The day before yesterday, Scarlett had a craving for clam chowder.

When Grandma heard about it, she braved the rain to go to the market for fresh ingredients. On the way, she slipped and fell, hitting her head.

Grandma seemed fine at the time and did not want to trouble Scarlett. I was away on a business trip when I got the call, so I immediately phoned Scarlett and asked her to take Grandma to the hospital for a checkup.

Scarlett refused, saying she had an important client meeting with Chase at the time and did not have time to deal with it.

Left with no choice, I called an ambulance myself and asked a neighbor for help getting Grandma to the hospital.

It was because of that delay that after several hours in the operating room, Grandma ultimately did not make it.

Her only thought before closing her eyes was seeing Scarlett one more time to tell her the chowder was ready.

Afterward, I discovered that the hotel Chase and Scarlett had checked into was right next to our house, less than 300 feet away.

If Scarlett had spared even a moment of her time, Grandma might have survived.

I turned off the lights and pulled the covers over me, forcing down my emotions as I tried to fall asleep when Scarlett came in.

She had taken a shower and put on lingerie before habitually lying down beside me. "Still mad at me?"

I curled up on one side, saying nothing. Scarlett reached over, wrapped her arms around me, and gently kissed my back.

"Honey, I admit I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you.

"But Chase and I really do have a pure friendship. That necklace doesn't mean anything. Stop overthinking it.

"You're not a child anymore. Why are you throwing a tantrum? Did you really mean what you said about divorce?

"If Grandma found out, she would be so upset."

I spoke coldly. "Don't bring up Grandma. You have no right to."

Scarlett sat up and turned on the light, her temper flaring. "Ron, don't push your luck. Haven't I apologized enough already?

"Grandma treats me like her own granddaughter. Why can't I mention her?

"You don't believe me? I'll call Grandma right now and have her come over to settle this."

"Go ahead." With that, I got up from the bed and left the bedroom for the study.

Scarlett froze for a moment, then slammed the door shut.

The next morning, I came downstairs to see Chase sitting in his Mercedes, smoking a cigarette with a bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat.

When he saw me, he stubbed out his cigarette and waved. "Morning, Ron. Where's Scarlett?"

I let out a cold laugh. "She's upstairs. Go find her yourself."

Just then, Scarlett came down in high heels. She had changed into a new pair of black stockings and put on smoky eye makeup that gave her an icy, seductive look.

Desire flashed in Chase's eyes as he immediately got out of the car to greet her.

"Scarlett, you look absolutely stunning today. Even these flowers pale in comparison to you.

"I ordered these first thing this morning. Happy Valentine's Day."

Scarlett could not resist such sweet talk. She glanced at me casually, accepted the flowers, and thanked him.

I smiled, though my eyes were ice cold.

Chase continued maintaining his image. "Ron, don't read too much into this. Scarlett and I made a little pact back in the day about flowers on Valentine's Day.

"I was studying abroad before and didn't have time, so now that I'm back I want to make up for it."

Scarlett glanced at me and climbed into the passenger seat with an air of superiority. "Let's go. There’s no point explaining too much to this blockhead."

Chase pretended to be surprised. "What happened? Did you two have a fight?"

"As if he would dare. He just brought up divorce with me." Scarlett still had that spoiled heiress attitude. "Just because you gave me a necklace."

Chase wanted to laugh but held it back. He looked at me with undisguised contempt.

"Oh come on, Ron. I thought it was something serious. That necklace was actually meant for my mom."

"But my mom doesn't like wearing this kind of thing, so I thought it would be a waste. That's why I gave it to Scarlett instead."

"I know Ron well enough. He definitely won't mind."

Everything Chase said felt like manipulation. I gave him a cold look and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait. Ron, don't overthink this. It's all a misunderstanding!"

"Forget it, Chase. He's just stubborn. Let him do whatever he wants. Let's go."

…

Over the next few days, Scarlett treated me like I was invisible. She deliberately avoided me and gave me no chance to speak.

Whenever I brought up divorce, she played deaf and dumb.

In our seven years of marriage, we had argued a few times before. When Grandma was around, she would comfort me, persuade me, then cook all of Scarlett's favorite dishes to please her and play peacemaker.

From Grandma's perspective, marriage was not easy, but any fight could be resolved before the night was over.

This time, Grandma was gone, and I had woken up. I knew that being a lapdog would leave me with nothing in the end. I was determined to get divorced.

One afternoon while I was busy with work, my supervisor Derek Palmer came over and told me to help a certain Mr. Morrison replace a few water cooler bottles.

The Mr. Morrison in question was naturally Chase. After that night at the hotel, he had become the general manager. His new office was right across from Scarlett's.

Derek had been brought in by Chase and was a classic bootlicker, a loyal dog at Chase's beck and call. During work hours, I had endured plenty of grief from this lapdog.

Today, I refused. I had been injured before and could not lift heavy objects. Derek's expression darkened instantly.

"Ron, if you still want to work here, get moving. This is an order. It's not up for discussion.

"You're a grown man, yet can't even carry a few bottles of water. Aren't you embarrassed?

"I think you're just trying to slack off."

His voice was already loud, and when he spoke, everyone in the office heard him. They all stared at me and whispered among themselves.

"What's gotten into Ron today? How dare he defy his supervisor?"

"Maybe he's in a bad mood."

"With the job market this bad, isn't he afraid of getting fired?"

"He's been at the company for seven years. He's an old hand. Of course he's not afraid."

Derek's pride took a hit and his expression grew darker.

"Ron, you've got some nerve. Think you can ignore me? Keep this up and you can kiss your performance bonus goodbye."

"Dock whatever you want. Fire me if you have the guts!"

"You think I won't dare?"

I looked at him with contempt, kicked my chair aside, grabbed my bag, and walked away.

Derek froze for a moment. When he came to his senses, his face burned with humiliation. He shoved me.

Caught off guard, my body hit the corner of a desk, exactly where my old injury was. The piercing pain nearly made me pass out.

Just then, Scarlett and Chase walked by together.

"What's all this commotion? Don't any of you have work to do?"

Scarlett stood with her hands on her hips as she said this. From start to finish, she did not glance at me once.

Derek immediately put on a groveling smile and explained apologetically.

"Ms. Hayes, Ron refused to follow orders and disrupted office operations. It's my fault for not managing him properly. I'll make sure to discipline him."

Bootlickers like him just never knew when to quit.

Chase perked up and asked with false concern. "What did you ask him to do that made him so resistant?"

"I only asked him to carry a few water bottles. He refused, and when I called him out on it, he threw a fit."

Scarlett finally looked at me. She asked coldly. "Ron, you argued with your supervisor over something this small?"

I was still enduring the pain and had not yet opened my mouth when Chase jumped in.

"Ms. Hayes, please calm down. Ron probably has his reasons for refusing his supervisor's work assignment."

"There's no need for you to speak up for him. The company has rules and regulations. It's not like we don't pay him. Why shouldn't he follow his supervisor's work arrangements?"

Scarlett's gaze turned ice cold. "I think he's deliberately being disruptive."

I wanted to laugh, but the pain made me grimace. "Ms. Hayes, well said. Consider this my formal notice. I quit."

The moment those words left my mouth, Scarlett's expression turned ugly.

Chase was a master of manipulation. "Ron, this is such a small matter. There's no need to quit.

"Ms. Hayes has your best interests at heart. She wants harmony among the company's employees.

"Listen to me. Just do your job and we'll forget this ever happened.

"You've been here for seven years. Even if you haven't achieved much, you've put in the effort. The company won't mistreat you."

As he spoke, he even reached out as if to pull me up. I felt sick to my stomach and shoved him away.

I barely used any force, but he performed like an award-winning actor, rolling on the ground and lightly bumping his head against the edge of a desk.

Chase hit his head, and Scarlett looked more heartbroken than if she had been the one injured. She rushed forward, cradled his head, and stroked it gently.

"Chase, are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy." Chase pretended to be in pain while clearly enjoying himself. He even shot me a provocative look.

"Ron, that was too much. I was just trying to give you some advice. We're colleagues. How could you bring yourself to push me?"

Scarlett looked like someone had broken her favorite toy. Her brow furrowed in anger as she pointed at me.

"Ron, apologize right now!"

In seven years of marriage, she had never been this furious. Her anger erupted like a volcano.

I stood up, dusted myself off, gave them both a cold look, and headed for the exit while clutching my old injury.

Apologize to that hypocrite? In his dreams.

Derek saw his opportunity and immediately blocked my path, shouting angrily. "Ron, you think you can just hit someone and walk away without apologizing? You're not going anywhere.

"Someone call security. Don't let him leave."

Soon, a group of security guards rushed in. The lead guard was named Seth Hayes, Scarlett's cousin.

However, like all the Hayes family members, he had never looked at me properly since I married Scarlett.

After hearing Derek's loud voice, Seth did not bother asking what happened. He just had his men restrain me.

Many colleagues came to watch the spectacle. The entire hallway was packed with people.

Scarlett's expression looked terrible. Her tone was cold and unfamiliar.

"Ron, you're not leaving this company until you apologize to Chase."

Chase was still committed to his performance. He waved his hands repeatedly. "Oh, Ms. Hayes, it's just a small matter. Ron didn't mean it. Just let him go."

I couldn't take his pathetic performance anymore. My anger turned to bitter laughter.

"Keep performing. Keep putting on this show in front of everyone! You're just a hypocrite pretending to be a saint."

I was actually talking about Chase, but Scarlett's frown deepened.

Before she could say anything, a massive fist slammed hard into my back.

"You little punk. I've been wanting to teach you a lesson. You think you can act tough in front of me?"

Punch after punch landed right on my old injury.

I felt like countless needles were stabbing me madly. The stitches were coming undone.

The intense pain made me see stars. I could not catch my breath. My whole body doubled over.

"Stop pretending already."

Seth wanted to continue.

Scarlett seemed to remember something and immediately told them to let me go.

Seth pointed at me in frustration. "Scarlett, don't let Ron fool you. He's the one who's acting.

"I barely tapped him three times and he's acting like he's dying. Who's he trying to fool?"

The moment he finished speaking, I collapsed to the ground, unable to support myself. Blood seeped through my white shirt, spreading across my back in a dark red stain.

The onlookers gasped in shock.

"Ron, are you okay?"