I abandoned the drink after taking only a sip from it. After leaving behind a tip, I left the shop.

Ray came home drunk that night. He reeked so strongly of alcohol that I had to pinch my nose. With a glass of water in my hand, I walked around his side of the bed to mine.

"Take a shower. I can't sleep when you stink so badly," I admonished him. I didn't know when it started, but my relationship with Ray was now estranged.

We had been married for seven years. Now, the passion we once felt for each other had faded, leaving only disgust behind.

Ray turned over and deliberately rubbed his stank onto me.

Angered, I slapped him. Then, I said, "I went to a coffee shop today. It was near our old college. I never noticed it before—"

He cut off the rest of my words by grabbing my throat.

"You went to see her?" he questioned.

I instantly knew who Ray was referring to. In the past, I had always ignored his transgressions and been unconcerned about them. But this time, I didn't.

"That's right. That little vixen is seducing my husband. Can't I teach her a lesson?" I shot back harshly.

I felt him gradually squeezing my throat at my deliberate words.

Ray's tone was threatening as he said, "I'm warning you, leave her alone."

I laughed at this. Tears stung the corner of my eyes as I cackled on. I could feel my lungs running out of oxygen, and my eyes started to roll backward.

Ray released his grip just as I was about to lose consciousness. I collapsed close to the edge of the bed, coughing for a long time. He had left a hideous handprint on my neck.

"She is my bottom line, Claire Fort. I will make life difficult for you and your family if you dare mess with her," Ray warned. Then, he slammed the door on the way out.

I sat pensively on the bed. In my near-death moment, I only thought of one thing—Ray would actually kill me because of that girl.

The girl's name was Nadia Rivera. She was a student who lived in the college district.

Nadia was still studying, but her family wasn't well-off. Because of this, she worked part-time at the coffee shop near her college every day.

Three months ago, Ray started frequenting the coffee shop for his coffee. Sometimes, he would even sit there the whole day and not go to the office.

"Do you like her that much? So much so that you're willing to choke me to death over her?" I murmured to myself.

I recalled how Ray had once done the same for me but to someone else. He had threatened, "She's my wife now, so stay away from her."

Ray and I had met in college. At the time, he was still a broke college student who had to work three jobs a day just to get by. He used to be a campus errand boy and had spilled the coffee I ordered all over me.

I didn't make a fuss back then. It was just a piece of clothing, after all. I could have someone buy a new one for me within 10 minutes.

Ray had flushed red from embarrassment as he apologized to me. The next day, he returned the dress I had been wearing. It had smelled strongly of laundry detergent.

He carefully avoided my fingers when handing it back to me, and his clumsiness was adorable. I found Ray interesting and asked him to buy me coffee once he got his salary.

Back then, I had pretended to have mature tastes and ordered an iced long black coffee. The drink was so bitter that it made me scrunch up my face. Later, Ray secretly added double shots of milk and sugar.

"Ugh, too sweet," he had commented after. We were young and bashful back then and would blush just from whispering to each other. But now…

I examined myself in the mirror. My hair was disheveled, and the red handprint mark on my neck looked horrifying.

Afterward, I spent hours rummaging around the house for the first aid kit. However, I couldn't find it.

In the past, Ray would frantically carry me to the bed if I had accidentally bumped into the table. Then, he would quickly fetch band-aids and anti-inflammatory cream.

I was curled up on the bathroom floor when my phone vibrated—it was a text from Ray. It read, "Let's get a divorce."

The message included a divorce agreement stating that the house and car would be mine—he was leaving everything behind for Nadia.

Putting on a turtleneck sweater, I hailed a cab to his office. It was the first time I had visited him there.

The receptionist asked if I had an appointment.

"No, just tell Ray Prunier that his wife is downstairs," I stated.

The receptionist sneered at this.

"That's not how you climb the ladder, miss. We've all seen Mr. Prunier's wife. You'd better run along before I call security," she said derisively.

My hands balled into fists as the image of Nadia's bright, smiling face flashed in my mind.

I was about to take my phone out to call Ray when a voice spoke up behind me.

"Good morning!"

It was Nadia. She was wearing an overall skirt, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail. For a moment, it was like I was looking at the college version of myself.

I watched as she greeted everyone while smiling brightly.

"Good morning, Mrs. Prunier," the receptionist greeted Nadia with a slight bow of her head. She emphasized the greeting while looking at me scornfully.

"I've brought coffee—it's my treat. I even made it myself," Nadia announced.

"Thank you, Mrs. Prunier. Our CEO is truly lucky to have you. You're not only beautiful but talented, too—unlike some women these days who are only delusional."

The receptionist complimented her while snidely taking a jab at me.

Nadia lowered her head shyly at this. Then, she skipped onto the elevator.

Meanwhile, I was left standing there awkwardly. I called Ray several times, but the calls were all immediately rejected.

Hence, I texted him, "Come downstairs and invite me up if you want to preserve her reputation."

My hands were shaking uncontrollably. Tears had already started flowing down my face.

All these years, I had tried to pretend that I didn't care about Ray's affairs. I kept thinking to myself that the affairs didn't mean anything. I also told myself that these girls were all passing fancies and that I was the one he loved.

Shortly after I sent the text, Ray's assistant came downstairs and escorted me up.

I spotted Nadia as we neared Ray's office. Her skirt fluttered gently, and she clung to Ray while throwing a tantrum.

When she noticed me coming, Nadia quickly straightened herself up. She said to Ray, "I should let you get back to work."

Then, she made her way to the door.

When I spotted the emerald pendant resting against Nadia's chest, I unconsciously reached out and stopped her. It was the same one I had gotten for Ray when he had fallen seriously ill. I had to climb a mountain and beg for it.

I opened my mouth to speak, but it felt as though there was cotton stuffed down my throat—I couldn't make a sound.

Ray narrowed his eyes at me from behind Nadia.

"Is there a problem?" he silently warned me.

Snapping back to reality, I released her arm.

"Sorry—that's a beautiful pendant," I said to her.

"Thank you," Nadia replied.