"Emmett doesn't eat spicy food. He is also going on a diet. Pay more attention to what you cook. By the way, he likes salmon. Go to the supermarket and get a slice of fresh salmon."

Emmett flashed a demure yet smug smile. "Thank you, Julian. Oh, Kim, by the way, I'm also craving some other seafood."

Kim rolled her eyes at him and coquettishly grumbled, "You picky brat."

But then, she turned to me and ordered, "What are you still standing here for? Go and get the ingredients! Didn't you say you needed the money for your father's surgery? Just be good, and I'll transfer the money to you soon."

She was so sure that I would take the humiliation just for my father.

Then, she held Emmett's hand and led him into the master bedroom. I could hear muffled laughter and teasing coming from inside.

Looking at the shut door. I suddenly found this entire situation rather absurd.

I no longer need the money, Kim. Not now, not ever.

I picked up the divorce papers that Kim rejected, subconsciously rubbing my fingers together on the title.

I heard their conversation coming from the bedroom mixed with laughter.

"Kim, what happens if you have a son? I want a daughter."

"Then, we'll have more babies. I'll make sure you'll be satisfied."

I smiled self-deprecatingly. So, this was the accident that she claimed to have happened?

…

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a reply from the director, Albert Shaw.

[Happy that you're willing to join this secret project, but you'll need to be away for at least five years. Can your wife accept this?]

[It's fine. I'm about to get a divorce.]

Albert's reply came quickly. He replied with a cautious sense of relief, saying that he was seeing Kim's rumors on the news most of the days and how he long thought that we weren't quite suited for each other.

My nose burned when I saw his concern.

In the past, I would always be the first one to step up and defend her. But things were no longer the past. Everything changed.

In the past, even if there was a whiff of rumor, no matter how tiny it was, she would immediately clarify on social media. She was worried that I would be mistaken.

Yet, at that moment, the artistic nudes she took with Emmett were spread on the internet far and wide. In the photos, the wedding ring, which she never took off, was nowhere to be seen.

This perhaps started from the first time she mentioned Emmett with reminiscence and adoration.

"Do you know Emmett Stone, the one from the most recent pageant competition? He really looked like you when you were younger."

From that day onward, all of her adoration and love for me was redirected to this perfect substitute.

I dimmed the screen of my phone and inserted it back into my pocket.

In the end, I headed into the kitchen, only because it was my birthday that day. I thought of it as cooking one last meal for us.

Once it was done, the entire place smelled wonderful. I walked over to the master bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Dinner's ready."

The only response I got was the sound of muffled and intimate moaning.

I frowned and opened the door, only to see a torn black lace bra on the floor.

I let out a silent, bitter laugh. I was the one who bought it for her, thinking it could help add a little spark to our marriage.

However, no matter how I begged her to wear it, she refused, saying that it was too embarrassing.

Yet, at that moment, even when she was pregnant, she would happily accommodate Emmett.

How ironic.

A shirt mixed with filth and the sharp scent of cologne was thrown straight at my face.

"You're here just in time. Emmett's shirt is dirty. It's quite an expensive shirt, so it has to be hand-washed. Wash it and hang it up to dry."

I pulled the shirt off my head. The rancid, filthy stench rushed straight into my nose, making my stomach churn.

I couldn't take it anymore, so I threw the disgusting shirt on the floor.

"Why the hell should I! Kim, don't push it too far! I'm your husband!"

Kim stood up in her disheveled clothes. The flush on her face had not faded yet.

"What are you yelling at me for? Just because you're infertile, so I can't enjoy it a little? Don't you want to treat your father? Don't you want money?"

Emmett, wrapped in only a towel, stood behind her, looking at me smugly, saying, "Julian, I'm just helping you do your husbandly duties. Don't worry. I will never take your place."

He walked over and whispered in my ear, "You're just a piece of trash who can't even satisfy your woman. Your father should just go to hell!"

There were some insults that I could bear with, some I shouldn't.

I lifted my arm and threw a punch in his face. I did not eat or drink for two days. I was held up with nothing but rage.

The punch drained me of all my energy.

Emmett didn't expect that I would suddenly attack him. He caught the punch in his face and stumbled backward.

However, he was young and strong, so he soon started attacking back.

I avoided a few punches, but missed the one in my abdomen. A pang of pain shot through me as if my organs were destroyed. I tasted metal in my throat.

He didn't give me any chances of catching my breath, continuing with kicks into my abdomen.

Over and over again.

I spat a huge mouthful of blood on the floor.

"Alright, enough!" Kim finally rushed over and pulled Emmett, who was still attacking me, back.

She looked at me and the pool of blood. Her pupils contracted. She had a hint of inconspicuous panic on her face.

She subconsciously went up to me as if she wanted to check on me, when Emmett suddenly sobbed pitifully, "Kim, it really hurts. Why would Julian hit me?"

Kim stopped right in her tracks. All of her focus was suddenly pulled back to Emmett's slightly reddened hands.

"Look at how red your hands are. Does it hurt?" She lowered her head and gently blew on his fists, completely ignoring me, her husband on the floor, who just spat a mouthful of blood. It was as if I was some trash in their way.

She finally looked at me icily, even annoyedly. "You shouldn't have hit him. Clean yourself up. I'll go and deal with Emmett's injuries."

Then, she led Emmett out without looking back at me.

I coughed and spat more blood. I found the entire thing absurd and comical.

Julian, oh, Julian. What were you still expecting?

She no longer cared about me. I was nothing compared to the slight redness on his hands.

I lay on the cold, hard floor for a long time. The pain in my abdomen and chest was so intense that I thought I was about to die.

I struggled to get up and headed out of the bedroom.

Kim was carefully peeling shrimp for Emmett.

Emmett opened his mouth, enjoying her services.

When he saw me, his eyes gleamed with arrogance and condescension.

I remembered Kim once told me that she would never peel shrimp for any man in this world. Turns out that it wasn't true. She just wouldn't do it for me.

When she saw me stumbling over, she looked up coldly and said, "You're here. Come and eat. Emmett's a guest. You'd better be on your best behavior. If you can't do it, just get lost."

Emmett furrowed his brows and said, "Kim, the food isn't really that nice. It's too salty."

Kim immediately got anxious. She placed her cutlery down and got up to coax Emmett.

"Is that so? We don't have to eat this. Come, I'll take you out for a nice meal. You can have whatever you want."

I was leaning against the wall. My abdomen felt like it was going to tear in two with every movement I made.

"Kim, do you remember what day it is today?"

Kim frowned impatiently as if she were looking at a toddler throwing a tantrum.

"What? Some kind of anniversary again? Enough, Julian. We've been together for so long. Who still cares about these things? What are you? A teenage girl? Just stay at home. Once we're back from dinner, I'll buy you a present."

Then, she headed into the bedroom. She didn't notice how my eyes reddened, nor how the last sliver of hope in my eyes vanished.

Emmett and I were left in the dining room. He walked over to me with a triumphant smile.

"What were you hoping for? You're old and useless. Do you really think that Kim will still love you? She loves me the most now."

Then, he produced a certificate from his pocket and showed it to me.

"All I need is to put on a cute act and cry a few drops of tears, she would even get married to me. If you know any better, you'd pack up your things and get lost. Stop being the third wheel here."

I glared at the wedding certificate, with a photo of Kim cosying up next to Emmett.

A bomb seemed to have detonated in my mind. All I could hear was buzzing in my ears.

Yes. I completely forgot about it. Kim and I never registered our marriage. We didn't even have a wedding.

When we just got together, she was still a background actor. She held my hand and said with a sparkling gaze, "Julian, once I'm famous, we'll get married. I want the entire world to know that you're my man!"

Later, she truly got famous, becoming the most sought-after new star of her generation.

When I brought up marriage, she hugged me and said apologetically, "My career is on the rise, and the paparazzi are hounding me closely. Can we wait for a while? I promise, I'll give you the grandest wedding the entire world has ever seen."

Later, she won multiple awards, becoming the most famous actor in the industry. But she never once brought up marriage anymore.

I didn't press on further as well.

Turns out, she didn't forget. She just gave that promise, what was supposed to be mine, to someone else.

My heart sank. Even the pain in my body turned numb.

Emmett arrogantly admired my pale face and kept the certificate away in satisfaction.

At that moment, Kim just returned to the dining room dressed in a pretty dress.

She walked over to Emmett and naturally held his hand, about to take him out.

When she walked past me, she didn't even bother to look at me.

They kissed and left as if they were the true couple.

A long time later, I slowly turned around and walked over to the living room, where I already prepared my luggage.

I unlocked my phone and, without any hesitation, booked a one-way flight to the Great Northwest.

I left this place, filled with so many loving memories, without looking back.

…

Kim somehow felt a little nervous. After all, she was with Julian for so many years. She realized that she perhaps crossed the line that day.

She took her phone out to call her assistant to wire some money to the hospital for Julian's father's treatment.

She thought that Julian would surely be happy about it.

Her assistant was at first stunned, then she replied, "Kim, Julian's father passed away three days ago."