I swallowed the bitterness in my heart and kept my voice calm. "He's a man who doesn't know how to mind his boundaries with my wife, and I'm supposed to be the one apologizing?"

Natasha was incensed, glaring at me as she growled, "First of all, there's nothing between us, and second, Stanley is the young heir of the Rogers family. What gives you the right to offend him?"

She demanded, "Now, go apologize immediately!"

Her tone was domineering, her eyes cold and distant, carrying that superior attitude she always had.

I stared at her angry expression, feeling somewhat dazed. Borned with a silver spoon in the Bates family, she had always been overbearing. Back in college, she was already involved in company affairs, going to business dinners, negotiating deals, and securing contracts.

Later, she smoothly inherited the company and became an admirable female CEO.

Meanwhile, I was just an orphan who had lost both parents young and was lucky enough to be sponsored by her for my education.

We met through her sponsorship, then fell in love, and got married after graduation.

Everyone said I was not good enough for her—a broke nobody marrying a wealthy heiress.

I knew it too. Hence, for all these years, I followed her lead in everything, whether in business or personal life, practically bent over backward just to make her happy.

However, I did not want to listen to her anymore this time.

"No!" I locked eyes with Natasha and said the word slowly, firmly.

She looked at me in disbelief, never expecting that someone as meek as me would actually refuse her. Anger flashed across her face, and she was about to explode when Stanley's call came in, breaking the tense atmosphere.

I answered and put it on speaker, and his upbeat voice rang out. "Nattie, are you there? You left your necklace on my bed. Do you want me to drop it off tomorrow?"

A sarcastic smile tugged at my lips.

Natasha's face immediately tensed up in panic as she rushed to explain, "I went out drinking with him. I just crashed on his bed for a bit, nothing happened—"

"Cut ties with him," I said softly, wanting to give her one last chance.

However, Stanley's voice suddenly spiked through the phone. He shouted, "Kieran, who the hell do you think you are to control who Nattie hangs out with? Don't forget your place—you're just a freeloader!"

Finally, he added dismissively, "And stop being so paranoid. If Nattie and I had something going on, you think she would've married you?"

I handed the phone back to Natasha and repeated myself. "Cut ties with him!"

"Are you done making a scene?" Natasha barked as she hung up the phone, her eyes blazing as she looked at me impatiently.

She continued, "The Rogers and Bates families go way back! Our companies are closely tied. Do you have any idea what kind of financial damage it would cause if I cut Stanley off?

"Kieran Grant, you're thirty years old. Can you stop being so childish? It's just some photos. Do you really have to make this a big deal?"

Her fury only made me calmer, and I felt nothing. Then, I heard myself say, "Let's get a divorce."

Natasha and I stared at each other in silence, and the room fell into a deathly quiet.

She seemed shocked I would actually bring up divorce. After all, I had once sworn to her I would never leave her.

Then again, that was several years ago, when Natasha had just taken over the company and was preparing to land a major project. There were many competitors, and one ruthless company had orchestrated a car accident.

When the crash happened, I instinctively threw myself over her to shield her from most of the impact.

While we waited for rescue, I was barely breathing and told her, "If I die, you have to forget about me and find someone new to start over with!"

She cried and shook her head, making me promise I would never leave her. As long as I did not leave her, she was willing to do anything.

It seemed she had long forgotten what she said, and I had broken my promise.

Still, I said it. I asked for the divorce.

After those words left my mouth, I slowly stood up and walked toward the guest room.

Her voice snapped from behind me, filled with fury. "Divorce? Fine, but don't you dare regret it!"

She slammed the door with a bang and left, while I lay on the bed, eyes burning with tears. I could not stop thinking about how kind she used to be.

Back in school, I was a poor orphan who was small and skinny, constantly getting bullied. I was so insecure and weak that I did not even dare fight back.

I just swallowed everything and cried in silence.

Until that day, when Natasha somehow found me in the corner where I was hiding. She stood in front of me and casually said, "What's the point of crying? If you don't want to be bullied, then get stronger. Always giving in just makes your enemies bolder.”

She said many more comforting and encouraging words to me. That day, she seemed like an angel who had come down from heaven to save me.

Later, I followed her advice. When those bullies came to mess with me again, I fought back, ending up bloody and swollen.

On my way home, I ran into Natasha. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.

From that day on, no one ever bullied me again because everyone knew I was like a rabid dog who would fight desperately if anyone dared to trample on my dignity.

I never hid away to cry alone again, either.

Until now.

The tears flowed freely once more, releasing all the grievances I had bottled up for so many years.

From that day on, Natasha never came home. It felt like she was deliberately giving me the cold shoulder to make me apologize first. Unfortunately for her, I would not cave anymore.

A week passed in a blink. One of the senior figures in our social circle, Yosef Schmidt, was throwing a birthday gala, and both Natasha and I received invitations. We were supposed to attend the event together, but since I could not reach her, I had to go alone with a gift in hand.

The moment I stepped into the ballroom, I saw Natasha and Stanley dressed in matching outfits. I thought I had moved on, but the sight of it still hurt, and my face instantly turned pale.

Stanley had his arm wrapped around Natasha as they danced. He caught my eyes mid-spin and flashed a smug, taunting smile.

Everyone in the room recognized the three of us, and the atmosphere shifted instantly. Before long, curious stares and whispers surrounded us.

Many looked at me with mocking eyes, as if ridiculing how I had worked so hard to marry Natasha but could not even keep her.

My pride was shattered completely.

Natasha also noticed my arrival, and her eyes showed panic as she abruptly pulled away from Stanley's hand and walked toward me. She quickly explained, "Kieran, don't get the wrong idea. This is just ordinary ballroom dancing."

"Kieran! In high society, it's perfectly normal for men and women to ballroom dance together. You're not that petty, are you? Poor Nattie! She can't even enjoy basic socializing anymore," Stanley chimed in, voice dripping with fake sympathy.

I ignored them both. I was so disappointed that I felt numb.

Later, I calmly handed Yosef his birthday gift. Then, I walked back over to Natasha and said flatly, "Since there's no affection left between us, let's stop hurting each other. Let's save ourselves some grace. I already drafted the divorce papers, so come home tonight and sign them. I wish you both happiness in your future marriage."

With that, I strode away.

Natasha's panicked voice called out behind me. "Kieran, wait! Calm down..."

She chased after me into the garden, looking more shaken than I had ever seen her. It was unlike her because she was always composed and had everything under control.

"The details don't matter anymore. What matters is your heart clearly isn't with me. You knew we were both supposed to attend this kind of event together, but you left me behind without a word."

I added softly, "For the sake of our years together, let's part ways peacefully."

Natasha looked at my determined expression and burst into tears, as if she had lost her most precious possession. I watched her reaction with confusion.

Choosing Stanley was her choice, so why was she crying?

Stanley quickly chased after us, looking at me angrily and cursing, "Wipe your tears, Nattie! This freeloader doesn't deserve your love! You still have me by your side, and I'll always be there for you!"

As I watched her collapse into Stanley's arms, crying, I let out a mocking laugh.

Then, I coldly threw my final words at Natasha, "Enjoy your time with Stanley while you can. Soon, you'll both have nothing left."