Chapter 3

Watching this display of "true love" made me want to applaud.

I actually laughed out loud.

I was laughing at how pathetic my marriage was, and letting out the absolute rage boiling inside me.

"Chloe, can you keep your voice down? We live in the same complex. If the neighbors hear you, aren't you embarrassed?" Julian snapped.

I arched an eyebrow.

"You're the cheating scumbag, and she’s the shameless homewrecker. If you two aren't embarrassed, why should I be? I didn't do anything wrong."

Seraphina bit her lip, playing the brave, fragile victim. She stepped out from behind Julian and faced me.

"Chloe, I know you hate me. I know you blame me. But Julian is a public figure now. If you really love him, you shouldn't make a scene that ruins his reputation."

"It's all my fault. If you want to scream or hit someone, do it to me. I won't complain."

She was playing the martyr, knowing Julian would protect her just to make me look like a crazy, hysterical wife.

I didn't hesitate. I stepped forward and kicked Seraphina right in the stomach.

The kick was fast and hard. Julian didn't even have time to react.

Seraphina doubled over, clutching her stomach, her face turning pale as she gasped for air.

Julian shoved me hard.

I stumbled back two steps.

He immediately scooped Seraphina up in his arms and laid her gently on the plush sofa, looking absolutely devastated.

"Aww, look how much you care."

"She literally asked me to hit her. I just obliged."

Julian clenched his fists, the veins in his forehead pulsing.

I had never seen him this angry.

Usually, he treated me with cold indifference. He never showed any real emotion in front of me.

Perhaps our marriage had been dead for a very long time.

"Chloe, you are a psycho! Coming in here and throwing a tantrum... Have you ever stopped to think about why I've been cold to you lately? It's because of this! You're toxic, and you never admit your own faults!"

I pointed to myself, finding it utterly hilarious.

Indeed, when a man loves you, your anger is cute.

When he doesn't, even your breathing is toxic.

I stared at Julian’s face—a face that now felt so incredibly foreign. When did it start?

When did his patience turn into annoyance? When did the warmth in his eyes turn into absolute hatred?

What does marriage actually give a woman?

I didn't know. All I knew was that the moment I found out he cheated, I was done.

Julian glared at me, his eyes bloodshot, as if he had finally made up his mind to destroy me.

"Look at you. You’re only twenty-five, but you dress like a grandma. Those thick, ugly glasses look like glass bottles, and your face is covered in those hideous fake freckles. Looking at you every morning literally ruins my appetite."

"And those clunky metal braces! You've had them since before we got married. Kissing you feels like chewing on wire hangers, and your breath always smells like metal. I've tolerated you for years without divorcing you, Chloe. You should be down on your knees thanking me!"

I turned my head and looked at the full-length mirror nearby.

My reflection stared back at me.

It was true. I looked frumpy and completely unappealing.

But I had my reasons.

Ever since I could remember, my father was never in the picture.

My mother's bitter warnings were the soundtrack to my childhood.

"Chloe, when you get married, keep your eyes open. Never choose a man who only loves you for your face. Beauty fades, and so will his love."

"You must find a man who loves you for who you are. Relationships built on pretty faces never last."

My mother had been a famous beauty in her youth.

I inherited her stunning looks, but I chose to hide them.

I wanted to find a man who loved me purely for my soul, just like my mother had advised.