I fixed my gaze on Declan, speaking each word with deliberate weight. "No matter what Yvette told you, I never asked you to leave. I never suggested you should run off and leave everything behind."

Declan’s lip curled into a sneer. "You told Yvette to stay away from me, to keep her distance. Isn't that basically telling me to go as far away as possible?"

"We’re both men," he continued, his voice dripping with accusation. "Do you really think I don’t see what you’re doing?"

I stood there, momentarily speechless. But as the truth settled in, I realized something else, he had always seen me as an opponent. A rival in a game I hadn’t even known I was playing.

And now, I was ready to give him exactly what he wanted.

At that very moment, I dialed my lawyer friend, my voice calm but resolute.

"Are you busy? Do you have time in the next couple of days to draft a divorce agreement for me?"

"Yes, I’m getting a divorce," I added, watching Yvette’s face freeze in disbelief.

Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide with shock. "Are you serious?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

I nodded, the weight of the decision sinking in. "Yes."

She took a moment to process, her confusion turning into frustration. "You’re divorcing me over a piece of cake? Over that? You’re really going to end our marriage just because I brought Declan some cake while he was on duty?"

In stark contrast to the shock that painted Yvette’s face, I replied with unnerving calm, "Yes, that’s exactly why."

The moment the words left my lips, Declan couldn’t hold back his laughter. It came out as a mocking cackle as if he found the situation utterly absurd. "Oh, come on! Stop pretending! You nearly gave your life to donate a kidney to Yvette, and now you’re telling me you’re divorcing her over a piece of cake?"

At the mention of the kidney, Yvette’s expression shifted. A flicker of pity danced in her eyes before she sighed with resignation. "I know you’ve always loved me deeply, but love can’t survive the weight of constant strain. If you keep tossing around divorce like it’s nothing, what happens if I actually agree one day? You might regret it then."

I was about to fire back, but before I could, Declan cut me off, his voice suddenly alarmed. "Oh no! I left my phone at the claw machine shop we were just at! Yvette, come with me to help look for it!"

Yvette hesitated for a brief moment, her eyes flicking between me and Declan. With a heavy sigh, she gave in. "You need to calm down and think things through. Come find me when you’ve made up your mind."

With that, Declan seized her hand, and they jogged off together, leaving me standing there, rooted to the spot. The distance between us only seemed to grow.

I kept my eyes locked on their retreating figures, the distance between us growing with every step they took. It wasn’t until I felt the wetness of a tear roll down my cheek that I realized I’d been fighting to hold back the flood.

My phone buzzed in my hand. It was a message from my mother asking me where I had gone.

I quickly wiped my tears, trying to regain some composure before typing back. [Out to get food. Thankfully, the shop was still open. You know how it is; food keeps you going. I’ll eat first and then announce the death.]

My mother responded almost immediately, her tone heavy with sadness. She pleaded with me not to ruin the New Year’s mood for our family and friends, urging me to wait until tomorrow to tell them about my father.

I sighed, realizing that for now, the world would remain unaware of the tragedy that had befallen us.

When I finally arrived at the funeral home, my mother was already waiting, her face a mixture of exhaustion and grief.

As I approached, my phone vibrated in my hand. The message that popped up was from an unfamiliar number.

[So pathetic. Your dad died, and even your wife doesn’t care enough to visit. You’re absolutely useless as a son.]

I froze. The words hit harder than I could’ve imagined, the weight of them sinking deep into my chest. Another message quickly followed.

[Your mom was sobbing when she called for the ambulance. I couldn’t stop laughing when I answered the phone. She couldn’t even give the address right. Hahaha, serves you right!]

I stood there, stiff and numb, nearly losing my balance as the harshness of the messages hit me like a punch to the gut.

The moment I recalled the post Declan had made earlier on his social media, accusing someone of prank-calling emergency services, everything suddenly clicked into place.

A wave of fury surged through me, uncontrollable and all-consuming. Without thinking, I spun on my heel and sprinted back, ignoring the world around me.

My mother, of course, couldn’t keep up with me, but I didn’t care.

I tried calling Yvette repeatedly, but each time, the line went silent. I didn’t stop. I dialed again and again, my impatience building with each unanswered ring.

When I finally reached the spot where I had seen them before, I overheard Yvette and Declan talking, their voices filled with excitement.

"Good thing I didn’t lose my phone! Otherwise, all our fun photos from the outing would’ve been gone."

Declan was grinning smugly at Yvette when I rushed over, my hand grabbing his hair with such force that he let out a sharp cry.

"Ah, what are you doing? Let go of me!" he yelped, struggling against my grip.

Yvette froze in shock, tugging at my arm, but it was no use. I wasn’t going to let go.

Dozens of slaps landed across Declan's face, each one harder than the last. He howled in pain, desperately trying to avoid my blows, but I wasn’t finished.

In a blind fury, I tightened my grip on his throat. "Why did you deliberately hang up on my mom’s call? You killed my dad!"

His face turned a shade of blue and purple, gasping for breath as he nearly passed out.

But then, a powerful force wrenched me away. Yvette, her face twisted with fury, raised a stone and struck me hard on the head. The impact left me dazed, blood trickling down my face as my vision blurred.

Yvette’s trembling finger pointed at me, disbelief in her eyes. "Stop spouting nonsense! Your dad greeted my mom just this morning! How could Declan have harmed him?"

"How could you turn into someone like this?" she continued, her voice trembling with anger. "Declan didn’t do anything, and yet you want to kill him? If you want him dead, you’ll have to kill me first!"

The thought of how Declan had deliberately stalled the rescue efforts, ultimately leading to my dad's death, sent a surge of rage through me. Without thinking, I lunged at him again, but Yvette and a few bystanders quickly shielded him, blocking my every move.

Frustration bubbled up as Yvette grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, her strength taking me by surprise. With a sickening crack, my joint dislocated.

Yvette stared, momentarily stunned by what had happened. But soon, she let out a sigh of relief, her voice condescending. "Calm down. You're used to this. As long as it’s not a fracture, it’s not that big a deal."

Just then, my phone buzzed, its sound slicing through the tension in the air. Without asking, Yvette snatched it from my hand and answered.

"Hello, is this Ethan Hendrix?" The voice on the other end continued without hesitation. "We’ve been waiting for your mother at the funeral home. Could you confirm whether to prepare your father, Simon Hendrix, for burial or proceed with cremation?"

Yvette froze, her face going pale. "What?" she stammered, the color draining from her face.