Connor was on a business trip for a long time. I asked him when he would return and at first, he gave vague answers, but then he simply stopped responding. My parents quickly noticed something was wrong with me. They asked when Connor would come back.

"Very soon." I said casually. I just focused on eating my breakfast because I didn't know how to answer them.

They exchanged a glance and then my dad said, "How about you tell Connor we won't come to your house anymore?" Hearing this, I couldn't hold back my tears. I lowered my head even more, not wanting them to see.

"No parent wants to trouble their child," my dad sighed. "Tell him we won't disturb you anymore."

"It's not about you. Don't overthink it, Dad. You both enjoy your time here. I need to go to work now." I hurriedly grabbed my bag and left the house.

"I really can't get along with your parents," Connor had said to me before he left, in front of my mom and dad. Standing in the crowd on the subway, I looked at my reflection in the window. I was so close to the world, yet I felt a strong sense of alienation.

"But they only come for a few days every year and I also need to tolerate your parents. Why can I tolerate it, but you can't tolerate it at all?" I retorted. I couldn't suppress my anger and had a big fight with him.

When we first got married, Connor treated my parents well. I don't know when his attitude began to slowly change. I thought about what had happened recently and nothing else different had happened except "that thing".

It was last month. To buy a house, Connor and I had a fake divorce. Over the past six months, housing prices had been rising. Connor discussed with me about getting another old, small apartment in a good school district. But we didn't have enough money, so we decided on a fake divorce.

Our current house was then transferred to his name. At first, I didn't mind, but his recent behavior became increasingly strange. I was distracted at work all morning. The more I thought about it, the more something felt off. Could he be having other thoughts now?

As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I suddenly felt that the man I had known for ten years had become a complete stranger.

That evening, when I returned home, my parents had prepared a table full of dishes, including my favorite sweet and spicy ribs steak. Because Connor doesn't like sweet dishes, I hadn't had them in a long time.

"My mom and I think Connor's apparent dislike for us might just be an excuse." We were just chatting about everyday things when my dad suddenly said this. I didn't respond and continued eating my meal.

"Nadine, you've never experienced anything major, so you think too simply. The problem might not be with you, but with him changing," my dad continued.

I still didn't speak because I didn't know what to say. My mom signaled to my dad to stop talking. "We've bought tickets for tomorrow. We won't disturb you anymore."

I looked up, ready to persuade them to stay, but my dad stopped me. "Nadine, this is not a big deal. Some things can be replaced if they're lost." His words further alarmed me and were soon confirmed.

That night, I turned on the home computer and used the browser's cache to access Connor's e-commerce account. When I opened "My Orders," the truth unfolded before my eyes. Lipstick, skincare products, woman bags.

New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Children's Day, Fourth of July, Christmas, he didn't miss a single one. These orders were for another woman. My cursor hovered over the LV Valentine's Day limited edition bag. I had once joked about when he would buy me a luxury bag.

Connor had reacted strongly at the time, saying that people who carry those bags wear clothes worth thousands and drive cars worth hundreds of thousands. He asked if it wouldn't be ridiculous for me to carry that bag while riding the subway every day. It turned out it wasn't that I didn't deserve the bag because I didn't wear expensive clothes or drive an expensive car. In his mind, I simply wasn't worth it.

At this moment, my dad knocked on the door and said, "It's time to sleep."

"Okay, you guys go ahead," I replied, but I had no intention of sleeping.

My dad said, "Nadine, your mom and I have reminded you before that you should control the household finances. This ..."

I knew what they were worried about, but they didn't know I had already made a big mistake. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll sleep soon."

He seemed to want to say more but shook his head and closed the door.

I clicked on the order delivery address. The recipient was, "Little Missy." The delivery address was a very upscale neighborhood not far from our home, it was Orchid Apartment.

I remembered once walking past that neighborhood with Connor after dinner and he started talking about how high-end neighborhoods like that had separate pathways for people and cars, unlike our neighborhood, where cars were parked everywhere.

I had clung to his arm and said, "When you strike it rich, we'll move here."

I was full of sweetness and didn't notice that he just smiled without promising me anything. It turns out he wasn't just talking casually back then, he had experienced the benefits of a high-end neighborhood and started to despise the shortcomings of ordinary residences.

After three days, Connor finally replied to me, "I'll come back when your parents leave."

Seeing this response, my heart sank. "No need to wait. They've left."

Early that morning, I heard the door open, it was Connor coming back. I sat up in bed. He looked a bit tired. Those deep eyes of his, which I once loved so much, now seemed unreadable.

He looked at me heavily and said, "Let's talk."

Although I knew what was about to happen, I still felt nervous, scared and sad.

"I think we ... should just separate," he said quietly, as if mustering a lot of courage.

"Why? What's wrong with us?" I tried to asked casually.

"It's not you, it's me ..." he said.

"What's wrong with you? Have you fallen for someone else?" I asked him again.

He answered, "No, I just think I'm not suited for marriage. I can't get along with your family."

Just as my dad said, he was using this as an excuse. "Didn't you promise to stay together forever?" I still want some explanation.

"Some things change." He lowered his head and fell silent and the room was suddenly so quiet that I could hear the clock ticking. Connor wiped his face, his voice trembling, "I really can't take it anymore..."

I didn't want to continue this charade, so I took out my phone, showed him the screenshots of the orders he placed for "Little Missy," and threw it to him.

Seeing the picture, Connor's expression shifted from pain to shock.

"You logged into my account?" Like all scumbags, when confronted, he didn't reflect on his mistakes but questioned how I invaded his privacy.

"Who is "Little Missy"?" I demanded.

"She's just a client," Connor frowned.

"What kind of client needs you to nickname her "Little Missy"? What kind of client needs gifts from you on Valentine's Day and Fourth of July?" His answer made me feel he thought I was an idiot.

"You know my job requires special means to secure important clients." Connor stared at me, thinking this explanation would make him seem truthful.

The Connor I thought I knew was just an illusion I had created.

"I came back today to tell you that since we're already divorced, it's best to sort out the remaining matters." At this moment, Connor couldn't hold back his true intentions any longer.

"What remaining matters?" I confused.

"I'll compensate you. So ..." his eyes suddenly turned cold, "I hope you can move out as soon as possible."

The worst outcome I had anticipated finally happened. I had read about such things in the news, but I never thought it would happen to me.