"Kyle, listen to me carefully. I, Sophie, have no intention of ever having children because no man is worth the pain of carrying a child for ten months!"

Sophie said this to me during a company dinner.

As I left the gathering amidst the complex gazes of others, I returned home only to receive a package—Sophie's pregnancy report.

She was already a month along, and I had just returned from a business trip two months prior.

Despite this profound betrayal, I felt an unexpected sense of relief.

I called Sophie calmly, saying, "Let's find a time to get divorced."

"Kyle, what are you talking about? Just because I won't have kids for you, you want to divorce me?"

Her voice dripped with disdain.

"Sophie, look at this little sock. Shouldn't we get it for our baby?"

A soft male voice chimed in—it was Ethan, her childhood friend.

——

The call ended abruptly.

I glanced at the villa I had considered home for seven years and exhaled deeply.

This house was purchased outright before our marriage, but now it felt tainted. I decided to move out and sell it.

As I packed my things, the door swung open.

Sophie entered with Ethan's arm around her.

"Kyle, where are the slippers?"

"Ethan's afraid of getting cold; could you grab him a pair?"

Sophie commanded me as usual.

Ethan wore a smug smile, his eyes taunting me as he spoke softly, "Kyle, could you help us out?"

I shoved my design sketches into my suitcase without responding or looking at them.

Their presence made me nauseous—like being drunk and then getting into a bumpy car while surrounded by sickly sweet perfume.

"Are you deaf?"

Sophie yelled, throwing off her high heels and aiming one at me.

I dodged it and shot her a cold glance but chose silence.

Noticing my suitcase for the first time, she frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

"I told you on the phone—divorce," I replied flatly.

Though I had loved her deeply once, disappointment had piled up until love vanished in an instant.

"Kyle, are you throwing a tantrum? I've told you before; I'm not into women! Sophie is just my best friend," Ethan added in a mocking tone.

"Let's make amends; please don't be upset. I'll try not to bother Sophie anymore."

"Ethan, what did you do wrong?"

"It's Kyle's jealousy that's causing all this trouble; it has nothing to do with you!"

"And he's upset just because I won't give him children!" Sophie shot me a loathing look.

Sophie glared at me and said, "If I had known you'd react this way, I wouldn't have married you!"

"It's not too late to leave," I said while securing my suitcase and checking my drawing equipment before heading for the door.

"I'll list the villa with an agent; you should hurry and move out."

"You're selling our home?" Sophie shrieked suddenly.

She grabbed my arm. "Kyle, I'm only refusing to have kids! Is that really worth a divorce? We agreed—you wouldn't pressure me about children! You brought it up in front of everyone today; I only spoke my mind!"

"Don't touch me; you're filthy," I retorted as I shook off her grip.

"Filthy?" Sophie shot back, incredulous.

"Are you out of your mind, Kyle?"

Her anger flared even more.

She had always been proud, and my blatant disdain was clearly unbearable for her.

"Isn't that the case?" I countered.

"And it was Mark who brought up the child today, not me. But even if it were me, you should have saved face for me in front of others. Instead, you didn't. Do you think so little of me, unworthy of any dignity in your eyes?"

"Who doesn't know you and Mark are close? He was just speaking for you!" she snapped.

"And what face do you think you need?" She pressed on.

"I'm the company's chairman; it's because I'm your wife that you have any face at all. Once we're divorced, what will you have left?"

Her face was filled with mockery as she looked at me.

I fell silent, struggling to comprehend how she could say such things.

Seeing my silence, Sophie thought she had me cornered. She pointed at me and said, "Now, apologize to Ethan immediately, or I won't forgive you!"

"Kyle loves you so much; it's normal for him to be jealous. He doesn't need to apologize," Ethan chimed in with a tone that seemed understanding but was filled with provocation and smugness.

"Did you hear that, Kyle? Ethan is so kind and generous, while you're always petty!"

Sophie scoffed. "If Ethan wasn't into women, I might not have even chosen you because you've been such a disappointment!"

When I remained silent, Ethan added in a whiny voice, "Alright, Sophie, don't be too hard on Kyle. Here's what: I'll apologize to him. If he still isn't satisfied, I'll even kneel down and apologize."

To my surprise, he actually knelt before me.

"Kyle, it was all my fault," he said through tears.

"Although I don't like women, I'm still a man in others' eyes. Being around Sophie must make you feel embarrassed; that's my oversight. Kyle, I sincerely apologize to you now and promise to cut ties with Sophie!"

Sophie's anger only intensified at this scene. She slapped me across the face without warning.

I casually brushed her hand away and looked at them coldly.

How could she betray me and still have the audacity to lay a hand on me?

"How dare you hit me?" she exclaimed, disbelief written all over her face.

I met her gaze silently and said, "Sophie, I've been away on business for two months while you've been pregnant for one month with someone else's child. I really want to know where you get the nerve to bark at me like this."

As I spoke, I slapped the pregnancy report against her face.

Her complexion drained instantly; panic filled her eyes.

But in a heartbeat, her expression hardened. "Kyle! I'm your wife! How dare you investigate me? Don't you trust me at all?" she shouted.

"You're pregnant with someone else's child and can still say that? You really are something!" I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

"And just so you know, I never investigated you; this pregnancy report just arrived by courier."

Ethan cried out, "Sophie! Maybe I filled out the wrong address; that's why Kyle got angry! It's all my fault!"

"It's not your fault!" she snapped back at him.

"This isn't even a big deal! He shouldn't be angry over something like this!"

She turned her cold stare back to me and said, "Kyle, it's your own filthy mind that sees everything as dirty!"

How could she blame me for being dirty when she was carrying another man's child?

When I found out I had been cheated on, I felt a mix of anger and unexpected relief.

The truth was, I no longer loved her, so her betrayal didn't sting as much as it might have.

But Sophie's shameless attitude truly infuriated me.

"So tell me, where exactly am I being dirty?"

I asked seriously.

Sophie shot back, "The baby in my belly is Ethan's, but we didn't do anything; it was artificial insemination."

"So what?"

I nearly laughed at her absurdity.

"What do you mean 'so what'?" she pressed.

"Kyle, don't you have any compassion? Ethan has faced immense pressure from his family because of his sexual orientation. He wants a child to ease their worries."

"And since we grew up together, I have an obligation to help him!" she continued.

"Would you really want to see Ethan suffer under that pressure?"

Her self-righteousness was astounding, as if she had performed some grand act of charity.

I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.

"Sophie, we've been married for years, and you wouldn't even consider having a child with me. You publicly declared today that no man is worth the suffering of ten months of pregnancy. Yet here you are, pregnant with another man's child. Where's your dignity?"

I coldly asked.

Sophie glared at me and said, "So you're still upset because I won't have your child? You're so petty; I'm just disappointed in you!"

"Enough! I really don't want to waste my time arguing with your ridiculous logic," I waved my hand dismissively.

"I'll prepare the divorce papers, and you should hurry up and move out."

With that, I turned to leave.

Ethan suddenly cried out, "Sophie, if you two get divorced, our baby will be born into a single-parent household!"

He was clearly hoping Sophie would take this opportunity to declare she'd marry him, thus avoiding any talk of single parenthood.

But Sophie grabbed me by the arm with disgust in her eyes and said, "Kyle, stop making a scene! You heard what was said; if we divorce, this baby will be raised without both parents. You can't be so cold-hearted!"

"So what do you mean?" I asked.

"You're suggesting we stay married and raise the child together with Ethan?"

I wanted to knock some sense into her; it was unbelievable.

Ethan jumped in again, "Kyle, you don't need to worry about this. Once the baby is born, I'll be around to help take care of it."

"And then we'll all live happily together as a family of four?"

I couldn't help but laugh again in disbelief.

Ethan nodded earnestly. "Kyle, isn't that a good thing?"

"Good? Are you out of your mind?"

"Sophie has no brains; do you think I'm an idiot too? What normal man would allow his wife to carry another man's child?"

I scoffed and shrugged off Sophie's grip as I headed for the door.

"Kyle, that's so rude! How can you talk like that?"

Sophie rushed after me.

I turned to give her a cold look and said flatly, "Sophie, we're adults here; let's keep some dignity and sort out this divorce quickly."

Then I stepped back toward Ethan and looked at his pretentious face before throwing a punch that sent him crashing to the floor with blood pouring from his nose.

"That punch was a warning: stay out of my way," I warned him.

"If I were you, I'd focus on living with Sophie the trash instead of bothering me!"

As I turned to leave again, Sophie shouted after me, "Kyle! You've lost your mind! How can you hit someone?"

"And who are you calling trash? I'm still your wife!"

Sophie yelled as she lunged at me.

In one swift motion, I slapped her across the face hard enough to send her sprawling to the ground. "Listen closely, Sophie: when I loved you, there were many things I could tolerate. But now that I've stopped loving you, think carefully about yourself and remember how we got together in the first place!"

Sophie seemed unable to believe that I would actually hit her. But as she looked into my eyes and saw my resolve, panic flickered across her face.

After leaving the villa, I drove to the spacious apartment near my company.

I had purchased this place some time ago but rarely stayed here.

After a quick tidying up, I dove into work.

The company was currently handling a massive project, and the blueprints were in the final stages; they needed to be completed urgently.

In the past, Sophie might have affected my mood and hindered my ability to work.

However, with her absence, I felt a sense of relief.

I pushed through until midnight, finishing the final touches on the project.

After a few hours of sleep, I headed straight to the office.

Such a significant project required the final design draft to be presented at the board meeting.

In the conference room, while discussing project issues with the board members, the door was suddenly flung open.

Sophie stormed in with Ethan and a dozen security guards.

Ethan was dressed in a well-tailored suit, no longer appearing effeminate; his face radiated smugness.

"Kyle, you're fired! Leave now!"

Ethan pointed at me as if I were a dog being shooed away.