"I've never seen such a manipulative drama queen in my life. Just because she didn't spend New Year's with him, he's throwing a tantrum like this?"

"Divorce him, then! Tessa, honestly, what are you afraid of?"

An angry voice sliced through the crowd.

Audrey Mason. Tessa's best friend.

"Audrey, please, try to talk some sense into Oliver. He... he insists on divorcing me."

Audrey shot me a look of pure disgust, like she wanted to flay me alive right there.

"Tessa, he's just a leech. Why are you trying so hard to keep him?" She turned her glare on me. "Oliver Fox, do you even have a heart? Tessa has gone above and beyond for you. Every month, she gives you over ten thousand dollars for household expenses. Every business trip, she brings you gifts. Every holiday, she asks me to help pick out luxury goods for you."

A cold smile touched my lips.

Luxury goods?

From the day we married until now, the only gifts Tessa had ever given me were a plain silver band and a pair of generic sneakers she'd picked up on sale.

Audrey whipped out a stack of printed receipts.

"Audrey, don't—" Tessa's voice cracked.

She reached for the papers, but Audrey was too fast, too fueled by righteous indignation.

"Open your damn eyes," Audrey spat, shoving the papers toward me. "Every single item on this list was hand-picked by Tessa."

108 gifts. High-end daily necessities. Top-tier luxury items. Watches, limited edition belts, designer suits.

Not one had ever reached my hands.

A flicker of panic darted through Tessa's eyes. Gone in an instant—but I caught it.

"Audrey, enough!" Tessa's tone turned frantic. "Oliver isn't materialistic. There's just a misunderstanding between us. I can handle it."

To the crowd, she sounded like a devoted wife protecting her husband's dignity.

I knew better. She was protecting her lie.

"You act so tough for a man who lives off a woman," Audrey sneered. "Tessa told me about your... issues. That's why she asked me to buy that lingerie set last week. She wanted to surprise you on New Year's Eve..."

The rest faded into a dull buzz.

So the snowman photo was just the appetizer.

The main course had been hidden beneath it all along.

"Audrey, shut up!" Tessa's composure cracked.

Too late.

Audrey pulled out her phone and opened her chat history with Tessa, holding the screen up for me to see.

"Read it, Oliver. 'Audrey, this is the style he likes. Make sure the gift box is engraved: To my beloved Hubby.'"

On screen: explicit, sheer lingerie.

A chill ran down my spine.

In all our years of marriage, I'd never seen her wear anything like that. Whenever we were intimate, she was cold. Perfunctory. Lying there like a starfish, claiming exhaustion from work.

I'd believed her. Blamed myself.

Who would've thought she was buying scandalous lingerie in my name—to wear for someone else?

"You're certain," I said, my voice dangerously calm, "that these gifts and this lingerie were meant for me?"

Audrey stared at me with incredulity.

"Oliver Fox, you look like a gentleman, but you're really a piece of work. What, trying to smear Tessa now? I've been friends with her for ten years. I know her character."

I let out an icy laugh. "Then she's going to disappoint you. I haven't seen a single one of these 108 gifts. And that lingerie?" I gestured to the phone. "Never seen it in my life."

"You're lying!" Audrey's voice rose to a shriek. "Who else could 'Hubby' refer to? Tessa has given you her whole heart!"

The gift list was already circulating through the crowd. Someone uploaded it online.

In an instant, the narrative cemented. I wasn't just a husband asking for divorce—I was an ungrateful parasite.

To the crowd gathering around us, I had become the villain—a gold-digger living off a successful woman, a shameless freeloader with no bottom line.

"This man deserves to die," someone muttered loud enough for me to hear. "She supports him, and he still throws tantrums?"

"Even a hundred and eight gifts can't buy that washed-up old man's heart."

"I feel so bad for Tessa. She should divorce him. I'd date her in a heartbeat."

I ignored the noise. My gaze swept over the three of them: Tessa, eyes flickering with panic; Audrey, trembling with righteous indignation; and Carter, wearing that punchable smirk.

Without a word, I drove my foot into the snowman.

Snow exploded outward. The structure collapsed in a heap of white powder.

"You want to know why I'm divorcing her?" My voice cut through the murmurs. "This is the answer."

Buried in the snowman's torso, an exquisite velvet gift box sat revealed against the snow.

Tessa's jaw dropped. "Impossible... How could that be here?"

Audrey didn't miss a beat, pointing an accusatory finger at the box. "Oliver, look at this! This is the surprise Tessa prepared for you. She never does housework, yet she froze her hands scooping up icy snow just to build this. And you still want a divorce?"

"A surprise for me?" I let out a low, humorless laugh. "Audrey, are you sure those initials are meant for me?"

"Who else would they be for?"

Before I could answer, Tessa rushed forward.

"Oliver! I wanted to surprise you," she stammered, voice pitching up. "I was going to call you once I finished building it. I didn't think you'd misunderstand."

She masked the panic in her eyes, snatching up the velvet box. "Honey, Happy New Year. I bought the style you like. Hurry, open it."

She shoved the box toward me. I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but calculation. No sincerity—only fear of exposure.

I slapped the box away.

"Don't use this filth to disgust me. It's dirty."

The box hit the ground and popped open. Sheer lingerie spilled out onto the snow.

I stared at the lace. Identical to the set in Carter's photo.

The crowd's vitriol grew louder.

"Director Fletcher humbled herself to please him, and he refuses?"

"She spends money on him, buys him gifts... what does she see in this man?"

Tessa moved quickly, scooping the lingerie back into the box, wiping away a nonexistent tear.

"Oliver, if you don't like this style, I'll change it." Her voice trembled perfectly. "Please don't be angry. Don't divorce me, okay?"

I looked down at the pitiful mask she wore. A performance worthy of an award.

I reached out, pushing her hand aside, and pinched the fabric between my fingers. "You picked it out yourself—how could I not like it?"

I held her gaze. "Since you've put in so much effort... For five years, you prepared so many gifts for me. A 'kept man' like me should be grateful, right?"

My voice dropped, turning icy. "In front of everyone, how about I give you a big gift in return?"

Tessa's eyes darted nervously, but she forced a sweet, relieved smile. "Oliver, I don't want a gift. I just want you to agree not to divorce me."

I reached into my coat, pulled out the divorce agreement, and tore it in half.

Tessa let out a heavy breath, shoulders sagging. The tension left her face—she thought she had won.

I turned and walked to the car, opening the trunk to retrieve the portable projector.

Originally, this projector was meant to play a video I had spent months editing—a montage of our life together. But now, as I thought about what I was about to display, a dark satisfaction coiled in my gut.

The video transfer completed.

For the sake of the five years I once loved her, I gave her one final exit ramp.

"Tessa." My hand hovered over the controls. "I'll give you one last chance. Agree to divorce me right now, and I won't open this 'surprise.'"

She shook her head violently, playing the martyr to the bitter end.

I sighed. I gave you a chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.