My husband, Tobias Blackchard, has been cheating on me for three years.

I refused to divorce him.

It was simply because of my deep-rooted unwillingness.

We were childhood sweethearts, from school uniforms to wedding dresses, and we once truly loved each other.

Then one day, I had an epiphany.

I decided to end this painful entanglement.

I would let him go, and I would set myself free.

...

I took my parents to the Tobias & Fiona Hotel for dinner.

As we entered the restaurant, I walked straight toward the private room we always used.

Lily Whitmore, the lobby manager, stepped calmly in front of me.

She flashed her signature smile and greeted me with her usual politeness. "Mrs. Blackchard, good evening."

"Mm." I nodded. "The usual dishes, please, and bring them quickly."

After I spoke, I noticed Lily didn’t move. She was standing still, which struck me as odd.

"Madam, the Afternoon Tea Garden is occupied. May I take you to another private room?" she asked politely.

"Is Tobias back?" I asked without thinking.

"Mr. Blackchard is still on his business trip. It's another guest," she replied.

"Are you kidding me?" I snapped. "The Afternoon Tea Garden is reserved for our family. It’s never open to the public. You, as the lobby manager, shouldn’t be allowing anyone else to use it without permission. I’ll have to—"

"There was an instruction," she interrupted me. "It was Mr. Blackchard’s."

"That’s impossible—"

Before I could finish my sentence, I froze.

I saw a flicker of sympathy in Lily’s eyes that she couldn’t hide.

In that instant, everything clicked.

A cold sensation spread rapidly from my chest to the rest of my body.

I heard my own trembling voice, "It’s Xena Hollis, isn’t it?"

"Yes."

"Tobias instructed you to let her use the Afternoon Tea Garden?"

"Yes." Lily hesitated for a moment, as if reluctant to continue, but then she did. "Mr. Blackchard said Miss Hollis loves the Afternoon Tea Garden, and from now on, it will be her exclusive room. Always reserved for her."

"Exclusive?" I laughed bitterly. "So, I’m not even allowed inside anymore?"

Lily didn’t respond, but her evasive gaze and lowered head said everything.

"That’s too much!" My mother shoved Lily aside and stormed toward the Afternoon Tea Garden.

"Mom!" I grabbed her arm. "Don’t go."

"Fiona, people are walking all over you, bullying you, and you’re still holding back?" She glared at me, her eyes red.

My father, Bruce Clayton, stood beside her with a stern expression. "If you want to vent your anger, we’ve got your back. There’s nothing to fear when you’re the daughter of the Claytons!"

Unable to meet their furious gaze, I clung to their arms, pleading, "Dad, Mom, please let’s just go home."

"You!" Bruce pointed angrily at me. "How can my daughter be so spineless?"

"Tobias is doing this on purpose," I said, my voice raised. "He wants to push me into asking for a divorce."

"Divorce? Then go ahead!" Bruce spat in frustration. "Are you really going to die without him?"

"Fiona, is there any reason to keep holding on to a marriage like this?" My mom took my hand. "Trust me, just divorce him."

"Please don’t!" I cried out desperately. "I don’t want a divorce!"

"Then stay stubborn!" Bruce snapped, shaking his arm and walking away. "We won’t interfere anymore."

After my parents left, I stayed alone in the hotel lobby, frozen in place for what felt like forever.

"Mrs. Blackchard?" A sweet voice suddenly broke the silence.

I turned to see a woman standing there, radiating charm.

Xena. Tobias’s public lover.

Her custom-made evening gown clung to her slender, graceful figure.

With fiery red lips and a gaze that was both alluring and cold, she exuded an air of wild beauty.

Everyone knew Xena was Tobias’s favorite woman.

The two of them appeared in public together all the time.

When the words "Mrs. Blackchard" escaped her lips, it felt like she was mocking me.

In front of me, Xena never showed any signs of hesitation.

She didn’t display the insecurity, fear, guilt, or remorse that a mistress might feel when facing the legitimate wife.

She was always so confident, so unapologetically bold.

For someone like me, the real Mrs. Blackchard, she even carried an air of disdain and contempt.

She knew where Tobias’s affections truly lay.

As for the title of Mrs. Blackchard, it wasn’t that she didn’t care—it was something she was determined to claim.

She firmly believed that Tobias and I would divorce.

She was sure that Mrs. Blackchard would soon be her title.

And so, she wasn’t in a rush. In fact, she watched me with a certain enjoyment, savoring my anger, helplessness, despair, and heartbreak with a calm, leisurely amusement.

"I just heard from Lily that Mrs. Blackchard wants to use the Afternoon Tea Garden? How convenient. I just finished up. I’ll have the staff clean up, and then Mrs. Blackchard can go in," she said, her tone so casual, it only emphasized the insult.

I stood frozen, my gaze locked on her right hand as she casually brushed her hair back.

On her wrist, two small letters were clearly tattooed.

"TB."

Following my eyes, Xena looked down at her wrist and smiled. "This is Tobias’s name, abbreviated. He was so touched by it that he got my initials tattooed on him, too."

It had been a while since I’d seen Tobias, and I didn’t even know he had gotten a tattoo.

Back then, he’d scorned people with tattoos, showing nothing but disdain for them.

He’d once said tattoos were a childish, foolish thing to do.

The man who swore he would never get a tattoo now had another woman’s name on his wrist.

Looking back, I’d lost count of how many vows Tobias had broken.

All those solemn promises had turned into nothing but ridiculous jokes.

Xena gave me a scornful smile before swaying away, leaving me in stunned silence.

I stepped out of the restaurant and glanced back at the three large words on the rooftop: Tobias & Fiona Hotel, feeling an overwhelming sense of irony.

I was particular about my food, and it was hard to find a restaurant that suited my tastes. After we got married, Tobias built this restaurant for me.

The chef had specially tailored every dish to my preferences.

I could honestly say that, in the entire city, this was the only restaurant where I could eat every dish.

Although the restaurant was open to the public, there was a private room reserved for me. I could come anytime and dine there.

The restaurant was named after the two of us—Tobias & Fiona Hotel.

Now, this restaurant, once a symbol of us, had become another way for Tobias to please Xena.

I thought to myself, I’ll never set foot in that restaurant again.

Sitting in the car, I called Tobias.

I expected the usual silence, with no one answering.

But this time, after just two rings, the call was picked up.

"I heard from Mingmei that you went to Tobias & Fiona Hotel? I forgot to mention that the Afternoon Tea Garden is now exclusively for her. If you want to eat, you’ll have to choose another private room," he said, his tone so indifferent, delivering the most painful words.

He always knew how to hurt me.

"Tobias, do you have to degrade me like this?" My heart twisted with pain. "Did you know my parents were there with me today?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before he chuckled lightly, his voice full of nonchalance. "You could always choose not to bear this, you know. Just divorce me, and it’ll all be over."

"Is this deliberate? Are you trying to force me to divorce you?" I felt a pang of sharp pain. "Tobias, you promised to love me for a lifetime! You swore at our wedding that you would never betray me—"

"Enough!" He interrupted me. "Stop rehashing all those old memories. Don’t you find it tedious? Things have changed, and that’s just the way it is. What matters now is the present."

Back home, Tobias' cruel, heartless words kept echoing in my ears, playing over and over again.

I couldn’t figure out how we ended up here, in this situation.

We used to love each other so much.

Everyone—our relatives, our friends, even my parents—couldn't understand why I kept holding on to this marriage. Tobias had publicly cheated on me, flaunting his relationship with that woman in front of everyone, humiliating me. Yet, I refused to divorce him.

Because I couldn’t let go.

Tobias, the man who once loved me so deeply, how had he changed?

How did he fall for someone else?

He used to hold me in the palm of his hand, making me feel like the happiest woman in the world.

I had felt love so intensely, so deeply, that even now, I couldn’t pull myself out of it.

I was fooling myself, telling myself that Tobias was just momentarily distracted from our relationship.

I believed that one day, he would come back to me, to our family, and we’d fix what we once had.

That’s why I fought with everything I had to keep this marriage intact, refusing to let go.

Even if it tore me apart.

I feared that if I let go, we’d never find our way back.

In those painful times, I held on to the beautiful memories we shared.

The days when we were together were so sweet.

Tobias and I had been childhood neighbors, and he was a year older than me.

Back in kindergarten, he held my hand and promised to protect me.

In elementary school, everyone knew I was Tobias' little sister—the sister of the genius student.

He was a year ahead of me, and while he was in middle school, I was still in sixth grade.

But he never felt comfortable leaving me on my own.

Even though our families had a driver, he insisted on walking me to school every day.

Only when he saw me safely enter the school gates would he let the driver take him to his own middle school.

Our families were close, living next door to each other, often sharing meals together.

During those meals, Tobias always helped me with my food.

He knew exactly what I liked to eat and what I didn’t.

He’d patiently peel shrimp for me, help me with my homework, and remind me not to walk barefoot on the floor.

Tobias' parents often joked that he should marry me when we grew up.

My parents would laugh and say, “Kids get along well, but who knows what’ll happen when they’re older?”

Tobias would pout, his face serious, and reply, “I’ll always treat Fiona well.”

His earnestness as a child was so cute; his words always made the adults laugh.

By the time I was in my senior year of high school, Tobias had already been accepted into a prestigious university.

Every night, he would video call me and tutor me in my studies.

Sometimes, when I was tired and hadn’t done my homework properly, he would scold me, reminding me to focus.

I’d cry from the frustration.

He would apologize immediately, saying he shouldn’t have been so harsh.

“Fiona, I want you to get into my school. I’m worried—”

I understood. He was worried I might not do well on my college entrance exams, afraid I wouldn’t get into his university.

He cared more about my exam results than I did.

After all, his university was ranked among the top five in the country, and getting in without serious skill was nearly impossible.

I was worried too, and I also wanted to go to college with him.

But I refused to admit it.

“If I don’t get in, then so be it. There are plenty of other universities. I heard Brown University has a beautiful campus—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

Because I saw him on the screen, his eyes red.

The next day, right after school, as I was leaving the school gates, I saw Tobias standing by the road.

I ran over excitedly, “What are you doing here?”

Before I could react, he pulled me into his arms.

I stood frozen, silently feeling the warmth of his embrace.

After a long while, I finally spoke softly, “You’re squeezing me too tight.”

Only then did his arms loosen.