Harry and I met and fell in love in college. We were classmates in the finance program—one of the top-ranked in the country.

Most students there had powerful family connections or came from privileged backgrounds, but Harry was different. He got in purely of his own merit and had plans to build everything from the ground up. That grit he carried drew me in instantly, so it wasn't a surprise that we ended up together.

I was the one who pursued him, and I learned a lot from him along the way.

My family never approved of Harry. In fact, they had already lined up a marriage for me before I'd even graduated. They thought I was just having fun with Harry for the time being and would eventually go back to the path they'd chosen.

People were rebellious by nature, but that fire in me had long burned out.

Back then, I cut ties with my family and chose Harry. Looking back now, we had been married for three years and together for five. Over those three years, Harry's career had soared with my support every step of the way.

He used to protect me the same way he protected Sally now. I remember him yelling at clients who tried to pressure me into drinking at business dinners, and staying up late at night to cook me soup.

I really believed we'd spend the rest of our lives together.

But as our life got better, our relationship started to crumble.

Ever since Sally joined the company as an intern assistant, Harry's attitude toward me had taken a sharp turn. I even heard that he was the one who personally requested to have Sally transferred to his side.

From then on, he started working late and took frequent business trips with Sally. He claimed it was to train her skills, though I had no idea which skills exactly were being trained.

Soon, rumors started swirling around the office. People whispered that Harry was having an affair with Sally and that she had been sleeping her way to the top.

Lost in thought, I didn't even see the next slap coming.

It landed hard across my face.

I slowly looked up at Harry as he gritted his teeth and spoke, every word biting and cold, "Grace, accept Sally's apology right now. Or I swear, you'll never have peace again."

"Harry, stop! Don't fight because of me!" Sally finally stepped in—after he hit me, of course. She stood up suddenly, and a flicker of determination flashed across her face. "Grace, since you still won't forgive me, I'll turn myself in. I'll spend the rest of my life making up for this!"

Before either of us could react, she ran straight out of the hospital room.

"Sally! Where are you going? Don't do anything rash!" Harry rushed after her, but not before throwing one last threat over his shoulder.

"If anything happens to her, Grace, I'll never forgive you!"

With that, the door slammed shut behind him.

For the first time all day, the room finally went quiet.

I let out a long breath and felt nothing but exhaustion.

Of course, Sally wasn't really going to turn herself in. Everything she did was calculated. She just wanted to drive a wedge between Harry and me.

It was such an obvious performance, but somehow, Harry still fell for it.

Not long after, he posted a scenic photo taken right outside the hospital on his social media. The caption read, "I'll protect you for a lifetime."

He didn't hide it from anyone. It was out there, bold and shameless for the world to see.

After he left, he never came back to check on me.

Then again, I was no longer in critical condition, so I guess he didn't see the need to.

I let out a cold laugh, completely numb to his petty provocation.

I had just had my stomach pumped the night before, and now, I couldn't stomach a single bite. But I didn't want to stay in that hospital for another second, so I spoke to the doctor about getting discharged the next day.

When I packed up and made it back home, I found Harry already there.

"You're back?" Harry was sitting on the couch. The moment he saw me walk in, his smile disappeared. His whole demeanor turned distant, and he didn't bother asking me how I was feeling.

He clearly hadn't expected me to come home so suddenly. From the look of things, he had been in a good mood before I arrived, but the second I opened the door, his face fell.

This was what our marriage had become—just an empty shell.

"Yeah, I'm back," I casually replied.

It was then that I noticed how stiff his posture looked, almost like he was subconsciously bracing himself.

I frowned slightly. Then, at the next moment, I heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom shower—someone else was in the house.

"Who's taking a shower?"

Even though I already had a bad feeling, I still asked, holding on to a sliver of hope.

But the moment Harry heard me, his expression shifted, and he quickly tried to explain.

"It's Sally. Her building's water got cut off for the whole week, so I brought her here after work to shower. Don't overthink it. The water really is out."

"I got it. I'm not overthinking anything."

That response seemed to catch Harry off guard. He stared at my face, clearly trying to find any signs of anger, but when he didn't see it, he actually looked relieved. "You finally figured it out. I'm amazed you're not making a scene for once."

"Making a scene"? So, that was what he thought of everything I had done before?

I didn't say another word. I simply turned around and went straight to the bedroom. Then, I pulled out a suitcase from the closet and quietly began packing.

The entire time, Harry never once came to check on me.

Only when I started gathering my things did I realize how little I had actually accumulated in our years of marriage. I was never someone who cared much about material things anyway.

I left behind everything Harry had ever given me and all the things we had shared together. I didn't want them. I didn't even want the memories.

When I stepped back out, Harry was drying Sally's hair. He was kneeling on the couch beside her, chatting and laughing.

They could have passed for a loving couple from the way they looked.

At that moment, I felt like I was the outsider in my own home.

Harry had his back to me, and the sound of the blow dryer was too loud for him to notice my footsteps.

But Sally saw me the second I came out. She slowly looked up with a smug glint in her eyes. Then, she curled her lips into a faint smile. It was like she was saying, "See? You can't beat me."

I stood there, expressionless.

I didn't want to win, and I didn't feel like I'd lost either. I just silently watched as Harry patiently dried Sally's hair, his expression full of affection.

It had been so long since he'd looked at me like that.

So, it wasn't because he was stressed from work that he snapped at me at home. He had simply used up all his patience on someone else.

When the dryer finally shut off, Harry turned and saw me. His face stiffened, and he quickly explained, "I was just drying her hair. I didn't want her to go to work tomorrow with a headache if it stayed damp."

"Got it. You don't have to explain to me," I flatly replied, my voice calm and indifferent.

But that one line gave Sally the perfect opening to jump in. She looked timid as she said, "Grace, you probably don't want me here. Maybe I should just leave." As she spoke, she made it seem as if she was about to stand and leave.

Harry immediately stopped her. "You just showered. If you go out now, you'll catch a cold."

"I never said I didn't want you here," I said. "I'm the extra one. You stay. I'll go."

With that, I walked back into the room, grabbed my suitcase, and headed straight for the door.

Harry's face darkened as he rushed over to block me. "Grace, what are you doing? I knew something was off the moment you got home acting all calm. Is this one of your schemes?"

I let out a small, bitter laugh. I didn't even want to guess what kind of person I had become in Harry's eyes after all the things Sally had accused me of.

I just looked at him and calmly said, "No schemes here, Harry. Keep an eye on your email. I'll be sending you the divorce papers."

"You want a divorce?" To my surprise, Harry didn't explode in anger when he heard those words. Instead, his brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face.

"Grace, you have no reason to divorce me. I'm just looking out for Sally because I see her as a sister. Unless there's something else at play here, and you've fallen out of love with me."

"Think whatever you want. The divorce is happening." I didn't even glance at him. Arguing now would be pointless.

My indifferent tone made Harry's expression change. He thought I was just making a scene again, but it dawned on him that I was being completely serious this time.

He reached out and grabbed my arm. "Grace, stop this. Let's just..."

I yanked my arm away, disgust flashing across my face. "Don't touch me!"

With that, I turned and walked off.

Harry stumbled back. Then, he finally lost his temper and shouted after me, "Grace! Where the hell are you going to go after divorcing me? Back to your parents? Don't forget, you cut ties with them years ago!

"Get back here! I never agreed to a damn divorce!"

I ignored him, got in my car, and drove straight to the office. After clearing my desk, I marched to HR and handed in my resignation.

"Mrs. Grant, are you sure about this?"

Daisy Newell, the HR manager, took one look at my expression and guessed what was happening. Her grip tightened on the form as she hesitated.

"Yes," I replied.

I understood her hesitation. Everyone knew I was the CEO's wife even if I'd always kept work and personal life separate.

Sure enough, Daisy looked uneasy. "I... I'm sorry, but this requires Mr. Grant's sign-off. Maybe we should wait for him?"

"No need. My position doesn't require his signature. Just process it."

Five years ago, when Harry founded this company, I was one of the first hires.

Back then, with barely a dozen employees, I did everything—tech work, running errands, and handling clients. I'd put in the grind.

But once the company took off, Harry kept me in an entry-level role and paid me even less than Sally was paid.

Daisy let out a sigh.

My position really didn't need CEO approval. She was probably just dreading Harry's inevitable outburst later on.

As I carried my cardboard box past the cubicles, I caught the pitiful looks and hushed whispers.

"She's really leaving?"

"I always liked Mrs. Grant. She trained me when I first started."

"She must have left because of Mr. Grant's assistant. He's gone too far."

My face stayed blank. Then, as soon as I stepped outside, I saw Harry pulling up with Sally in the passenger seat.

The moment he saw me with the box, he exploded. "Grace, how far are you going to take this? You're really leaving me? You're even quitting your job?"

"Grace, just calm down. I heard that you've been here for years. Don't be rash," Sally said.

I ignored her completely.

Upon seeing my indifference, Harry took several deep breaths to steady himself. "Fine! You're dead set on this divorce? Then fine! I'll sign the papers right now! Don't you dare regret this, Grace!"

I paused, finally reacting. "If you're signing, let's go to the courthouse this afternoon."

...

By that evening, the divorce was finalized.

Harry, still fuming, stormed off with Sally in tow.

I didn't bother with goodbyes, I just felt relieved that it was over.

As I stood outside the courthouse, I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone to call a number I hadn't dialed in three years.

The phone barely rang before a stern, surprised voice answered.

"Hello? Grace?"

I pressed my lips together and hoarsely said, "Mom, Dad, I want to come home."