For three years, Zariah had liked a late-night radio host.

At this time, the woman faced the live camera with warm eyes, slightly curved in a smile, gently presenting the man whose arm she held.

“Let me introduce him to everyone. This is my husband, Denzel Lopez.”

Denzel, President of Lopez Group, Zariah’s husband, kept a secret marriage with her for three years.

He said he had many enemies, to keep her safe, so he didn’t admit their relationship in front of others.

But now, he showed up in front of all people online as another woman’s husband.

Her fingers moved before her mind, Zariah shaking typed one line. [He’s my husband.]

In less than a second, that message was buried under many mocking comments.

[Where did this insane woman come from? Want to be popular and act crazy, not even checking how you look.]

[Allison already said it clearly, don’t come to use this for attention, okay? Ugly people bring more trouble.]

Zariah didn’t care about those comments, but raised her gaze, directly meeting Denzel’s darkening brows and eyes on the screen.

That was the beginning of his anger, she knew it too well.

In three years of marriage, she had taken in his joy, anger, sadness, and happiness deep into her bones and blood.

As expected, the next second she wanted to type again to argue, but the screen showed a notice “account isn’t allowed to comment”.

A WhatsApp message came after, Denzel’s words cold and hard like metal.

“Keep quiet. Or else, I won’t promise what will happen to your diner.”

Diner.

That was Zariah’s life.

Denzel knew best what she cared about.

When her parents died, this diner became her support during her hardest times, and it was in a fire at the shop that she met Denzel.

That day, because of a wiring problem, the diner quickly caught fire. Zariah couldn’t escape and believed she would die there, but Denzel showed up in time to save her, even though he was burned himself.

She was thankful for his life-saving help. After learning about his condition, she used all her savings to support him in starting a business.

Several years went by, and Denzel, from a poor boy with nothing, became someone admired by all. Every step was built on her efforts, and she also stayed by his side.

He said that when he became successful, he would marry her and treat her well.

Afterward, as he promised, they married, but Zariah only gained his title.

To outsiders, he remained single, and she, like someone in the shadows, was just a Mrs. Lopez who could not appear in public.

The comments continued to flood in since Allison was sharing their love story.

He would take the snack she casually mentioned, even if it was already discontinued, and run all over the streets to buy it; after she posted an emo post late at night, he would drive her out for a ride to relax; when she is sick and uncomfortable, he would personally take care of her, cook, and give her medicine, everything without omission.

At her side, the affection in Denzel’s eyes, nearly spilling over, could not fool anyone.

So could love someone.

Sadly, the one he cared for was not her.

The phone suddenly rang loudly. Zariah wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and tapped the answer button.

“Sister Zariah, hurry over! A customer is saying his stomach hurts and is smashing items in the diner!”

Zariah had no time to think further, grabbed her coat, and hurried out.

Her heart pounded as if it would burst from the intense movement, but she could not mind it; the diner was her foundation, and she could not allow anything to go wrong.

When she reached it, the place was in chaos, with shattered bowls and plates spread across the floor.

The female clerk stood nearby, shaking.

A burly man with reddened eyes smashed the freezer, still cursing loudly.

“What kind of bad pierogi are these? After eating them, I got sick and had diarrhea! If you don’t compensate me today, this shop won’t open again!”

Zariah had just tried to explain when the man raised his hand and flung a porcelain bowl at her.

The wind brushed past her ear, and she stood frozen, forgetting to move aside.

In the next moment, a figure suddenly rushed forward and pulled her into his arms to shield her.

A strange fragrance suddenly entered her nose. Zariah opened her eyes, instinctively wanted to thank him, but met Denzel’s deep eyes.

His temple had been cut by the rim of the bowl, a clear streak of blood showing.

At that moment, drops of blood moved down along his face, falling onto her collar, burning.

The man, after hitting someone, still wanted to keep causing trouble. Denzel’s eyes turned cold and hard, reaching out to grab his wrist.

“Denzel, stop!”

A soft voice sounded. Allison quickly ran over, pulling Denzel’s arm.

“He is my younger brother, Oswald. What just happened was not intentional; he only had a stomach issue and felt uncomfortable. His temper became a bit rushed.”

Denzel’s hand holding Oswald’s wrist suddenly loosened.

He even unconsciously stepped a little closer to Allison, standing in front of her and Oswald.

That movement had been natural and familiar, like it had been done many times before.

Zariah froze; the blood in her whole body seemed to grow cold.

She recalled that in the first year of their marriage, Denzel brought her to meet his friends. When she was being targeted, he frowned and said, “Why do they not trouble others, only you? Look at yourself first.”

But now… in front of Allison, he had instinctively protected her.

Zariah’s heart ached a little, and she suddenly understood.

The person Denzel wanted to guard had never been her.

The ones he wanted to protect were Allison and her younger brother.

Before she could speak, Allison had already wiped her tears and walked over, reaching out to hold her hand.

“Miss Ambrose, sorry. My younger brother really does not mean it. Can you forgive him this time, okay? We cover the hospital costs, and we also compensate for the shop losses.”

When Zariah showed no reaction, Allison’s hand stayed hanging in the air.

Denzel walked closer. His voice held some pressure, with a bit of softness she had never heard before.

“Allison wants to eat pierogi, so we come here. We do not expect to run into this. Since she already says sorry, and her younger brother does not mean it, maybe it really is the pierogi’s issue. Be understanding, don’t pursue it.”

Understanding.

These two words were like a blunt knife, slowly stabbing Zariah’s heart again and again.

For three years, she had heard these words from Denzel many times, yet she had never been the one understood.

If he truly cared, he would never let others keep bullying her again and again.

Staring at Allison, who was guarded behind Denzel, crying softly like flowers in the rain. Her lips slowly lifted into a faint smile.

She opened her mouth a little and said calmly, “Alright.”

Denzel was stunned for a second, clearly not expecting her to agree so quickly.

She paid no attention to him and instead looked straight at him.

“I can stop pursuing this, and I can be tolerant, but I have one condition.”

“Denzel, we're divorcing.”

Denzel heard her, and the impatience on his face disappeared. He froze in place.

It looked like he had never imagined separating from Zariah at all.

Allison had just opened her mouth when a surprised voice suddenly rose from the crowd.

“Wait, isn’t she Allison from the late-night show? And that man, isn’t he the husband she just talked about on the live broadcast?”

The crowd suddenly became noisy.

Some people recognized Denzel. Some pointed at Zariah and whispered.

“Then who is this woman? She just called Mr. Lopez her husband. What is happening?”

“Could it be one of them is the mistress?”

The questioning voices grew louder and louder. Someone directly shouted, “Stop talking, if you can, take out the marriage certificate! Who is real, we will know at once!”

Allison’s face turned pale right away. She instinctively held Denzel’s arm tightly.

Zariah also looked at Denzel. She wanted to know what he would choose.

In the next moment, Denzel took out a small book from his pocket and raised it high.

“Stop arguing, this is the marriage certificate.”

After looking at the marriage certificate, the crowd suddenly went silent.

Zariah’s eyes also moved to it, but when the inner page opened, it showed Denzel and Allison’s faces.

That was their marriage certificate.

She finally realized why Denzel never let her hold it and why he did not want to appear beside her in public.

So from the start until the end, they were never truly together.

In that instant, Zariah felt like she stood in a quiet, lifeless space, strange and almost laughable.

What made it worse, he even kept the marriage certificate with him.

She remembered that one month after getting the marriage certificate, she invited them for a meal and said she wanted to see it.

But even after she reminded him again and again. Denzel still forgot, and after that, he never brought it up again.

But now… even without Allison asking, he still had it with him.

How deeply did he love her!

When Denzel’s eyes met Zariah’s, his heart suddenly felt like it was stabbed by a thin needle.

That quiet feeling, like wet cotton, pressed on him and made it hard for him to breathe.

He moved without thinking, wanting to walk to her and say he would take her home, but someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Denzel, my head feels very dizzy, and I feel a bit unwell.”

Allison’s fingers looked pale. Her body leaned toward him, and her face showed tiredness.

Denzel stopped. He turned to look at Allison. When he looked back again, the small change in his eyes had already turned cold.

“Allison does not feel well. She is a public person; she cannot stay here and be watched. I sent her back first. You take a taxi home yourself.”

Zariah lowered her head. Her lashes hid all the feelings in her eyes.

She fixed the matters in the shop, then walked home like an empty shell.

After Denzel sat in the car, he looked at the rearview mirror without thinking.

Zariah’s figure grew smaller in the evening light, slowly fading away.

Denzel frowned without knowing why, but Allison’s soft cough pulled him back. He stepped on the gas.

After reaching home, Zariah took out her phone and called a number she knew by heart.

“Kendrick, after seven days, come take me away. I go with you.”

Kendrick was Denzel’s rival.

Years ago, at a banquet, Denzel left her and walked away. It was Kendrick who came and helped her out.

When he saw her in that state, he wanted to take her away, but she refused.

He did not force her. He only gave her his number and said, “Whenever you call, I'll take you away.”

At this moment, the man on the phone gave a soft laugh, as if he already knew.

“So you finally understand? You should have known Denzel’s true self long ago.”

“Hmm.”

Zariah only answered one word, then ended the call.

It was not that she only understood now. She had just been lying to herself for too long.

Since there was no marriage, there was no need for divorce. Leaving meant everything ended.

She went into the room, opened the closet, and started packing.

Almost everything in this house had been arranged by her, but she only packed a few sets of clothes into the case. She did not touch anything else.

Halfway through, Denzel rushed in angrily. He threw the phone hard in front of her.

The screen was on. The bright light showed his dark face.

“Zariah, you are really something. You even buy trending topics to ruin Allison’s name and say she uses power to bully people?”

Zariah picked up the phone. On the screen was the diner event from today, but it had been edited badly beyond recognition.

Anger rose inside her heart. She lifted her head and looked at Denzel.

“I do not do it. You go check. After I come back from the diner, I stay here packing. I do not go out at all.”

“Check? Of course, I check.”

Denzel laughed coldly, his tone sarcastic. “The one behind this is your close friend who operates self-media.”

“Impossible.” Zariah’s voice suddenly got louder. Her eyes were full of shock. “Shizel does not do this kind of thing. She also looks down on this kind of bad way.”

Denzel looked at her. The corner of his lips lifted into a cold smile. That smile was dark like a ghost.

“Not true? The proof is clear. You still want to protect her?”

Right after he finished speaking, Zariah’s phone rang. The screen showed the name “Shizel”.

She quickly answered. A crying voice came from the other side.

“Zariah! Help me! They lock me here! Help me…”