On the way home after Endrick De Loughrey bailed me out of the police station, I brought up divorce.

“You’re taking things too far now, Olivine,” he said dismissively.

I glanced at him; he focused his eyes on the road. With a smile, I insisted, “I’ve made up my mind.”

Turning to face him fully, I met his eyes with quiet determination.

“Endrick, let’s set each other free.”

——

The Maserati abruptly rolled to a stop by the side of the road.

Inside the car, the temperature dropped to freezing.

“Why?”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, his voice turning colder.

“Give me a reason. What is it now? What nonsense are you stirring up again?”

One look at his eyes, and suddenly I found this whole thing utterly pointless.

I simply rolled down the window and pointed to the rearview mirror. A car had been secretly following us the whole time.

“Ten seconds, maybe less,” I said, “someone’s gonna come looking for you.”

I counted down confidently.

“Ten…”

“Nine…”

“Eight…”

Before I even got to seven, the Porsche behind us came to a stop, and a graceful figure got out.

A woman, whose eyes were red and puffy, hurried up to us.

“Olivine, I swear I didn’t mean it today! I only stopped by to grab some clothes because I had to accompany Endrick to the dinner party. I had no idea you were home sleeping—and I definitely didn’t know you’d mistake me for a thief and call the cops!”

“This is all my fault, really. Please, don’t fight with Endrick over it. I’m begging you.”

“If you’re really upset,” she said, grabbing my hand and pulling it toward her face, “then hit me. Go ahead and hit me. Let it out on me.”

She clutched my hand, holding it close, like she wanted me to slap her right then and there.

Just as my hand was about to fall, Endrick barked, “Olivine!”

His voice sharpened. “Where are your manners? What, did you leave them in the police station?”

Dang, that’s just insane.

I mean, see?

I didn’t even have to do anything.

Just sitting there, staying silent, and yet somehow it was still my fault.

I yanked my hand back and turned to look him in the eye.

“Do you get it now?” I asked.

“Endrick,” I said, voice flat but steady. I felt like I couldn’t even cry anymore. Maybe my heart had been hurt so much, I’d finally gone numb. I unbuckled my seatbelt, adding, “This is the reason.”

One last time, I said, “I want a divorce, Endrick.”

I opened the car door and stepped out. As I did, I met his secretary’s wide-eyed, barely-concealed delight with a smile.

“Congratulations,” I said lightly. “After all these years of inserting yourself into every corner of our life, you’re finally going to make it.”

I spat, “I don’t want Endrick anymore.”

Then I turned to leave.

But he bolted out of the car and grabbed my wrist.

“What the hell is wrong with you today, Olivine? Do you even realize that because you called the cops, I missed out on a billion-dollar project? Just because you said you were scared, I went completely out of my mind rushing to the police station! And what do I see when I get there? You had my secretary arrested!”

“I’ve put up with you long enough!”

“You’re always targeting Brenna. But she still defends you to me—telling me not to get mad, to treat you well. Don’t you have any idea how fucking ungrateful you are?!”

His grip tightened painfully, pulling at the old scar on my wrist, sending a sharp ache through my arm. I winced, staring down at my reddening skin.

“Let me go!”

I yanked my hand back with all my strength and rubbed my sore wrist. Then, without a second thought, I slapped him hard across the face.

“Damn it, Endrick!” I snapped. “I’ve had enough of you too!”

We’d been together for ten freaking years. We’d argued, had cold wars, even come close to breaking up—but never once had I embarrassed him in front of someone else like this.

But I was so fucking done keeping the peace.

I looked him in the eye, and in one breath, I said exactly what I meant.

“Let me tell you. When I was burning with fever in the hospital, you were off with that secretary of yours saving stray cats and dogs! When my car got rear-ended, you were off watching the stars and the moon with your secretary! Every time something happened to me, you always chose your fucking secretary—even today!”

I didn’t take my eyes off Endrick.

“You gave your secretary the code to our front door—while I was taking my meds and getting ready for bed! You let her barge into our bedroom to grab your things! And after I called the police, you didn’t even ask if I was okay—you just wanted me to sign that Withdrawal of Complaint!”

“We’re over, Endrick! Completely over!”

I was furious.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep my expression under control. All the calm I’d tried to maintain crumbled in an instant.

I watched as his face shifted, the guilt flashing in his eyes. And then, just as quickly, he recovered and began justifying himself.

“I didn’t know you’d be home from your business trip! Chairman Bechtel set that whole thing up, how could I say no? I had to ask Brenna to grab the stuff for me—it wasn’t personal! Why are you making this such a big deal?!”

“Damn it, Olivine!” Disappointment filled his face as he looked at me. “When did you become this jealous, this petty? You latch onto baseless things and refuse to let go!”

“To be honest,” he said with a scoff, “no man would like someone like you!”

I truly thought I had no more tears left to cry.

From the moment I signed the written statement at the police station to sitting in the car with him afterward, I’d stayed composed—graceful, even. I upheld the manners and poise I was raised with. I’d even quietly revisited every memory we shared during that car ride.

And in the end?

I came to a conclusion.

I wanted to end things with dignity.

But Endrick’s cold accusations shattered me. His blame, his disappointment—it tore straight through me. And before I knew it, the tears came pouring down, uncontrollable, like a string of pearls breaking loose and scattering everywhere.

“Right,” I choked, “no man would like someone like me.”

But I held my chin up. “And that’s fine. I don’t need you to like me either.”

I wiped away my tears and turned to leave. But then, Brenna Compton grabbed my wrist.

She was crying too—crying even harder than me—while apologizing over and over.

“Olivine… I swear I didn’t mean it! Please don’t be mad at Endrick anymore. I-I’ll resign tomorrow. I’ll disappear really soon! He really loves you. Please, don’t make him suffer like this…”

I couldn’t stand women like Brenna—two-faced and exaggeratedly sweet. Watching her sob until she could barely breathe was so hilarious I actually stopped crying.

I yanked my hand free and snapped.

“Get lost!”

She fell to the ground from the force, looking up at me in shock.

“Olivine!”

Endrick rushed over to help her up, his heart obviously aching for her. When he saw her scraped palm, he turned and yelled at me.

“Are you insane?! Apologize to Brenna!”

“Keep dreaming.”

I glanced at Endrick then at Brenna, who couldn’t even hide the smug little glint in her eyes.

“If you won’t agree to a divorce,” I said coldly, “then we’ll settle this in court.”

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out. I didn’t look back, didn’t stop to listen to Brenna’s sobs or Endrick calling me crazy as he tried to comfort her.

I continued on my tracks and called a cab straight to my best friend’s place.

Nikki Acuff didn’t ask questions.

She just let me inside, walked to the fridge, and pulled out dozens of bottles of beer she’d been saving. After lining them all up on the table, she looked at me and asked just one thing.

“Is this enough?”

My throat tightened as I looked at her, my eyes suddenly brimming with tears.

Seeing me like that, she opened her arms to me.

“Hug?” she asked softly.

That broke me. I collapsed into her arms, sobbing like a toddler. I cried until my voice cracked, until my body shook, until I was curled up on the bathroom floor throwing up, until the entire world felt like it was spinning.

In the end, I told her what I wanted.

“I want a divorce!” I cried desperately. “I want a divorce!”

And then, I balled my hands into fists, cursing, “I want Endrick to rot in hell!”

So what is the end of love, really?

It’s when two people who once swore to fight the world together turn their knives on each other instead—desperate to see who can cut deeper.

It’s when you once longed to step into the grave of marriage and still dreamed that grave would bloom with flowers—until you finally realize that even roses, in the end, will wither.

I stayed at my best friend’s place for half a month.

In those two weeks, I watched Brenna update her Facebook Stories every single day, and in every post, there was a trace of Endrick.

[There’s a moon in the sky, and I have my star.]

The picture was a selfie of Brenna. In the corner, Endrick’s back could be seen as he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on a phone call.

[Stars always shine, and I will follow the light.]

This time, the picture was of her hand wearing a star-shaped ring, refracting a halo of light under a lamp. Next to it was a distinct, slender hand—Endrick’s.

[My star is broadening my horizons!]

The photo showed the first-class cabin of a plane. Brenna beamed at the camera, and beside her was the profile of a sleeping man’s face.

I had seen post after post.

Nikki practically leapt up in outrage. She jabbed her finger at the screen and cursed loudly.

“Fuck that shameless bitch! Has Endrick gone completely blind? Can’t he tell that woman’s up to no good? Even a dog wouldn’t believe she’s innocent!”

She was fuming, utterly exasperated.

Oddly enough, compared to her, I looked calm.

It felt like I was finally crawling out of the withdrawal stage. So while my best friend exploded with fury, I merely offered a quiet, rational observation. “He knows exactly what he’s doing.”

“What do you mean, ‘he knows’?” she asked, dropping down beside me. “Then why the hell does he keep insisting she’s innocent?”

“To Endrick, as long as they haven’t slept together, it means he hasn’t cheated,” I explained. “In his eyes, that makes them innocent.”

That had always been his logic, so every time I got upset, he would say the same thing.

“There’s nothing between Brenna and me. You’re the one with the dirty mind—you see filth in everything!”

That would always leave me speechless.

But now, looking back at it all, I felt strangely at peace.

Then I reminded Nikki, “The movers should be here soon.”

I was divorcing Endrick. I had to go back and pack up my things.

After all, my mother’s keepsakes were still in that place.

“It’s good that you’ve made up your mind,” Nikki said, following me back to the apartment. She waited with me outside the door.

I scrolled through Brenna’s Facebook Stories. I knew Endrick was away on a business trip these past few days, so I assumed we wouldn’t run into each other.

But as soon as I opened the door, the rich scent of food drifted out from the kitchen. I walked in and immediately saw her.

Brenna sat cross-legged at the dining table, digging into a plate of prawns.

When she saw me, her expression froze. She looked like a child caught doing something wrong. She jumped up and greeted me hesitantly.

“O-Olivine.”

I stared at her, wearing my pajamas and slippers. Then my gaze shifted to Endrick, who had just stepped out of the kitchen with a dish in hand. His smile faltered as soon as he saw me.

He awkwardly asked, “Have you eaten?”

I ignored him and headed straight for the bedroom.

But the moment I walked in, I froze.

My figurines—previously lined up neatly on the bedside table—were all in disarray. The bed was a mess. The closet had clearly been rummaged through, and even the safe tucked in the back had been left open.

My heart clenched. I rushed over instinctively and looked inside the safe.

“Olivine…” Brenna’s voice drifted weakly from behind me.

Her words were barely audible.

“The luggage went missing while Endrick and I were out… He asked me to come here and grab some clothes to wear.”

“I-I accidentally opened the safe…”

Suddenly, a loud buzzing filled my head.

I turned around, only to see the broken fragments of diamond in Brenna’s hand.

My breath stopped at the sight.

“I swear I didn’t mean to… Olivine, please—”

She suddenly lunged forward, dropping to her knees in front of me with a loud thud. Clutching my arm, she sobbed hysterically as she pleaded.

“Please forgive me! I didn’t know it was your mother’s keepsake! I swear I didn’t know! I really didn’t!”