The next afternoon, I was handling the handover of my resignation when Neil's call came through. "Ruby said you were mean to her in front of her classmates and even canceled her card. When did you become so petty? She's my sister. What's wrong with her spending some of your money? Have we mistreated you? You'd better apologize to Ruby right now and transfer $5,000 as pocket money to her. Otherwise, I'll divorce you!"

I rolled my eyes and sneered. "Neil, she's your sister, not mine. Why should I give a random girl unlimited access to my money when she calls me an old hag? Anyway, this is perfect timing. When are you coming back? I have something to tell you."

Just then, Neil paused, seemingly not expecting my firm attitude.

Soon, he resumed his impatient attitude, trying to pressure me in his usual way. "You just want to keep nagging about that shabby house renovation, don't you? I don't get it. Living with my family will at least provide you with some support. Why do you insist on spending that money? Do you have a lot of money to spend? I'm telling you, apologize to my sister first, or there's nothing left to discuss!"

After saying that, he simply hung up without giving me any chance to refute.

Listening to the busy signal on the other end of the line, I was silent for a long time, as if something was suffocating my chest.

He had indeed forgotten.

When he proposed, his eyes were sincere. "Ellie, we'll buy our own house after we get married. The renovations are entirely up to you. I want to give you a perfect home."

Later, we did buy a house, but the renovations were constantly delayed.

The first year, he said he was too busy with work to oversee the renovation team and asked me to wait.

The second year, he said the family's cash flow was tight and asked me to postpone the renovation until we were more financially stable.

I believed him time and time again. Now, this home was gone, and we had no future.

Afterward, I was busy completely severing ties with Neil. I did not contact him, and he naturally did not reach out to me.

The day before the end of the divorce cooling-off period, he texted me in the evening.

Neil: [I drank too much at the celebration party. Come pick me up.]

I realized then that he had already returned from his business trip.

I did not want to reply at first, but I grabbed my car keys and went out after recalling tomorrow's event.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I immediately spotted Neil standing by the roadside. He looked quite drunk. His arm was casually draped over Sonia's shoulder, and he was leaning comfortably against her.

Several male colleagues were beside him, waiting for their rides as well. Unlike him, they stood up straight, and their eyes were clear.

Seeing my car, Neil pulled Sonia to open the back door, and the two of them got in together.

Neil rubbed his temples. "Take her home first. I'm really dizzy. I'll sit in the back for a bit."

I sneered inwardly.

He had found a perfect excuse to openly lean his head against his junior in my own car.

Sonia's gaze met mine for a second through the rearview mirror. She was not embarrassed at all. Instead, she smiled gracefully at me. "Don't misunderstand. Neil really did drink quite a bit just now. He's probably feeling unwell. Sorry for the trouble."

I smiled too. "It’s no trouble at all. But it's best not to get involved if you encounter a drunk man like this in the future. It doesn't cost much to take a taxi, anyway. It’s better than waiting in the cold with him, right?"

Sonia's smile froze.

After Sonia got out of the car, the car was left in silence.

The neon lights outside flickered as the tall buildings receded.

For a moment, I felt as if the seven years' worth of memories I had with Neil had also been left behind us.

After entering the neighborhood, I parked the car and looked over at Neil through the rearview mirror. "Neil, let's talk."

He slowly woke up and rubbed his eyes, looking impatient. "What's there to talk about? Did you apologize to Ruby and transfer the money like I told you to?"

I took a deep breath, my eyes filled with exhaustion. "I'm trying to discuss things with you. Could you..."

Before I could finish, his phone suddenly dinged a few times.

Neil glanced at the screen, his expression changing abruptly. He got out of the car and went to the driver's seat, grabbing my arm and pulling me out without saying a word.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed in surprise. Caught off guard, I twisted my ankle in my high heels, and a sharp pain shot through it.

Neil did not even glance at me. He climbed into the driver's seat and said urgently, "Sonia said she feels like she's being followed and she's scared. I have to check on her!"

I steadied myself against the car door, the pain in my ankle and the chill in my heart mingling together.

For a moment, I found it utterly absurd and could not help but sneer. "Neil, think about it! How long has it been since she got out of the car? Is she not home yet? Besides, her house is in a completely different direction from ours. Does she think you can get there faster than the police?"

Neil looked at me incredulously, as if I were a cruel villain. "Enough!"

He seemed to have found the perfect outlet to vent, glaring at me and yelling, "You just want to force me to renovate that stupid marital house, don't you? I'm telling you, I refuse! I'm also divorcing you! Are you happy now?"

With that said, he sped away, leaving only a cloud of foul exhaust fumes.

I stood there, my ankle throbbing in pain, but my heart was deathly calm.

That night, I called my brother, Liam Montana, who lived a thousand miles away. I poured my heart out about everything that had happened over the past two weeks.

On the other end of the line, Liam's voice trembled with anger, but it eventually softened into gentle comfort. "You did the right thing. Come home. I'm waiting for you here!"

I thought, 'Home. Yes, I still have a home, a truly warm one.'

Thinking of this, my eyes instantly reddened, and the strength I had been holding onto for a long time crumbled at that moment.

Soon, I could finally escape everything here and go home.

The next morning, I took out the divorce agreement that Neil had already signed.

It was the one he gave me during his proposal.

Back then, Neil confidently said, "Ellie, this is my promise! If I ever wrong you, I'll leave with nothing! Please believe me!"

I chose to believe his love, thinking this divorce agreement would never see the light of day. Now, it had become my escape route.

I signed two copies of the divorce agreement and went to Neil's company.

At the reception desk, I overheard him mentioning my name to some colleagues, his tone carrying a familiar contempt.

"You can't spoil a woman like Ellie, or she'll really think she can do whatever she wants! She forced me to buy that stupid house, so I refused to let her renovate it! Look, we didn't even spend that money. Divorce? Does she dare to divorce me? She's a haggard old woman. Who would want her after we divorce?"

I felt only a strange calm while hearing this. No more emotion stirred within me.

I placed the envelope containing the divorce papers at the front desk. "Please give this to Neil Young. Thank you."

That afternoon, I boarded the plane home.

As soon as I landed, I received a call from Neil. His voice came through. "Ellie, are you out of your mind? Why haven't you paid for my grandmother's nursing home? Do you know she almost got kicked out? I'm telling you, it's completely over between us if anything happens to her! Pay up immediately! Otherwise, we're really getting a divorce!"

Listening to his accusatory yelling, I strode toward my brother, who was waving at me a short distance away.

"As you wish. We're already divorced."