Chapter 1

On Valentine's Day, I booked a restaurant and a hotel and sent the address to my wife, Tilda James.

She wrote back: 【Working late tonight, no time for dinner. Go cancel the hotel.】

I was disappointed, but I understood that her work came first, and I replied: 【Don't push yourself too hard. Take care of yourself.】

But when I walked out of the restaurant, I saw her from behind, and there was someone else walking beside her.

Her junior colleague, Aaron Rowe!

Their bodies were leaning together as they walked, close, into a hotel nearby.

A pink sign.

It was a love hotel.

I stared at that sign for a long time, then sent her a message.

【Let's get divorced!】

An hour later she finally called, and the first thing out of her mouth was an accusation.

"What's wrong with you? Just because I didn't spend Valentine's Day with you?"

I said, "That's right!"

Love is selfish, marriage is sacred, and neither one leaves any room for betrayal.

1

"Humphrey Henson, have you lost your mind?"

Her voice was full of anger.

"No, I haven't."

"If you haven't, then why are you asking for a divorce? Today is Valentine's Day, and I'm still at the office working late. Fine, so you can't be understanding about it, but now you're making a scene about divorce? You…"

I cut her off. "Working late? Are you really at the office working late?"

"Obviously. Where else would I be if not at the office? You think I've got as much free time as you."

I laughed.

Not only was there not the slightest guilt in her, she sounded perfectly justified, and on top of that she made her disdain for me clear.

The bitterness and pain settled heavier in my chest, coiling there, and I couldn't hold it in. I asked her outright.

"You're at the office working late. Then what about Aaron Rowe?"

"What are you getting at?"

Tilda shot back at once.

"Oh, I see. No wonder you're kicking up a fuss about divorce. So you suspect me and Aaron."

"Humphrey, are you even a man? Can't you be a little more open-minded? Aaron is just my junior. Stop always thinking everyone around you is that filthy."

"I'll say it one more time. There's nothing between me and Aaron."

"Making a scene about divorce over him is completely unreasonable!"

Nothing between them?

Then was it a hallucination, the two of them walking so close into that hotel just now? Or was I seeing ghosts?

"Are you finished?"

"Humphrey!" Tilda was furious. "What exactly do you want?"

"A divorce!"

The next second, her heavy breathing came through the phone.

"Humphrey, I'll give you one last chance."

"No need. I'll hire a lawyer to draw up the divorce papers in a bit. I'll see you at the county clerk's office tomorrow."

With that, I hung up.

After that she called eight times in a row. I didn't pick up a single one.

At ten that night I came out of the law office, holding the roughly drafted divorce papers in my hand.

Even though I was the one who bought our marital home, both our names were on the contract, while the savings were in her name, and the car was under her name too.

The lawyer said the house was easy to split, but the savings and the car would be hard to divide cleanly, and he asked me whether the other party was at fault, because if she was, he'd fight for the biggest share for me.

I hid the fact that Tilda had cheated, deciding to leave her, and myself, a little dignity.

Unless I had no other choice, I didn't want to face her in court!