We had been planning our ninth-anniversary trip for nine months.

But despite my protests, Richard Coleman, my husband, insisted on bringing his secretary along.

His excuse? "Work can’t be neglected."

On the third day of the trip, I asked him for a divorce.

“Amanda Pierce, are you joking?! Are you seriously asking for a divorce?”

I nodded.

“Yes. Divorce.”

“We don’t need to keep living like this. Let’s just end it.”

——

He raised his eyebrows. “Reason?”

“Amanda, explain yourself clearly.”

I leaned against the window of our hotel room, gazing out at the Maldives’ turquoise waters.

This was supposed to be our romantic fifth wedding anniversary, a getaway I had spent half a year planning.

But now, that beautiful blue sea looked so harsh, it made me sick.

“You’ll know the reason soon enough.”

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Richard turned around. Standing at the door was his secretary.

“Mr. Coleman, the 10 a.m. conference call is about to begin,” Lauren Blake, his secretary, said in her deliberately sweet, soft voice.

She gave me a brief glance, the corner of her lips curling into a smug, fleeting smile.

I stayed calm.

“Richard, we’ve only been here two days and you've already had over a dozen conference calls with your female secretary, no less.”

“Day or night, you spend more time with her than with me. Do you honestly think this marriage is worth saving?”

He frowned. “Is there a problem with that? You know how important this merger is to me.”

“Merger?”

I took a step closer and stared him straight in the eye.

“For our fifth-anniversary trip, you brought three suitcases.”

“Two of them were stuffed with documents.”

“You didn’t pack a single thing for me not even your own swimsuit but you remembered to bring three dresses for Lauren.”

“Care to explain that?”

Richard was silent.

Lauren jumped in right on cue, wearing a fake, humble smile.

“Madam, it’s all my fault.”

“I didn’t manage the meeting schedule well and ended up interfering with your and Mr. Coleman’s plans.”

She bowed her head slightly, her bangs falling just right, pretending to be all innocent and wronged.

“Mr. Coleman’s under a lot of pressure lately,” she added. “He’s been forgetting things… please don’t blame him.”

I watched her performance, noticing how her fingers casually brushed against Richard’s wrist.

It looked accidental—but it wasn’t.

And he didn’t pull away.

“Ms. Blake.” I frowned. “I’m talking to my husband. You have no right to interrupt.”

Lauren immediately took a step back. “I’m sorry, Madam. It’s my fault.”

She looked at Richard, her eyes like a rain-soaked puppy—pathetic.

“Mr. Coleman, I’ll go prepare the meeting materials now. I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Wait.”

Richard grabbed her arm.

Then he looked at me, his eyes filled with that same stubbornness I knew too well.

“Amanda, don’t be unreasonable. You know how demanding my job is.”

“Oh? Demanding enough that you need to stay up in a hotel room until 2 a.m. discussing things with your female secretary?”

I pulled out my phone and opened the photo album.

“Demanding enough that she calls you ‘Richard,’ while I, your wife, have to make a dinner appointment in advance just to see you?”

Lauren’s expression shifted ever so slightly but she quickly masked it again with that practiced innocence.

“Madam, you’ve misunderstood.”

“Yesterday, there were just too many documents to go through and we…”

“Shut up.”

I cut her off coldly.

Richard’s brows furrowed.

“Amanda! How dare you speak to Lauren like that? Everyone knows she’s my most capable assistant!”

I scoffed. “Oh really? If she’s so exceptional, then tell me what exactly has she contributed to the company? How many major deals has she secured for us?”

For a moment, Richard was speechless.

Lauren lowered her head, putting on a show of remorse.

“She is right. I do have many shortcomings. I haven’t been able to relieve much of Mr. Coleman’s workload.”

Seeing this, Richard immediately patted her shoulder like she was the one being wronged, then turned to glare at me.

“Amanda, that’s enough!”

“Lauren’s been working around the clock on this merger. Can’t you see her effort?”

“What right do you have to question her?”

“Around the clock?” I laughed dryly. “Yes, so dedicated she had to spend our anniversary trip day and night with you. How exhausting for her.”

Richard’s face turned red. He raised his voice.

“Can you stop being so sarcastic? Lauren is my secretary. It’s her job to assist me. What’s wrong with that? Are you asking me to drop everything just to cater to your unreasonable demands?”

“My unreasonable demands?”

I repeated, letting out a bitter laugh at how ridiculous it all sounded.

I pointed at Lauren.

“You two shared a room until dawn last night, while I, your wife, slept alone.”

“She touched your hand right in front of me and you didn’t even flinch.”

“Ever since she joined the company, no matter what happens, the moment she opens her mouth, I’m automatically in the wrong.”

“I can’t even question anything anymore?”

“And all of this, in your eyes, is just me being unreasonable?”

Richard opened his mouth but had no response.

Lauren quickly stepped in, putting on her best innocent act.

“Madam, you’ve misunderstood. I have nothing but respect for Mr. Coleman. I’d never dare to have any other intentions.”

I let out a cold laugh.

“No other intentions? Even a dog wouldn’t believe that!”

That hit a nerve. Like a lit fuse, Richard instantly stepped in front of her, shielding her behind him.

“Amanda, that’s enough!”

“Lauren is my employee and my friend. I won’t let you insult her like this!”

I stared into his eyes, hoping to find even a flicker of guilt, of hesitation.

But there was none. Only anger. Only stubbornness.

I suddenly felt exhausted.

I didn’t want to hear another word. I turned and walked away.

“Amanda!” he shouted behind me, his voice edged with panic. “Where are you going?”

I didn’t look back.

That evening, I sat alone on the terrace, drinking.

Eventually, Richard returned.

“Amanda,” he called softly, trying to smooth things over.

“There are a lot of mosquitoes out here. Come inside.”

I didn’t respond. I just stared out at the pitch-black sea.

He sighed and walked over, reaching for the glass in my hand.

I shifted slightly, just enough to avoid him.

His hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment before dropping.

“Don’t do this,” he said gently. “Let’s talk calmly and rationally.”

I finally looked up at him.

Then I set down the glass, stood and walked past him toward the room.

“Alright. Let’s talk about the divorce agreement.”

“Amanda!” He rushed after me and grabbed my wrist. “What do you want from me?”

“You know how much I love you. I don’t want a divorce!”

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look him directly in the eye.

“If you don’t want a divorce, it’s simple. Fire Lauren immediately and promise me you’ll never have any contact with her again. Can you do that?”

His expression froze.

He let go of my hand and took a half-step back, his brows drawn tight.

“You want me to fire someone crucial to the company just because she is my secretary?”

“Crucial?” I let out a cold laugh. “In the six months since she started, she hasn’t handled a single case on her own. She’s still here only because she clings to you like a shadow.”

“Richard, you’re not stupid. Don’t act like a child.”

His face flushed with anger.

“You’re being petty! Lauren is diligent and responsible. Without her, this merger wouldn’t have—”

“Wouldn’t have what?” I cut him off. “Wouldn’t have worked? That’s a joke.”

“You didn’t need her to get your job done but you chose to involve her in every part of our life.”

“On our wedding anniversary, you brought her along.”

“During our dinner dates, she sat one table over.”

“Even during our private conversations in bed, you defend her.”

His chest heaved with frustration.

“You don’t understand,” he insisted. “This is how the company operates. I need her help.”

My voice rose, sharp and unwavering.

“I’m not here to negotiate, Richard. Either she goes, or I do. There’s no third option.”

He stared at me like he didn’t recognize me anymore like he couldn’t believe I was serious.

Then suddenly, a ringtone shattered the tension.

He rushed to the bedside table, glanced at the caller ID and stiffened.

I didn’t need to ask, I already knew.

Lauren.

He answered and his expression quickly shifted from concern to panic.

“What? You fell? Is it bad?”

“…Okay. I’ll be right there.”

He hung up, grabbed a jacket and moved to the door, still in his pajamas.

“Richard.”

My voice was calm.

“If you walk out that door tonight, this marriage is over.”

His hand paused on the doorknob.

The room fell into silence.

Three seconds. Five.

He turned slowly and in his eyes, I saw something unfamiliar.

“Amanda, don’t do this,” he pleaded. “Lauren’s really hurt. This isn’t her hometown, she’s alone here with no one to take care of her. It’s pitiful...”

“So what?”

I stood up straight.

“This hotel has doctors, staff, emergency services. They can call an ambulance if needed.”

“She’s not a toddler and you’re not her father.”

“Is she really so helpless that only you can take care of her?”

He tried again. “But she was working overtime—”

“Make a choice, Richard.”

I cut him off, firm and final.

“Right now.”

His lips trembled. Something flickered in his eyes, panic? Guilt? Something else I couldn’t place.

Then he let out a long breath, like he’d just made the hardest decision of his life.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”

The night wind swept through the room, taking with it the last bit of hope I had left.

I pulled out my phone and made a call.

“Mr. Johnson? About the divorce agreement, let’s discuss the details tomorrow when I return to the country.”

Richard didn’t come back that night.

At four in the morning, my phone vibrated.

Bleary-eyed, I opened Instagram.

Lauren had just updated her InstaStory.

In the photo, she sat on a lounge chair on the hotel terrace, her knees wrapped in bandages, holding a glass of champagne.