Nia’s car only stopped at the main gates. She would not even spend another minute to drop me off at the door.

I could tell that she was in a rush. She slammed the accelerator the entire way, as though terrified Jonah would be mad at her for being a little late.

I did not waste my breath, getting out of the car as soon as it stopped.

Somewhat surprised, Nia lowered the car window. “Make some supper, and I’ll eat with you when I get back.”

A while ago, I would have been ecstatic to hear that — but I did not need her company anymore. Once I got back home, I made a simple sandwich, left it on the table, then took my medicine and went to bed.

I thought that would pacify Nia. Besides, she probably was not that keen to have supper with me, anyway.

Not long after I fell asleep, though, Nia yanked me out of bed angrily. “Didn’t I tell you to make supper and wait up for me?!”

I rubbed my bleary eyes. “Your supper’s on the table.”

With that, I wanted to go back to sleep, but Nia pulled me back up incessantly. “That’s just a cheese sandwich!

“Weren’t you always bugging me to spend more time with you? I finally have time today, yet here you are, going to bed early. You’re doing this to spite me, aren’t you?!”

It was no wonder she was angry. Back then, I would have made a feast and downloaded her favorite movie, waiting for her no matter how late she returned.

Now, though, even if my mind was willing, my flesh was weak.

I suppressed my temper, explaining patiently. “I’m tired after a long day, and I still have to get up early tomorrow for work. That’s why I went to sleep early.”

Nia tossed the present onto the bed irritably. “Whatever. I’m going to shower!”

I picked up the present and looked at it. It was the same watch, only with new packaging. Even the new box was left over from her company’s annual party last year.

I tossed the gift aside. To prevent her from disturbing me anymore that night, I took some sheets out of the closet and moved to the guest room.

However, Nia was surprisingly persistent that night. She even pulled me out of the guest room bed. “What are you playing at this time? You didn’t open the present and even moved to the guest room!

“Dylan, I warned you not to push your limits! That car was just a reward to Jonah for signing a big deal! Besides, he’s always been one of our best employees; he deserves that much! Why are you kicking up such a big fuss over something so trivial?!”

I nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I won’t fuss about it anymore. Can I sleep now?”

Nia thought I was being sarcastic, so she slapped me. “I’ve been too nice to you, Dylan! You asked for this!”

I held my smarting cheek. My explanation died on the tip of my tongue, so all I said was, “Youu’re free to think whatever you like.”

After all, it did not matter how I explained myself. She would only scold me harder.

In our seven years together, this was my first time talking to Nia like that. Her face flashed with surprise.

I ignored her and walked back to the master bedroom, returning her gift to her. She would always buy a random gift for me after she messed around with Jonah to appease me. I would accept her atonement every time.

Today, though, when she gave me Jonah’s leftovers as an anniversary gift, I could not hide my disgust anymore.

She could tell something was off about me, but she did not take it seriously. She stubbornly believed I was still throwing a tantrum at her.

In truth, I no longer got mad about anything she did.

Nia stopped trying to talk to me when she saw I was not willing to compromise. She left the guest room and slammed the door behind her.

As I was about to fall asleep, I heard her laughter from the living room. She was obviously on the phone with Jonah again.

It seemed they were still deeply in love. Good, that way I could leave her even easier.

Early the next morning, I left the house and went to the best divorce lawyer in town. “Write me a case that’ll make her leave without a penny!”

Once I was done handling the divorce papers, I sat down in a cafe. Before marrying Nia, my favorite pastime was to find a cafe on my day off and read a book quietly.

After we got married, though, I no longer had time for myself. My life revolved around her, and I once naively believed I would be able to win her heart with my efforts.

As it turned out, she took everything I did for granted.

When I was about to head home, Nia called me excitedly. “Where are you? I’ll pick you up!”

I was confused. “Pick me up? Where to?”

She simply said, “You’ll know soon enough!”

Just like that, she hung up before I could decline. I shrugged — I was divorcing her soon anyway, so she could do whatever she wanted.

I sent her my location. Within minutes, her car pulled up in front of the cafe. Jonah was in the passenger seat, so I ignored him and sat in the back row.

Nia glanced at me. “Are you blind? Can’t you at least say hi to Jonah? Geez, your mom never taught you manners.

“Look at you! You’re a mess with stubble everywhere. You stick out like a sore thumb in that cafe!”

Jonah pretended to defend me. “Let it go, Nia. Gordon isn’t young anymore, so you can’t compare him to the young folk.”

I smirked self-deprecatingly. “That’s right. Why else would your dear Nia find a sprightly young assistant like you? For the eye candy, of course!”

Nia clicked her tongue. “Stop being so sarcastic, Dylan. And here I was excited to bring you out, but you keep ruining the mood.

“You suspect everything when you don’t see Jonah. Now he’s right in front of you, and you still want to pick a fight! What’s wrong with you?”

I caught Jonah’s smug smirk in the rearview mirror and forced myself to stay calm. “Fine, I was wrong.”

Only then did Nia let it slide. “You should’ve just said that from the start! Must you always make me mad?”

Unfortunately, she could not hear the exasperation in my voice. Whatever, now I cared less about her than she did about me!