Chapter 1
I stumbled upon a video from a street interview blogger.
"What advice would you give to your past self from five years ago?"
In the video, Corbin Murray was holding his young girlfriend close. His voice was calm and affectionate.
"I wish the Corbin Murray from five years ago could have met Arianna Anderson sooner."
The young woman in his arms blushed, covering her mouth as she echoed him.
"I feel the same way."
The viewers were delighted, showering them with blessings.
No one knew that five years ago was the day Corbin and I got married. Even he had forgotten.
Until a week later.
The blogger released another street interview video.
In the footage, I looked straight into the camera and said seriously, "Zainab West, don't marry Corbin Murray. You will regret it."
This time, Corbin saw it.
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The day I agreed to the divorce was ordinary. I dialed Corbin's number, but Arianna answered instead.
"Hello?"
"I'm looking for Corbin."
"He’s in the shower. What’s up? You can tell me."
Her voice was as charming and confident as always, with just a hint of possessiveness and bravado.
In the past, I would have yelled and screamed, hysterically demanding Arianna leave because I wanted to talk to Corbin.
But now, I understood that only Arianna could reach Corbin. I couldn’t let her hang up, leaving me isolated like before.
"He brought up divorce before, right? I agree to it."
I conveyed my message calmly.
Arianna was silent for a moment, then repeated in disbelief, "You agreed to the divorce?"
"Yeah."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than I heard shuffling sounds.
The phone was handed to Corbin. Soon, his deep yet indifferent voice came through.
"It’s me."
I knew. Hearing his voice left me a bit dazed.
After all, since he moved out six months ago to live with Arianna, we hadn’t been in contact.
The last thing he said to me back then was:
"Zainab, we're divorcing. If you don’t agree, I’ll separate from you and take legal action."
Now, half a year later, I’ve conceded.
"Did Arianna say you want to divorce me?"
Seeing my silence, Corbin spoke first. He must have furrowed his brow, his tone carrying a hint of confusion.
I didn’t understand where his confusion stemmed from. Wasn’t he the one who mentioned divorce?
But I wasn’t interested in arguing about who proposed it.
I responded with a simple "Yeah."
"If you’re available, let’s meet to sign the divorce papers."
With that, I hung up.