Chapter 3

After that, everything changed. Lucas stopped telling me where he was going. Sometimes he came home late smelling like unfamiliar perfume, refused the soup I'd made by saying he'd already eaten at some business dinner, and the novel I'd handed him sat untouched by his bedside, still open to page one.

I chose to ignore all of it. Even if there was no love left between us, Lucas and I still had shared interests. At worst, I told myself, we'd just go back to being a business marriage. I could endure it, but some people clearly couldn't.

When Vivian added me on WhatsApp, I accepted. I'd already considered the worst-case scenario. If things really ended in a full-blown divorce, then I would need proof of Lucas cheating. Maybe she'd be dumb enough to hand me the evidence herself.

Even though I'd prepared myself, actually seeing that evidence still felt like my heart was being ripped open. I didn't know how much Lucas had ever felt for me over those two years, but next to Vivian, whatever feelings there were suddenly looked ridiculous.

When Lucas ate with me, he barely spoke, and I used to think that was just his upbringing. But in Vivian's videos, he laughed and chatted with her over meals. He'd never once replied to one of my statuses, yet he was always reacting to and replying to hers. Every time he said he'd be home late, he was with Vivian.

Two days before my birthday, Lucas came home unusually early. He was especially gentle that day and even said he had a surprise for me. I tried to comfort myself. Maybe he only had a soft spot for his first love. She'd gotten divorced, and he just wanted to help her.

At that point, I could only call their relationship ambiguous. They still hadn't crossed the final line. Maybe I should try to save my marriage after all.

So on my birthday, I hired a private chef to come to the house and prepare a full table of carefully plated dishes. I also bought a huge bouquet of forget-me-nots and placed it in the center of the table. I hoped Lucas would understand what I meant, cherish the person right in front of him, and stop before he crossed that line.

But Lucas never came home. Vivian, on the other hand, updated her status. She posted a hotel selfie in a bathrobe. The man beside her showed only one hand, but the wedding ring on it was impossible to miss. I saved the photo, then for the first time ever, replied to it: [Not even taking the wedding ring off?] One minute later, the status was gone.

Fifteen minutes later, Lucas came home. That night, we had a huge fight, and through tears I demanded to know whether all the tenderness and companionship he'd once given me had all been fake. Was there really not even a little real feeling between us?

He stayed silent for a long time before saying something absurd. "I didn't know Vivian had added you. The second I saw your comment, I told her to delete the photo, and I came right back."

A crushing sense of absurdity washed over me. What was I supposed to do, thank him for being so considerate of my feelings?

"I really didn't do it on purpose," he said. "Vivian has no sense of boundaries. I'll set her straight. She'll behave herself from now on, and she won't provoke you again."

His ridiculous words made me laugh until tears came out. "So what you're saying is, your only mistake was not hiding your mistress well enough and letting me find out?"

Lucas paused, his eyes on my pale face. "I thought you understood what a business marriage was. If you're really that upset, then go find someone too. We can each do our own thing."

In that moment, it felt like a thousand arrows had pierced my heart. All those years of love and hope shattered completely. Whatever reason I had left snapped. I smashed the TV, the speakers, the tea set, and the fruit bowl—anything I could get my hands on. Then I stormed into the dining room and shattered every plate, along with that bouquet of forget-me-nots. Grief and fury twisted together until the urge to destroy everything took over.

By the time I came back to myself, I was gripping a dinner knife. Lucas stood motionless in the middle of the living room, watching me lose my mind with a blank face. Then all my emotions suddenly drained away like the tide. I stared at his cold features and said, word by word, "Lucas Reed, I want a divorce."

He let out a cold laugh. "Suit yourself."