Two years ago, she was afraid of developing stretch marks. So, she begged me to agree to abort our unborn child.

"I don't want kids. Giving birth alters your appearance. If I become ugly, you're not going to love me anymore," she cried.

The news was too much for my grandmother, who had always wanted great-grandchildren. Unfortunately, she passed away due to emotional distress. Due to her passing, my parents and I grew distant.

I understood her desire to stay beautiful. Hence, from that day onward, I never pressured her to have children again. But now, she had broken her own principles for another man. By doing so, she had turned my love for her into a complete joke.

"Aren't you going to tell me the truth, Vanessa? What's going on with you and Harold?" I asked again.

"Since you've already found out, there's no point in hiding it from you anymore. That's right—I'm pregnant. I'm already three months along."

I scoffed wryly. "You're finally admitting it."

"What did I ever do to you? How could you degrade yourself and have a child with someone else?" I shouted, my voice laced with grief and anger. "Go to the hospital with me right now and terminate the pregnancy."

"That's not happening. Harold has erectile dysfunction. His mom wants to meet her grandchildren before she dies. Can't you be more generous? You're such a petty man."

"What about my grandmother?" I shot back. "She wanted great-grandchildren too! She treated you well, and she was always thinking of you. But you crushed her hopes and let her pass away with regrets. Do you have no empathy?"

I let out a wry laugh. Unable to think straight, I marched toward Vanessa and grabbed her arm. Then, I started dragging her toward the door.

"We're going to the hospital," I demanded. "If you want this marriage to work, you'll have to abort the baby."

All of a sudden, I felt a sharp sting on my cheek. My head began to ring, and my mind went blank.

Vanessa had slapped me hard across the face.

"Are you done? This is my baby! What I choose to do with it is none of your business!" she snapped.

The slap made me see everything clearly. My face felt cold, and I soon realized I was crying.

I thought I'd gone numb a long time ago. I didn't cry when Vanessa aborted our baby, and I didn't cry when my grandmother died. I also didn't cry when my parents cut ties with me. But now, I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I had never truly gotten over any of those events. All I did was push them aside and bury my feelings.

Upon seeing me cry, Vanessa stepped forward and put on an act of concern.

"I didn't sleep with Harold. You know he has erectile dysfunction. I only agreed to this because I felt sorry for him and his mother. I'll give birth to the baby, and after that, we can go back to our own lives."

Her shameless statements made me sick. There was no future for us anymore.

Yanking my arm away from her, I looked her straight in the eyes and declared, "Let's get a divorce."

"When are you going to stop acting out? I told you—I didn't cheat on you. After the baby is born, I'll still be with you. What more do you want from me?"

"I don't care about whether or not you've slept with Harold, and I won't ask about it again," I said flatly. "There's no future for us. I want a divorce."

"No way. I won't agree to it. You're not thinking clearly right now, so I'm not going to argue with you. Calm down and reconsider the situation by yourself."

With that, she stormed out of the house and slammed the door shut behind her.

It was late. There was only one place she could go to at this hour, but I couldn't care less about her. She could do whatever she wanted.

The soup she made me had already gone cold. I picked up the bowl and gradually finished its contents.

This was the last time I'd ever taste her cooking. Once I was done with my meal, we would have nothing to do with each other ever again.

I took one last look around the house and packed my bags without any hesitation. Afterward, I took all my belongings and headed to a hotel.

After graduating from university, I joined a Fortune Global 500 company and steadily worked my way up to a senior executive role. Meanwhile, Vanessa had been a full-time housewife all these years and had no income of her own.

The house was filled with memories of us, and those memories made me feel sick. So, I had no intention of fighting for the ownership of the place.

To pass the time, I lay on the hotel bed and mindlessly scrolled through my phone. While browsing social media, I noticed that Vanessa had uploaded a new photo.

It was a picture of a steaming bowl of chicken soup on a table.

"Feeling blessed. Good food, a beautiful view and great company," her caption read.

How interesting. I liked the photo and left a comment.

"Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness," I typed.

The next moment, I received a call from Vanessa herself.

Once I put the call on speakerphone, her sharp, piercing voice immediately filled the room.

"Charles Fletcher, when are you going to stop? You're so petty. I can sense your jealousy from a mile away!"

I was just about to snap at her when I heard Harold's voice in the background.

"Don't get too worked up, Vanessa. It's not good for the baby," he said.

"I'm not coming home tonight, Charles," Vanessa added. "Who knows what else you might do when you get upset?"

"What did he do to you and the baby, Vanessa?" Harold demanded angrily. His voice was deliberately raised so I could hear it.

I ended the call without a shred of hesitation. I wasn't about to let the two of them ruin my mood.

Once I had calmed down, I made a call to my company's CEO, Cindy Scott.

"Hello, Ms. Scott. About that overseas general manager position you mentioned—I'd like to take the job. I'll just need some time to handle a few personal matters first."

"Alright. Talk soon, Charlie," Cindy replied.

She let out a soft chuckle before hanging up, and for some reason, it made me blush.

Becoming the general manager of a branch company in Gresia was a great opportunity for me. But previously, I kept turning the offer down because I didn't want to be away from Vanessa.

I had attended university in Gresia and knew the country well. Hence, I was considered for the role. Additionally, Gresia was also where I met Cindy.

We met at a public speaking competition and quickly developed a mutual respect for each other. After returning to our home country, she founded the youngest Fortune Global 500 company in the world and became its CEO.

Later on, I joined her company. With her guidance and support, I rose through the ranks and became a senior executive at a relatively young age.

…

The next morning, I was woken up by a call from Vanessa.

"Where the hell are you? I'm still pregnant, you know? Can't you be more responsible?" she shouted.

Furious, I scoffed coldly. "The baby's not even mine. Take it up with the father instead. This has nothing to do with me!"

Then I ended the call and went to get my divorce settlement agreement printed.

When I returned home, I found that the locks had been changed.

I couldn't believe how impatient they were. Left with no choice, I knocked on the door.

To my dismay, Harold was the one who opened the door for me.

"Don't misunderstand the situation, Charles. Nothing is going on between Vanessa and me. She's carrying my child, so I wanted to take care of her personally," he explained.

"I don't care if you're having an affair," I spat emotionlessly. "I'm just here for the divorce."

"Can you stop being so narrow-minded?" Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Nothing improper is going on between Harold and me."

"You have no right to say that. Do you think it's 'proper' to get pregnant with another man's child behind your husband's back?" I barked.

After a brief pause, I continued, "I'm not here to argue or waste my time."

I slammed the divorce settlement agreement on the table and demanded, "Sign the papers, Vanessa. Once you do that, you'll be free. You can have as many children as you want with any man of your choosing."

Vanessa stared at the document in disbelief. "Are you serious? Don't regret this. In the future, I won't take you back even if you beg me to."

She was fuming. But before she could sign the papers, Harold rushed over to stop her.

He picked up the divorce settlement agreement and read through it.

"You and Vanessa were in a relationship for years, Charles. Now that she's pregnant, she'll need money. Leaving her with just one property is a bit stingy, don't you think?" he asked shamelessly.

Upon hearing this, Vanessa seemed to have realized something as well. She grabbed the document and scanned it. Then, she shot to her feet and raised her hand to slap me.

Reacting instantly, I caught her wrist in midair before flinging it aside.