In our five years of marriage, my husband, Derrick Wickham, bails on me 99 times for his childhood sweetheart, Jessica Harson.

This time, after he stands me up, I find two plane tickets to Frantines in his office.

"I was planning to surprise you for our anniversary. Since you've already seen them, we'll just meet at the airport," he says icily.

I eagerly pack and get myself ready, arriving early at the airport. I wait from the wee hours of dawn till the late hours of night, but Derrick fails to show up.

Then, I see a post on Jessica's social media. "It's my birthday today. Though he doesn't have the time to go on a trip with me to Frantines, I forgive him because he brought me to the amusement park instead!"

In the past, I'd have called him, crying and demanding answers. But this time, I'm truly done.

The airport was freezing cold at night, and it was pouring heavily outside.

Jessica's post on social media ruffled my feathers to no end. I gripped my phone tightly, resisting the urge to throw it.

This was the 99th time Derrick had stood me up.

An uncontrollable tremble ran through me. The last trace of hope in my heart had utterly vanished.

Just a week ago, Derrick had publicly abandoned me at a banquet, exposing me to ridicule and scorn, all because Jessica had been locked out of her house.

As the banquet had been held in a remote place, a close friend of mine had to come a long way to pick me up and send me home after it was over.

I had been angry at Derrick for a long time because of that. That was, until I saw two tickets to Frantines in his office.

When I discovered them, he said coldly, "I was planning to surprise you for our anniversary. Since you've already seen them, we'll just meet at the airport."

I knew he was just trying to placate me. Every time he broke a promise to me because of Jessica, he would get me a gift. And foolishly, I fell for it every time. I was always easily swayed and quick to forgive him.

But this time, all I felt was endless weariness.

Outside the airport, the storm raged, making me sneeze uncontrollably. The place was nearly empty, and I had to offer double the fare on the ride-hailing app before finally getting a driver at 1:00 am.

…

When I returned home and turned on the light, I was startled to see Derrick sitting silently in the living room.

With his arms crossed, he demanded none too kindly, "Where have you been, staying out so late?"

I wasn't in the mood to answer him, so I pulled my luggage upstairs on my own. After waiting all day at the airport, I was completely exhausted.

Enraged by my silence, Derrick grabbed my wrist. "Answer me!" he demanded.

I looked at his hand holding mine and felt defeated. "Where do you think I went with my suitcase?" I asked as I pushed the luggage toward him irritably.

But Derrick had completely forgotten our plans. He kicked the suitcase away.

"Well, aren't you something? Trying to run off without a word, are you? Do you even see me as your husband? Shouldn't you have informed me before going out?"

I laughed coldly at his twisted logic. "Mr. Wickham, how convenient that you forget your own plans. You've forgotten that you were supposed to go to Frantines today, haven't you? But then again, you were busy with your childhood sweetheart at the amusement park. How could you possibly remember me?"

A flicker of guilt crossed Derrick's face, but it was quickly replaced by impatience.

"You know how busy I am with work. Besides, Jessie and I grew up together. She's an orphan, and all she wanted was for me to accompany her on her birthday. Is that too much to ask for?"

I was truly tired of hearing the same excuse over and over. Just because they grew up together and Jessica had no parents, Derrick would always drop everything for her. Her needs always came first, even before mine.

And now, because of her birthday, he had left me waiting at the airport all day without a word. It was absurd.

Derrick's grip was tight. I struggled to break free and replied calmly, "Fine, I know I was wrong. Sorry."

In the past, I would have argued endlessly. But now, I felt nothing. All I wanted was to end this conversation and head upstairs to get some rest.

Derrick stared at me, seemingly puzzled. He studied me for a long time as if searching for something.

But soon, he heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that you understand. I'll bring you to a holiday resort after I'm done with work tomorrow."

With that, he walked past me and headed upstairs.

I responded absent-mindedly and took out my phone to contact a friend I hadn't seen in a long time.

If my guess was right, Derrick would most likely be called away by Jessica for all sorts of reasons during the resort trip tomorrow. And if that were the case, I may as well contact my friend and start preparing for the divorce.

Once we were divorced, whatever he did for Jessica would no longer be my concern.

After I finished tidying up, I took a quick shower and returned to the bedroom.

Derrick was still awake. He glanced at me and immediately moved over, making space behind him.

Silently and out of habit, I began massaging his shoulders.

After a while, he turned around, his expression displeased.

"Did you not have dinner? Why are you so weak?"

I simply stared at him wordlessly.

He grew irritated and snapped, "Did you lose your tongue?"

This was a sign that Derrick was about to lose his temper. He always liked to pick fights over small things and wouldn't stop until I admitted I was wrong.

I couldn't help but reply sarcastically, "How would I dare eat? I was too busy waiting for you to show up, Mr. Wickham."

Derrick fell silent for a moment, then cleared his throat.

"Couldn't you go and find something to eat yourself when you were hungry? Did you have to just wait around? How stupid. Forget it. You don't need to give me a massage tonight. Rest up."

Derrick's expression seemed to imply that he had granted me some enormous favor, but that sat well with me, and I turned my back to him, quickly settling into bed.

For a long moment, there was no movement behind me. Then, after a deep breath, he turned off the light.

This was the first time I hadn't tried to curl up in his arms to sleep.

…

By the time I woke up and went downstairs, it was rather late. For once, Derrick hadn't gone to the office. Instead, he was reading on the couch.

He wore glasses with a light-colored frame, which, paired with his casual clothes, gave him a gentle, calm appearance. He looked very much like how he did when I first met him. For a fleeting moment, I thought the old him had returned.

But the illusion shattered as soon as he looked up and spoke.

"What are you standing there for? Can't you see I'm waiting? Hurry up."

His eyes were full of impatience and condescension.

I nodded and quickly finished the breakfast that had long gone cold on the table. After tidying up, I stood beside him.

Derrick scanned me from head to toe and frowned at my attire. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and long pants.

"If you know that you're ugly, can't you at least try to dress up better? I'm the only one who would want you because of how lazy and hideous you are."

Now that I was free from the illusion of love, I realized just how disgusting his frequent remarks truly were. In the past, I had treasured them, taking them as proof of his affection. But now, I rolled my eyes inwardly and nodded in silence.

When the usual shy blushing or coy reaction he expected from me never came, Derrick stayed silent for a moment, then said, "Whatever. Considering I'm making it up to you today, I'll let it slide."

We soon got into the car. Silence hung between us, broken only by the constant ringing of Derrick's phone.

The only person daring enough to call so incessantly was Jessica.

Derrick showed no impatience. Instead, he pulled over and immediately answered the call.

I leaned against the window, gazing out at the scenery, while fragments of his soft, gentle murmurs reached my ears.

The person on the other end of the line seemed to be whining, and Derrick's tone grew increasingly indulgent.

It was the first time I had heard him use that tone with anyone. He had never spoken to me like that. It was so cloying that it made my stomach turn.

After coaxing Jessica, Derrick still had a fondness in his voice that hadn't entirely dissipated when he asked me to get out of the car.

"I'll come get you later."

Abandoned by the roadside, I watched Derrick start the engine and drive away. A bitter feeling rose within me. He wasn't going to come back, just as he never had in the past 99 times he stood me up.

Ten minutes later, a good friend of mine, Crystal Belrose, whom I hadn't met in a long time, pulled up sharply. She rolled down the window, looked at me, and scoffed.

"I told you right from the start. Being a full-time housewife never ends well."

Everyone knew that back in college, I had pursued Derrick relentlessly for three years, and in the end, he had no choice but to marry me, only because we had slept together.

I had a rare talent for design and had even had the opportunity to further my studies in Crestver. But I gave it up without a second thought to marry Derrick, choosing instead to become a full-time housewife. I even picked up skills I never bothered with at home, like cooking and giving massages, for him.

I ignored my teachers' and parents' stern warnings, and even my best friend's frustration at my stubbornness. None of them mattered. All I cared about was staying by Derrick's side.

I shook my head, pushing those memories away, and smiled at Crystal.

"I called you here today because I need your help to draft a divorce agreement."

Shocked by my words, Crystal immediately pulled me into her car.

I listened as she rambled on, saying she would help me fight for more rights and free myself from that jerk as soon as possible. For the first time, I felt a sense of relief. Even the hurt of being abandoned by Derrick on the roadside slowly faded away.

Crystal took me out to celebrate my impending freedom and refused to let me go home until the early hours of the morning. She also wouldn't let me keep my phone.

By the time I finally checked my messages, Derrick had nearly blown up my phone with calls, along with countless texts.

When I replied to his texts, I saw that none of my messages went through. He had blocked me.

But I wasn't bothered in the least. I blocked and deleted him right back. I wanted him out of sight and out of mind.

…

When I returned home the next morning, I saw Jessica there.

She was holding a plate of breakfast, and the moment she saw me, she rushed over and grabbed my hand.

"You're here! Come, have a seat!"

She behaved as though she were the lady of the house.

Jessica leaned close to me and whispered, "I should thank you, Clary, for not coming home last night. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been here. But then again, even if you were home, I would have come over sooner or later."

With that, she looked at me smugly.

She was charming and pretty, while I, after years as a housewife focused solely on Derrick, had grown pale and wan.

Had it been in the past, seeing her would have made me bitter and insecure. But this time, I did not react with anger as she had hoped. I simply smiled faintly back at her.

"Is that so? Well, you're welcome to visit. Make yourself at home."

I had the divorce papers that Crystal prepared for me in my bag, and all I wanted was to give them to Derrick as soon as possible.

But Jessica clung to my hand, refusing to let me leave, chattering on about wanting me to teach her how to make breakfast, so she could cook for Derrick.

At some point, Derrick had come downstairs. He strode over quickly, placing himself between Jessica and me.

Dark circles hung under his eyes, and his expression was dark. "Clarisse, just what are you trying to do to Jessie again?"