I paused a moment before saying softly, "Let's get divorced, Ian."

It was true that I was an uncouth woman. I grew up in the orphanage, and I had no family other than the old orphanage director. Three days ago, the director passed away and was scheduled to be cremated, and I asked Ian if he could accompany me to the funeral, but he was busy accompanying Jewel and did not pick up any of my calls.

I ran in the rain, trying to get a taxi, only to end up in an accident right outside the building of Langham Corporation. My hands were crushed under the car tires. When the ambulance failed to arrive, I begged the passersby to call Ian.

Ian refused to pick up my calls, but he picked up the call of the kind passerby right away. "Is this Mr. Langham? Your wife got into an accident downstairs…"

"Is this another one of your tactics to reach me when I refuse to pick up your calls?" Ian did not believe the words of the passerby, and I could even hear Jewel's condescending laughter in the background.

I was about to sob in pain, but that call made me stop my tears from flowing. I could not make it to the director's funeral, and all I could do was silently share the feelings in my heart with the director. I told her about how I had so much more to say to her if she were still alive, and how I wanted to tell Ian that the hands that had always treated his migraine were crushed under the tires. I wanted to tell him that poor Tia's hands were in so much pain.

…

Tia was the nickname the director gave me, and it was also what Ian used to call me when we first met during the wonder years of our youth. Growing up in the orphanage made me wary of others, and I was like a prickly porcupine that poked anyone who came near me, but I also got badly bullied by others.

The Langhams had made a donation to the orphanage back then, and the orphanage children stood in two lines to welcome the arrival of their entire family. That was also when the heir to the Langhams, who was in his tweens, went missing.

There was an abandoned warehouse in the orphanage, located in a remote area, where I would always hide from my bullies. I went there, covered with wounds, and it was also there that I found Ian looking back at me coldly.

I helped him hide for two months by delivering food and water to him. It was only later that I found out he had a stepmother whom his father constantly sided with. I would bring him out of the warehouse at night to play in the courtyard, and when he found out the director's nickname for me, he started to call me Tia.

"Tia, bring me a sandwich tomorrow."

"I have a headache, Tia."

We were only children of about ten, and we could not avoid being caught forever. Two months later, news that the Langhams successfully located their young heir trended online. The next time I met him, we had started university.

Ian refused to give up seeing me despite numerous rejections. I worked hard to earn my tuition fees, and as I grew up poor, I did not trust the sweet promises of a rich kid. This continued until we graduated.

Old Mrs. Langham found out about me and called me uncouth, which led to Ian refusing to return to the Langhams. He insisted on working part-time with me while we lived together in a rented basement, and we fell in love.

Ian's migraine started when we were living together in that basement. I learned the art of massaging to help him soothe his migraine, and it worked miraculously on him. Ian used to say that this was the power of true love because the Langhams had hired the best doctors to treat him, but to no avail.

He wanted to buy the most expensive insurance for me, but felt even a billion was not good enough for me because love was priceless. I remember how I laughed at his sweet words, but my hands, which he once felt were worth way more than a billion, were now broken, just like our marriage.

Ian did not believe that I would be willing to divorce the CEO of the Langham Corporation, just like how he believed that I was just pretending to be pitiful by getting myself admitted into the hospital.

After I was discharged, I moved out of the Langhams' villa and into a rented house next to the orphanage. My divorce lawyer checked with me several times to affirm my decision. "Miss Everton, your husband has failed to save your hands while you were married by ignoring your calls. You have the right to request a bigger share of his assets under these circumstances."

I did not agree to the lawyer's suggestion because all I wanted was to get divorced as soon as possible. After that, I focused on seeking medical help for my hands. I had to take better care of myself in a future without Ian.

On the day I was paying respects to the orphanage director at the cemetery, I bumped into Ian.

He had a black cloth as his arm band, and was looking solemn, while Jewel had on light makeup, and her foxy features bore a tinge of sadness. An elder of the Herschs had recently passed, and it became major news in the city. However, no one found it strange that Ian was the only outsider among the Herschs and their extended family members attending the funeral.

I bowed at the director's tombstone alone, a stark contrast to their huge group.

The director was the one who had helped me find someone to teach me massage techniques through various connections. When Ian left the Langhams, the director became worried for us, and she transferred half of her meager pension to me for six months.

Ian was a man who harbored gratitude, and he was the only person aside from me who truly respected the director. After she retired from her post, he made sure that the orphanage received higher donations than before. However, she was now gone, and the respect she once had followed suit.

It was not easy for me to accept her death as I placed a bouquet in front of her tombstone. I was about to leave when someone grabbed my hand at the cemetery's entrance. "Are you planning to create more trouble with the Herschs around?"

Ian's grip on my right hand hurt my fractured hand badly, and I broke out in cold sweat from the pain. However, I did not show the pain on my face as I lowered my head. "I'm just here to visit an old friend, Mr. Langham."

The sadness on Jewel's face was gone, and she started acting like the gracious heiress she was supposed to be. "It's fine, we understand. It's very kind of you to come here to pay respects to a member of the Hersch family, Miss Everton."

I felt disgusted by her words. There were hardly any faults when it came to Jewel. She had a beautiful face, and talent. Even when she was being petty, she did it with grace. However, Jewel was supposed to be born a butterfly, but she chose to become a fly. Thank goodness this fly managed to find a rotten egg like Ian.

The look in my eye was cold and distant. "There is no need for any physical touching, Mr. Langham. You wouldn't want Miss Hersch to misunderstand, would you?"

Ian's expression fell, and he acted as if he had just heard something preposterous. "That's enough! Do you need to be jealous about every single thing, Tiana? Are you unhappy about living a comfortable life after becoming the wife of a Langham?"

Jewel moved slightly to the side to hold Ian's hand, which was gripping me. Ian stared at me for quite a while before releasing me. The pain in my right hand gradually subsided, and for the first time ever, I felt grateful to Jewel. However, it did nothing to appease Ian's anger.

"What's so great about being the wife of a Langham?"

Ian was enraged, and he flung off Jewel's hand. He took a step closer to me with a frightening look in his eye. "You're not allowed to say anything of that sort as long as you're still my lawful wife, Tiana!"

I laughed miserably as I took a step back, and I raised my tone, "You were the one who refused to let me go, Ian! You were the one who knelt, begging the Langhams to let me marry into your family! It was you who promised the director that you would take care of me and love only me your entire life. If you can't do it, then we should get divorced!"

Ian's veins throbbed on his forehead, and a guilty look flashed across his face. He remained furious, but he lowered his voice. "You have lived a life of luxury all these years. Have you ever suffered or gotten hurt all this time?"

I looked coldly back at him as my hands fell limply by my side. It was the first time my pain made me laugh. His tone softened, and it reminded me of old times when we were in love, and he was gentle with me. "Once this busy period is over, I'll accompany you to visit the director. My migraine has been working up again. You should make some time to give me a massage."

All I did was smile as I used whatever strength was left in my left hand to hold up my right hand. The fingers that had soothed his migraine numerous times, but were now filled with pain, appeared in his line of sight. "How about taking a look at them for yourself, Ian?"

I held back the horrible pain to pull up my long sleeve to reveal what was hidden beneath. It was my right hand, which was swollen, bruised, and contorted.