Chapter 2

I was sure that Jake was cheating on me, and he knew that he couldn't hide the truth from me anymore.

We rushed through dinner and headed home. In the bedroom, Jake broke the silence with a cold voice, "When did your suspicion begin?"

After two hours of mental suffering, I was so tired that I didn't want to talk at all.

I pulled myself together and said, "Today. Before the dinner began."

Jake pressed. "Why?"

I sat on the bed and hugged my knees, my eyes unfocused. "You're wearing your pullover inside out."

Jake ripped off his pullover, slammed it on the floor, and shouted with anger, "Betty, what's wrong with you? Why are you always nitpicking every little thing like this? This suffocating feeling is killing me. Do you know that?

"This isn't love, but control. Can't you focus on yourself? Don't you say that working at the lab is driving you crazy? Why do you still have the time for me?"

I lifted my head, completely confused. 'This isn't Jake in love, at the beginning of our marriage, or even two years ago. Has he changed? Is this the real him? Or perhaps, every marriage ends like this,' I thought.

Jake continued venting his frustration and anger. "Betty, it drives me crazy when you just stare at me and say nothing. It's like you're some kind of snake."

I could tell that Jake was already sick of me. Heartbroken, I still asked, "So, are you sick of me?"

Jake looked out of the window, his voice cold. "I have had enough of it, indeed." It sounded like he was the victim of this marriage.

I rubbed my throbbing temples and said, "Let's get a divorce."

Jake shifted his gaze to me with astonishment. "Do you want to leave me because of this trifle?"

My racing heartbeat started to slow down after I asked for a divorce. "Yeah, let's get a divorce."

Jake went silent. After quite a while, he sneered. "Fine. Get an abortion, and I'll divorce you."

The room was warm, but I felt chilled to the bone.

The next day, I went to the hospital for a check-up and asked about an abortion.

The doctor flipped through my medical records and earnestly said, "Your baby is perfectly healthy. Given your condition, an abortion may seriously harm your health. The baby is innocent..."

Before I left the hospital, I saw Jake being pulled by a woman wearing a high ponytail.

The woman had a baby face and seemed to be in her early twenties.

'That's Miss Bank,' I thought.

The moment Miss Bank saw me, her eyes lit up. She let go of Jake.

She rushed over to me and said, "I'm sorry, Ms. Dotson. I love Jake, but I never meant to ruin your family. Seriously, you can keep your place. Don't have an abortion because of me, please. It would make me feel so bad."

Her big eyes blinked as if all she cared about was true love.

However, she wasn't a good actress. The excitement in her eyes was so conspicuous.

Jake didn't notice that. Ironically, he even said, "Keep the baby since Kate Hunt said so."

My baby survived because of his mistress's permission.

At that moment, I realized that I needed to get a divorce and custody of Tim as soon as possible.

As requested, Jake had a talk with me in the study.

Jake lounged in the armchair, legs crossed. "Betty, you don't have any evidence about my infidelity. You can't get a dime of my money even if we go to court."

His words were unpleasant, and I didn't argue with him.

To get a divorce as soon as possible, I didn't want to irritate the obstinate and vain Jake.

After a deep breath, I said softly, "Jake, I didn't marry you for your money. I married you because I loved you. Now that love and trust are gone, there's nothing left for us, but divorce."

Jake uncrossed his legs. After a moment of silence, he said, "Love and trust can be cultivated again."

That was Jake. He still held his head high even though he was in the wrong.

I smiled. "Do you really think that we can patch things up?" Jake fell silent.

After the talk with Jake, I went to my parents-in-law and told them about my decision.

Judy and Ben got really worked up. With the kids as an excuse, they tried to dissuade me from divorce.

Tim stayed calm. "Mom, do you really want to leave Dad?"

I nodded. "Tim, if your favorite mango rotted, would you eat it?"

Tim blinked his big eyes and then said, "Mom, are you sure that you didn't make a mistake?"

Judy quickly butted in, "People make mistakes. Betty, why not give Jake another chance?"