Chapter 1

After five years of marriage, James Carter had stood me up for his childhood sweetheart, Sherry Summers, ninety-nine times.

After this latest one, I found two plane tickets to Francia in his office.

He said indifferently, "I was going to surprise you for our anniversary, but since you've already seen them, I'll meet you at the airport."

I packed early and arrived at the airport, waiting from morning until late at night, but James never showed up.

Then I saw a post from Sherry on her social media: [It's my birthday today. Someone couldn't take me to Francia, but since he took me to the amusement park, I'll let it slide.

If it had happened in the past, I would have called James, crying and demanding answers. But this time, I was too tired to do that.

*****

The airport felt freezing at night, and outside, rain was coming down in sheets.

Seeing Sherry's post hit me like a punch to the gut. I gripped my phone so hard that my knuckles turned white, fighting the urge to hurl it away.

This was the one hundred and first time James had stood me up.

I shivered, and realized any hope I had left had vanished completely.

A week ago, James left me stranded at the party, right in front of everyone, just because Sherry had locked herself out of her place. I had to endure all the mocking and sneers.

The venue was in the middle of nowhere, so my best friend went out of her way to pick me up and drive me home.

I stayed mad about it for a long time.

Then I found two plane tickets to Francia in his office.

When I confronted him, he said indifferently, "I was going to surprise you for our anniversary, but since you've already seen them, I'll meet you at the airport."

I knew he was trying to make me feel better.

Every time he stood me up for Sherry, he'd always come up with some gift to make it up to me.

And I always fell for it, letting him wrap me around his finger and forgiving him without even thinking twice.

But this time, all I felt was an overwhelming weariness that seeped into my bones.

The storm outside the airport was so wild that I ended up sneezing from the cold.

The place was practically empty, and I had to offer double the fare on the app to get a ride to finally pick me up at 1 a.m.

When I got home and turned on the lights, I nearly jumped out of my skin. James was sitting in the living room silently.

He crossed his arms and snapped at me, "It's so late. Where have you been? Out all night?"

I didn't feel like talking, so I dragged my suitcase upstairs without saying a word.

After waiting at the airport all day, I was completely wiped out.

James was clearly annoyed, and he grabbed my hand. "Talk to me!"

I stared at his hand holding mine, feeling utterly drained. "Where do you think I could go, James? Take a wild guess. Where could I go with a suitcase?"

As I spoke, I shoved the suitcase toward him, letting my frustration show.

But James didn't even remember our plans. He kicked the suitcase aside and snapped, "Oh, so now you're running off without a word? Do you even see me as your husband?

"You're old enough to let me know where you're going, aren't you?"

I couldn't help but laugh coldly at his ridiculous logic. "Mr. Carter, you're always forgetting things—even your own trip to Francia.

"Right, you were off at the amusement park with your precious Sherry. No wonder you didn't have time for me."

A flicker of guilt flashed across James's eyes, but he quickly got annoyed. "You know how busy I am with work. Sherry and I grew up together, and she's got no parents, no family at all.

"She just wanted me to spend her birthday with her. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?"

I was fed up with hearing the same excuse again and again.

No matter what, just because they grew up together and Sherry had no family, James always dropped everything for her the moment she asked. He always put her first and left me on the back burner.

And now, just because it was Sherry's birthday, he left me stranded at the airport all day and didn't even bother to check in.

Unbelievable.

James gripped my arm so tightly that I had to force his hand off me. I said calmly, "Fine. I get it. I'm sorry."

If this had happened before, I would have fought with James for hours, never letting it go.

But now, my heart was numb. I just wanted to wrap this up and head upstairs to rest.

James looked at me, a bit lost.

He kept staring, like he was hoping to find a clue.

After a moment, he let out a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm glad you understand. Once I'm done with work tomorrow, I'll take you to the resort."

With that, he walked past me and headed upstairs.

I gave a half-hearted reply, and then grabbed my phone to reach out to some friends I hadn't seen in ages.

I bet tomorrow, James would get dragged away by Sherry for some reason again, just like always.

So honestly, I might as well make plans with my friends, and start getting ready for the divorce while I was at it.

Once the divorce was done, whatever James did for Sherry would be none of my business.