Chapter 3
Once I finished packing, I headed to my study.
I fired up my computer and started taking care of some work matters.
The company was in the middle of negotiating a huge project—if it went through, my net worth would double.
But honestly, I couldn't care less about any of that right now.
Did it even matter if I succeeded or failed?
Did any of this even mean anything?
By morning, I heard Emily downstairs on the phone.
"Markie, I'm sorry about last night. David found out about us.
"Yeah... he wants to divorce me.
"Can you come pick me up? I really can't stay here any longer."
I walked to the top of the stairs and saw her in the living room, suitcase in tow.
She spotted me, and for a split second, her face went stiff with awkwardness.
"I'm all packed," Emily said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Okay," I replied, my tone flat.
"Can we just end things peacefully?" she asked.
"Sure. I won't make you leave with nothing," I said, my voice cold and distant.
She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"But there's one condition," I said, my tone cold and unwavering.
She looked at me, her gaze nervous and uncertain. "What is it?"
"Tell me the truth—when did it start?" I pressed.
Emily bit her lip, hesitating for a long moment.
"It was at the end of last year. We met at the company's year-end party," she finally admitted.
So she had been lying to me for four months, not three.
"When was the first time?" I asked, my voice cold and unwavering.
"David, does any of this even matter?" Emily whispered.
"Answer me," I demanded, my tone icy and relentless.
"A month after we met," she said.
"Where?" I pressed.
"At... at his place," Emily stammered.
I nodded and asked, "Was there anyone else?"
"What?" Emily asked.
"Was there anyone else? Before Mark?" I pressed.
Her face twisted, looking downright awful.
"No," she said flatly.
But her eyes gave her away—she was lying.
But I didn't press her any further.
The more I found out, the worse it hurt.
Just then, the doorbell rang. That had to be Mark.
At the sound, Emily wheeled her suitcase to the door.
"David, I'm leaving," she said softly.
"Wait." I stopped her in her tracks.
"The house keys," I said, voice hard.
Emily dug the keys out of her bag and dropped them on the table by the door.
"And the car keys," I added.
Her expression soured even further.
"Are you really taking the car back, too?" she asked.
"I bought that car for my wife. But you're not my wife anymore," I said, my tone icy and final.
So, she put the car keys down as well.
"And the cards?" I asked, my voice cold and unwavering.
"They're upstairs. I'll go get them," she whispered.
A few minutes later, Emily came downstairs with all the cards.
"Did you change the PIN?" I asked, my voice cold and unwavering.
"I did," she replied.
I pulled out my phone and froze all the cards right in front of her.
Emily watched me, her eyes filled with both anger and fear.
"David, you can't just do this to me," Emily cried, her voice shaking with anger and hurt.
"I'm already being more than fair. Legally, since you cheated, I could make you pay for all the pain you put me through," I said.
The doorbell rang again, this time way more frantically.
Emily went to open the door—Mark was standing right outside.
He spotted me and nodded in greeting. "Mr. Carter."
I just ignored him.
"Emily, are you all packed?" Mark asked, his voice gentle.
"Yeah," Emily replied.
Mark took her suitcase, and the two of them headed for the door.
As she reached the doorway, Emily turned back and glanced at me.
"David, if you ever change your mind, you can call me," she said softly.
I just ignored her and closed the door.
Through the window, I watched them get into that black Mercedes.
The car rolled out and slowly faded from sight.
I sat on the couch, just staring at the emptiness around me.
Just like that, three years of marriage were over.
No shouting, no begging, no ugly scenes.
It was almost eerily calm.
Suddenly, my phone rang—it was Alice Reed, my assistant.
"Mr. Carter, are you still coming to the morning meeting?" Alice asked.
I glanced at the clock—it was 8:30.
"Yeah, I'll be there," I replied, my voice flat.
"Alright, I'll come pick you up," Alice said.
"No need, I'll drive myself," I said.
After hanging up, I took a shower and changed into a suit.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I didn't look much different than usual.
Just my eyes—kind of bloodshot.
Probably just didn't sleep well last night.
As I was about to head out, I noticed something else on the table by the door.
It was our wedding ring.
Emily had taken hers off.
I picked up the ring, stared at it for a moment, then tossed it straight into the trash.