I couldn't help but laugh coldly in my heart.

How bovine he was.

I couldn't believe he didn't notice that his mother was missing until now, but it had already been such a long time since he returned home.

My mother-in-law's suitcase still lay unopened in the guest bedroom, and the specialties she had brought from the countryside were still in the refrigerator.

But she was gone.

I stared at Nathan without saying a word.

He just kept talking to himself.

"Is my mom mad at me? I admit that it was my fault for leaving her alone at the mall that day.

"But it was a special case at that time. I had no other choice.

"Jen, can you let my mom come back? I'll apologize to her."

Nathan walked toward me slowly, his voice almost pleading.

"I searched the whole house but didn't find Mom. Tell me, where on earth did she go?"

I turned to look at the memorial portrait hanging on the wall on the balcony side.

I pointed at it and said, "In the portrait on the wall."

Nathan was stunned.

He followed my gaze toward the balcony. The instant he saw the memorial portrait, he knitted his brows tightly.

Nathan strode over, roughly dragged down the portrait of my mother-in-law from the wall, and furiously threw it to the ground, smashing it to pieces.

"Jane! I know you are mad at me, but you don't have to play such a prank on my mother, do you?

"My mother is alive and well. What do you mean by putting a memorial portrait here? Do you want my mother to die so much?"

I watched helplessly as the only portrait of my mother-in-law was smashed to pieces.

There was water splashed on her face in the photo.

It just seemed like she was shedding tears.

I was silent for a long while before I slowly looked up.

"Nathan Cooper, you were the one who took your mother out. She's your mother, not mine, yet you can't even be bothered to take good care of her and just came to ask me about her.

"I haven't slept for three days. Why do you think I know where your mother is?

"Don't you claim to be a dutiful son? Go find her yourself then!"

Hearing my firm and flat tone, Nathan gazed at me in a daze.

"Jane, what's your problem? Why are you so irritable today?"

I couldn't help laughing coldly.

Normally, he was allowed to throw a tantrum at will, point at my nose, order me around bossily, stay out all night with his dream girl, and come back to tell me that they were just ordinary friends.

Now I was just telling the truth without any abuse, but I got criticized for having a problem.

I was accused of irritability.

What a double standard.

I didn't reply to him. I just turned around, picked up the pen, and signed my name on the divorce agreement without further ado.

Then, I walked into the bedroom, packed my stuff, and prepared to leave with my baggage.

I only left a few sentences before leaving.

"I've already signed the divorce agreement. I suggest you sign it as soon as possible.

"Go through the divorce procedures with me when you have time. If you are really so busy, that's fine. I'll file for divorce.

"No matter what you say, we must divorce."

With that, I left without looking back, however angrily Nathan shouted my name behind me.

I checked into a small hotel that only cost 60 dollars a night with my suitcase.

I had moved out in a hurry, but I didn't plan to rent a house.

I was considering applying for a post at my company's headquarters after I put my mother-in-law's affairs in order and completed the divorce procedures.

Then, I would get away from here and start a new life in Aquav, a seaside city where the headquarters was located.

The night I finished dealing with my mother-in-law's affairs, I texted Nathan.

"Your mom was buried in St. Maria Graveyard. Go take a look at her."

Anyway, I had delivered the message, whether he believed it or not.

The next day, I hesitated for a long while but finally decided to lay a wreath on my mother-in-law's grave.

No matter what, her son and I were about to get divorced, so it was my final farewell to her.

I had just placed the flowers on her grave when I looked up and saw a familiar couple.

It was Nathan and a girl who dressed up gorgeously by his side, holding a white puppy in her arms.

"Nat, do you think our dog would dislike being buried here? What if he gets bullied by the deceased buried here?"

"Don't worry. I'll dig the grave for him myself and put some herbs there to keep the ghosts away from him."

Nathan comforted Antonia with a gentle smile.

As I looked up, Nathan noticed me and immediately furrowed his brow.

"Jane Fenn!

"You're going too far. You not only play the trick of running away from home but also stalk me."

His loud accusations attracted many passers-by to rubberneck.

I didn't want to cause any trouble, but just as I turned around and was about to leave, Antonia stopped me.

"I've seen you before. I think your name is Jane Fenn, isn't it?

"You're Nat's wife, right?"

Antonia's eyes and brows were curved into sweet arcs when she smiled, making her a beautiful girl in men's dreams. No wonder Nathan was so obsessed with her that he would rather keep her company than be with his mother.

I uttered in a distant voice, "I will no longer be very soon."

Antonia didn't care in the slightest about the indifference in my tone.

She just stretched her neck to glance at the grave behind me and asked with a smile, "I think you're here to pay your respects to an elder buried here. Is that your mother's grave?"

I sneered, "No, it's my mother-in-law."

Antonia turned to look at Nathan in surprise and asked, "Is your mother dead? Why haven't you told me about it?"

Nathan clenched his fist and slapped me hard.

He growled at me coldly, "Jane Fenn, enough!

"Your joke is way out of line! Why do you just not know when to stop?"

An intense feeling of powerlessness filled my heart.

I couldn't be bothered to explain because he just wouldn't believe me anyway.

Expressionless, I said, "You have the contact information of the doctors at the hospital. Why don't you call them and ask about your mother's condition? Then, you'll know."

Nathan let out a cold laugh.

He took out his phone and snapped, "Jane, since you are so shameless, I might as well play this act with you to the end.

"Let's see how you'll end up!"

The call was soon connected.

Nathan curved his lips into a cold and smug smile.

He asked the doctor on the other end of the phone, "Dr. Jackson, Jane said my mother was hospitalized in your hospital a few days ago. Did she tell you to put on an act with you to fool me?"

Nathan had a sinister yet expectant look on his face.

He seemed to be waiting for me to be exposed.

But to his surprise, he just heard a heavy and solemn sigh from the other end of the line.

"Nathan, why do you call me so late?

"On the day your mother had an accident, I frantically called you over 20 times, but you never answered. Where were you?

"Your mother passed away a week ago."