my face with everything he had.

My head snapped to the side. A high-pitched ringing flooded my ears.

I stumbled backward and slammed into the sideboard. Expensive porcelain plates crashed to the floor, shattering across the tile.

In the chaos, I gripped the edge of the table and pulled myself upright.

Then, in a voice so calm it didn't sound like my own, I said it.

"Daniel, I want a divorce."

I didn't look at him again. I turned and walked away.

Behind me, his shouting echoed through the dining room, tangled with Claire's syrupy pleas for him to calm down.

I heard none of it.

Back in the bedroom, I locked the door and sealed every last noise on the other side.

The pounding. The yelling. It all sounded like it was coming from underwater.

I opened the closet and started packing.

The first dress Daniel ever gave me.

The first designer bag he bought me.

The limited-edition jewelry he'd bid on for my birthday.

Everything that carried his name, his touch, his memory. I left nothing behind. Every last piece went into the suitcase.

Finally, I slid the wedding ring off my finger. The one he'd placed there himself.

Under the light, it still sparkled.

But all I saw now was a cold circle of metal.

I set the divorce papers I'd prepared long ago on the nightstand.

Then I called my mother.

The moment the line connected, the tears finally came.

"Mom, I'm coming home tonight."

A few seconds of silence on the other end.

"Did you and Daniel have a fight?"

"Mom, we're getting divorced."

I told her everything that had happened at dinner.

On the other end of the line, my mother's voice trembled with fury.

"Come home. This house will always welcome you. We will always have your back."

I hung up, wiped my eyes dry, and dragged the suitcase downstairs.

Daniel was standing in the living room, his expression dark as a storm.

He stepped into my path, his voice low and heavy.

"Lillian, haven't you caused enough of a scene tonight? Do you want to embarrass the Sanchez family even more?"

I sidestepped him and headed straight for the door.

"We need to talk." He grabbed my arm.

I shook him off and met his eyes.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm afraid you'll slap me again."

That stopped him cold.

His expression froze. Something flickered across his face, uncomfortable and raw.

"I... it was a moment of impulse." He tried to apologize.

"The papers are on the nightstand," I cut him off. "Look them over. If everything's in order, sign them."

He couldn't seem to accept it. His voice shot up an octave.

"Over one slap, you want a divorce? Lillian, are you serious right now?!"

Are you serious?

I looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"Dead serious."

My tone left no room for doubt. Not a hint of humor.

The calm seemed to unsettle him more than hysterics ever could.

The last of his patience burned out.

He stepped back, jaw clenched, glaring at me through gritted teeth.

"Fine! You want a divorce, you've got one! But don't come crawling back, Lillian!"

Crawling back?

I gave him one final look.

"I won't. Daniel, I will never regret this."