The brain surgery was very successful. The doctor said that as long as I rested well, my body would recover quickly.

After being discharged from the hospital, I went straight home.

“Linnea, you’re back.”

When he saw me, Garren immediately walked over, as if he had been waiting for me for a long time.

He gently took my hand, his voice softening instinctively. “I know you’ve been sulking and hiding outside these past few days. About Fenella… that was indeed my fault. Consider these gifts my apology.”

I glanced at them quickly—they were all brand-new items from top luxury brands.

Sulking? So this was his explanation for ignoring my disappearance for an entire week?

I pressed my lips together, a flicker of disappointment passing through my eyes.

I hadn’t deliberately hidden the surgery from him. With Garren’s connections, he could have easily found out I was in the hospital with just a little inquiry. Yet, he didn’t.

“And… this is the necklace you said you liked before. I specifically flew abroad to buy it from a private seller.”

As he spoke, Garren tried to suppress the fatigue on his face. His eyes were gentle as water, just like when we first met.

I was momentarily stunned, feeling dazed. Back then, when we had just started dating, everyone said his love for me was almost overwhelming.

He would come to the office to see me every two hours, not allowing any other men within two meters of me.

Talking to a man for more than five minutes was forbidden. If I did, he would pester me with kisses over and over until I promised never to do it again.

Garren himself cut off all connections with other women, spending every day revolving around me alone.

But… I never expected that even the strongest love could slowly crumble over time, finally falling apart completely.

Thinking of this, a sharp ache rose in my chest.

I immediately lowered my head, staring at the sparkling necklace. It was beautiful, with countless diamonds decorating it, like a galaxy filled with bright stars.

Just like the one Fenella had posted on her social media.

Even some of the luxury items on the table showed signs of being unwrapped—maybe things Fenella had glanced at and discarded.

I took a deep breath, unwilling to continue playing along with his fake act. “Garren… what exactly do you want?”

When I looked up again, a circle of bodyguards had formed around us. Garren’s expression had already shifted to one of pity.

“Linnea, this child cannot stay.”

His voice was very soft, yet every word felt like a sharp blade, stabbing into my heart again and again, piercing it until it was full of holes and soaked in blood.

I clenched my trembling fingers and stared at him in disbelief. So… this was his real purpose.

“Yesterday, I planned to have dinner with Fenella, but I waited for her for two hours and she never showed up. I sent people everywhere to look for her. Later, I found out that after learning you had returned, she was overwhelmed with guilt and tried to kill herself. If I hadn’t arrived in time, she might already be gone.”

As he finished speaking, a flash of pain crossed Garren’s eyes.

Hearing this, my breath caught, as if something heavy was blocking my chest. Fenella was missing for just two hours and he panicked enough to search half the city.

But when I disappeared for an entire week during my surgery, Garren knew nothing at all.

Perhaps, in his heart, my safety no longer mattered to him in the slightest.

Seeing that I didn’t say anything, Garren slowly stepped closer, his voice suddenly rising. “That’s two lives! As long as the child in your womb is still there, she’ll never be able to let go of her guilt…”

As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed my shoulder. The force was so strong that it felt like he was about to crush the bones.

I endured the sharp pain and met his gaze.

But there was no warmth left in his eyes—only my own pale reflection staring back at me.

“Someone, take her to the car,” he ordered coldly. “Go to the hospital immediately!”

Garren released my shoulder, his face stern and signaled to the side. Several bodyguards immediately rushed forward, forcing me toward the car.

“No!” I screamed in terror. “Fenella’s life is a life—does that mean my child’s life isn’t? Garren! If I had known it would be like this, I would rather have died than marry you!”

I struggled with all my strength, tears streaming down my cheeks. But he remained firmly in the passenger seat, not even turning his head.

My desperate screams choked in my throat, an overwhelming sense of helplessness surged through me, leaving only endless hatred.

Twenty minutes later, I lay on the cold operating table, staring blankly at the glaring white lights above.

For a moment, it felt as if my chest was filled with icy spikes, making it almost impossible to breathe. I couldn’t even tell whether the pain in my body or the pain in my heart was worse.

When I woke up, Garren was by my bedside, gently holding my hand and comforting me. “It’s just one child. We’ll still have more.”

I pulled my hand away coldly, a sharp pain shooting from my abdomen. The pain in my heart reached its peak.

Garren had no idea that the doctor had said my condition made it extremely difficult to conceive. Being able to get pregnant this time was already a miracle. If I terminated the pregnancy, I would never be able to conceive again in my life.

“I had my assistant buy the best supplements. I’m sorry, Linnea… this will be the last time I…”

Garren kept rambling in my ear, but I couldn’t hear a single word.

Before, even if I had a small cut on my finger, he would fuss over me for ages. But now, for another woman, he could hurt me without any restraint, ignoring my wishes, ignoring my body.

I stopped looking at him, lowering my eyes, staring blankly like a lifeless puppet.

At that moment, the doctor who performed my surgery sent a message. [Miss Wirm, this abortion procedure has weakened your vitality. The side effects of memory loss may accelerate.]

In other words, the abortion unintentionally sped up the memory loss…

I composed my expression, masking the swirl of emotions in my eyes and cast a quick, careful glance at the unaware Garren. The divorce had to happen.

It was also time to put the divorce on the agenda. It seemed even fate didn’t want me to stay by his side any longer.

After being discharged from the hospital, I couldn’t wait to have the divorce papers prepared and I steeled myself as I stepped into the villa.

I searched through every room, only to find Garren cooking. Since we got married, this was the first time I had ever seen him in the kitchen.

“Fenella hasn’t had much of an appetite these past few days, so I specially prepared some dishes to suit her taste,” he said, focused as he stirred the food in the pan.

Garren had once said he was a clean freak and hated the smell of cooking oil, claiming he would never set foot in a kitchen. To accommodate him, I had always taken care of all the cooking at home.

At first, I worried he wouldn’t like the food made by the servants, so I practiced cooking every day. Day after day, my hands soaked in oil and smoke became rough and calloused—all just to make meals that would satisfy Garren.

Yet now, he could cook by himself… all for Fenella.

He stayed in the kitchen he hated most for two or three hours… maybe even longer. From washing and chopping vegetables to cooking over the stove, every single detail was under his careful control.

After a while, Garren finally looked up and glanced at me. “Looking for me?”

I clutched the divorce papers in my hand, about to speak, but he interrupted me again. “This is my first time cooking and these are all Fenella’s favorite dishes. Why don’t you taste them for her first?”

With that, he brought the food to my mouth.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly in my heart. Three years of marriage and he had never cooked for me—not once, let alone fed me. Now, he finally broke the habit… only to feed another woman.

I tried to refuse, but the steaming food was forced into my mouth.

In an instant, my expression changed— it contained seafood!

I happened to be allergic to seafood. The next second, my throat tightened and I nearly suffocated.I bent over instinctively, my right hand scrambling to grab the stove for support.

Seeing this, Garren instead yanked my hand away and shoved me hard. My body uncontrollably fell to the side, crashing into another stove with a loud bang. Boiling soup instantly spilled over.

I didn’t have time to dodge—my entire hand was scalded, turning red and trembling with sharp, stabbing pain. As I slowly stood up, curling my fingers even slightly made the pain spike.

But Garren didn’t care at all. He only protected the pot, yelling at me. “What are you doing? I spent three hours carefully making this soup for Fenella! What if it spills?”

I stared at his actions in shock, swallowing the sour taste in my throat, my heart gripped by an invisible hand.

He remembered what Fenella liked most, but forgot that I was allergic to seafood.

He worried about spilling the food for Fenella, yet ignored me being burned.

So this… was the “good man” I had loved for seven years, the “good husband” I had been married to for three.

After the allergy symptoms eased slightly, I regained my composure, picked up the other hand and handed him the divorce agreement. “There’s a document here that needs your signature.”

“What document?” Garren sounded impatient, still annoyed by what had just happened.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. “A housing contract. I plan to move out soon and let Fenella move in, so it will be more convenient for you to take care of her.”

His tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. “You finally came to your senses?”

He quickly glanced at me, took the pen and signed it swiftly.

“Yes. I’ve come to my senses.” I kept a smile on my lips, but my eyes were full of mockery.

Hearing this, Garren nodded in satisfaction. He was about to flip the page to look at the document again when a sudden phone ringtone interrupted him.

The screen clearly displayed the name “Fenella.”

Garren immediately tossed the agreement aside and answered the call quickly, a faint smile playing on his face. “Fenella, don’t worry. The soup is ready. I’ll come pick you up right away.”

I stared at him, my heart rising and falling in an instant and I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he hadn’t noticed it was the divorce agreement. By then, I could quietly leave as planned.

After Garren left, I went upstairs alone to pack my things and prepare to leave. In the bedroom, my eyes fell on a ring in the corner.

It was the token of our love that I had given him and also the only keepsake from my grandmother.

My grandmother had once told me that this ring could only be given to the person I truly chose to spend my life with. So I had given it to Garren.

But he never wore it. He even tossed it aside like trash, until it was gradually forgotten. I used to think he simply didn’t like wearing jewelry.

It wasn’t until one day, when I saw him showing off a matching ring with Fenella online, that I understood. Garren didn’t dislike jewelry—he just refused to wear the one I gave him.

I lowered my head and tears suddenly burst forth, falling drop by drop onto the back of my hand like shattered pearls, impossible to restore.

Silently, I picked up the ring and carefully placed it in my jewelry box. If he didn’t want it, then I would take back this ring—along with all the love I had given him.