Chapter 1

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband and I went camping in the mountains.

When we were there, he got a call from his first love and rushed down the mountain. He didn't even inform me first. He simply jumped into his car and drove off.

In the middle of the night, the weather took a sudden turn, and a blizzard broke out.

I called him countless times when my allergy-induced asthma flared up, but he never answered a single call.

I nearly died up on the mountain.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I finally saw my husband, whom I hadn't seen for days.

But the first thing he said was that he wanted to discuss getting a divorce.

He said, "Can we get a temporary divorce? Idel has been diagnosed with cancer and has less than a year to live. I want to stay with her through the last days of her life. After she passes away, I'll remarry you."

To that end, he was willing to put all his assets under my name.

Seeing the unspoken affection on both their faces, I readily signed the divorce agreement.

*****

I noticed my husband, Serge Soisson, had disappeared about twenty minutes ago. The howling wind outside the tent sent shivers down my spine.

When I stepped outside, I saw that the night sky, which had been filled with stars, was now pitch black, as if a storm were brewing.

Before setting out, I had checked the weather forecast, and it clearly said the weather would be fine for the next couple of days.

But looking at the tree trunks bent by the wind and the sudden drop in temperature, a sense of unease crept into my heart.

I wanted to call out to Serge so that we could get off the mountain fast.

But after searching for a long time, he was nowhere to be found. Furthermore, I couldn't get through to him on the phone.

I couldn't help but worry whether something had happened to him in this desolate wilderness.

Before I could widen my search, the sudden drop in temperature caused the biting cold air to irritate my airways.

My throat felt unbearably dry and itchy, and my breathing became somewhat labored.

My intuition told me that my allergy-induced asthma was flaring up.

At first, I was thankful I had my medication with me.

Only after rummaging through the tent looking for my asthma inhaler did I realize that the backpack containing my medicine had disappeared along with Serge.

Panic welled up inside me.

I quickly dialed the emergency number and explained my situation.

While waiting for rescue, I called Serge dozens of times, but he still didn't answer a single call.

Our tent was adorned with many fairy lights, which stood out clearly against the pitch-black night sky.

The medical rescue team at the base station first used a drone to deliver an asthma inhaler to me.

Later, when the main rescue team arrived, they carried me down the mountain and sent me to the hospital.

It wasn't until dawn that Serge finally answered his phone.

A gentle female voice was heard through the receiver. "Hello?"

I was a little taken aback as I thought the voice sounded incredibly familiar.

But I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to think about it. I quickly asked, "I'm looking for Serge. Is he there?"

The woman on the other end lowered her voice and replied softly, "He was so tired last night that he's still sleeping now. He can't take the call right now. What's the matter? I can let him know later."

"Who is this?" I asked, puzzled.

"Idelgunda Talbot," she replied.

Idelgunda Talbot? Serge's ex-girlfriend? Didn't she go abroad during her third year of college?

How did they end up together now?

My mind went completely blank.

I just couldn't understand how my husband, who was camping with me on the mountain last night, could suddenly be with Idelgunda after disappearing in the middle of the night.

Idelgunda even said he was exhausted last night and was still sleeping now…

My throat suddenly felt so parched and tight that I couldn't get a single word out.

Seeing that I didn't reply, Idelgunda continued, "So, when Serge wakes up, should I have him call you back?"

I finally managed to utter in a hoarse voice, "No need. When did he go to your place?"

There was a pause, as if the person on the other end was thinking.

After a short while, she replied, "Around two in the morning. I wasn't feeling well, so I called him, and he rushed over."

Her tone was calm and indifferent, as if she were answering a question from a complete stranger.

I found it hard to believe she didn't know who I was.

At least in my memory, Serge had saved my number as "My Dear Wife" in his list of contacts.

But... none of that mattered anymore.

From the moment Idelgunda answered Serge's phone, our marriage was finished.

Lying in that hospital bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

I couldn't figure out why our wedding anniversary, which was going so well, suddenly turned out like this.

I had always prided myself on having a happy and loving marriage with Serge.

Although I knew he had a passionate past relationship, and I knew his girlfriend at the time was Idelgunda Talbot, the most beautiful girl on campus during our college days, who didn't have a past of some sort?

There was no need for me to dwell on his past long after he had broken up with her.

Besides, Serge and I only started seeing each other three years after Idelgunda moved abroad.

Even if he needed time to get over her, three years was more than enough.

Looking back now, I realize I was just blindly trusting in our marriage.

Because of my high fever, the doctor was worried that my asthma might lead to a lung infection, so I was kept in the hospital for three days for observation.

In the interim, I asked a lawyer friend to help me draft a divorce agreement.