Chapter 1

My stomach condition flared up again, leaving me stuck in bed and barely able to move. My husband, Thomas Hughes, said he'd come back and take me to the hospital, but he still hadn't shown up.

After I finally got through to him, he sounded impatient, saying he was busy and couldn't leave right now.

But I could clearly hear the sounds of an amusement park in the background, along with a cheerful woman's voice. "Thomas, hurry up. It's almost our turn."

I recognized that voice instantly. It was Evelyn Summers, Thomas's first love.

Thomas just brushed me off with a few words and hung up.

If this had happened before, I would've called him back right away to get an explanation. But now, I just dialed for an ambulance.

Once the pain finally eased up, I glanced at my phone and saw a job posting for a forensic assistant at the Central Police Department. Without hesitating, I sent off my application.

*****

The day after my interview, I got a call from the Central Police Department.

"Ms. Lindsey, you're very capable, but since you don't have any work experience, you'll need to work alongside one of our forensic specialists at crime scenes first. Pass the assessment and you'll be officially hired," the officer explained.

"Absolutely, I'll be there on time," I replied.

The moment I hung up, Thomas walked in with our son, Lucas Hughes.

Thomas was tall and long-legged, dressed in a crisp shirt and tie. As a geology professor at a university, he always looked sharp. Lucas was basically a smaller copy of his dad, with the same handsome features and the same cold, distant expression.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Thomas asked.

I told him I'd just had a job interview.

Thomas talked down to me, "You only have a bachelor's degree, and you've spent years at home raising Lucas.

"What kind of decent job do you think you can get? Why don't you just get a cashier job at the store nearby? It'll be easier for you to look after Lucas."

I put my phone away, turned to the kitchen, and started cooking. I didn't bother answering him.

This was the last meal I'd ever cook in this home.

Lucas was off to the side, watching anime on TV, a tablet in his hands as he played games.

The moment I stepped out of the kitchen, he hid his tablet out of habit.

I didn't really care and said, "Hey, about your parent-teacher meeting tomorrow, I was thinking—"

Lucas burst out, "You're not coming to my parent-teacher meeting. Evelyn's going for me tomorrow. Dad already promised."

Thomas added coldly, "You're not that educated, and Lucas just started school. He cares about appearances. Just stay home."

I just said, "Okay."

I never planned on going anyway. I knew they'd already asked Evelyn to do it. That was how it had always been.

Thomas always looked down on me for not having a fancy degree, and Lucas just copied him into everything.

Lucas always thought I could never measure up to his dad or Evelyn. He even told me once he wished Evelyn were his mom instead of me.

When I heard things like that before, it used to break my heart. But now, I didn't feel a thing anymore.

Because I'd already made up my mind to divorce Thomas.

A week ago, while I was tidying up Thomas's study, I came across his diary.

It was packed with all sorts of memories of Evelyn and how much he cared about her.

The last entry was dated the 15th of last month, the same day as our tenth wedding anniversary.

Thomas came home late that night, and all the plans I'd made for our anniversary ended up for nothing.

He told me he got held up at school, but after reading his diary, I found out the real reason. Turned out Evelyn was sick, and he spent the whole day at the hospital with her.

I always knew Thomas kept his distance from me and looked down on my lack of a fancy degree. So even without a job, I worked my tail off studying, just hoping I'd be worthy of him.

But that diary was like a mirror. It laid bare his feelings for Evelyn, and reflected back at me just how pathetic and self-deceiving my last ten years had been.

I set the last dish down on the table. The whole spread used to be all about what Thomas and Lucas liked, but tonight, every single dish was my favorite.

Thomas looked surprised. "Is today some kind of special occasion? Why are there so many dishes?"

I took off my apron and said casually, "Yeah, it's special. It's the breakup dinner I made for us."

"Breakup dinner?" Thomas's handsome face fell, his tone turning sour. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Without a word, I went to the bedroom, grabbed the divorce papers I'd already prepared, and placed them right in front of Thomas.

"Let's get divorced after we finish eating," I said.

"Divorce?" Thomas looked genuinely shocked for a second, and then snorted with a smirk. "So you're getting all worked up just because I wouldn't let you go to Lucas's parent-teacher meeting?

"If you actually had some real qualifications or a job worth mentioning, do you think Lucas would stop you from going?

"This kind of threat..." He ripped the divorce papers to shreds right there on the table, barely glancing at them. "Doesn't mean a thing to me."

He didn't even touch his dinner. He just got up and headed straight for his study, slamming the door behind him. Lucas kept eating like nothing happened.