On the tenth year of my marriage to Ethan, I stumbled upon an unboxing video of his new, just-turned-18 girlfriend showing off a Kawasaki motorcycle.

In the video, Ethan was smiling indulgently, proudly flaunting a bill for thousands.

Just yesterday, I was fretting about my son, Nathan's tutoring fees. I nervously asked Ethan for help, but he impatiently claimed we had no money, only to turn around and spend lavishly on that girl.

In his room, Nathan was diligently doing his homework, obedient and well-behaved.

Standing in the kitchen, looking at the ash scattered on the floor and the pile of dirty dishes, I put down the cloth in my hand and swiftly decided to separate.

However, Ethan blocked the door, slapped himself madly over a dozen times, and begged me not to divorce him.

——

When Ethan got home, I had already finished cooking and set the food on the table.

"It's so hot, why won't you even turn on the air conditioning?" he complained, turning it on as he grumbled that I hadn't served him dinner yet.

I grabbed a fork and pushed his bowl aside, trying to hold back my anger.

"When are you planning to pay Nathan's tutoring fees?"

Ethan's movements paused. His expression suddenly turned cold, and his tone became unusually sharp.

"How many times do I have to say it? There's no money! Why does he need tutoring anyway? You're always lounging at home. Why don't you mention that?"

"Lounging?"

I scoffed. I woke up at 6 a.m. to make breakfast, cleaned the house, brought him lunch, took care of his two elderly parents, helped Nathan with homework, and only went to bed late at night. And in his eyes, that's lounging.

I suppressed my anger and covered the dish, but Ethan slammed the bowl down with a loud smash. His face turned red with fury.

"Chloe, what's your deal? You're either paranoid or passive-aggressive! When did you become like this?"

He stormed out. I stood there staring at the broken pieces on the floor, a coldness spreading through me.

Ethan still wanted me to be the submissive, obedient girl I once was. I was thirty now. I was no longer that naive young woman blindly chasing after him.

I no longer had the strength to convince myself that he had good reasons, that he was simply helpless.

As I thought about the video I had seen today, a flood of sorrow overwhelmed me.

For almost a year now, Ethan had become irritable and angry. I thought it was due to life's pressures. I walked on eggshells around him, swallowing my frustrations and keeping quiet.

Every time I thought of that video, my whole body burned with anger. I opened it again from my saved collection.

"The first Kawasaki for a girl born in 2004, bought by her boyfriend."

The comments below were filled with congratulatory and envious messages.

My hands trembled, and my heart bled.

In the video, Ethan was in rare good spirits, showing off the bill with a broad smile, looking indulgently at the girl beside him.

He had never looked at me like that.

I stared blankly at the numbers again, the intense humiliation washing over me. My chest burned with bitterness. Nathan was an excellent student, only needing a little help in English, so I wanted to enroll him in a class. But Ethan had dodged that cost for weeks, yet had no problem spending lavishly on his mistress.

Nathan timidly came over and grabbed my hand, his eyes sparkling. "Will Dad come for Children's Day this year?"

My nose stung, and my eyes ached.

I lowered my head, patted his little head, and gently told him to go back to his room.

He won't come.

Ethan always claimed he was busy, but it wasn't with us.

He had long stopped caring for us the way he used to.

On the weekend, Ethan left early in the morning.

I drove behind him, not too far or too close, watching as he walked into a flower shop. He carefully selected a bouquet of roses, chatting and gesturing with the florist.

It was a beautiful bouquet of roses, fresh and glistening with water droplets.

I smiled. As I kept smiling, tears started to fall without me realizing it.

Honestly, I love flowers too.

I once said that love should begin with a bouquet of flowers, but Ethan scoffed and told me flowers were impractical and a waste of money.

How I longed for the day he'd walk up to me, holding a bouquet and smiling, saying, "Here, I knew you'd like these."

But now, he was holding a carefully wrapped bouquet, meant for another woman.

Turns out, he knew how to buy flowers and pick them out so meticulously, just not for me.

Even though I knew deep down what the final outcome would be.

I knew how humiliating it would be.

But I stubbornly wanted to see it with my own eyes.

I was still holding onto a tiny shred of hope.

Ethan walked into a Western restaurant. As soon as he stepped in, the girl bounced over to him, wrapping her arm around his and happily taking the flowers.

Ethan gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead.

The two walked into the restaurant, leaning close, looking like the perfect couple.

Watching their backs, my nose began to sting again.

I sat in the car silently, watching them through the window as they ate.

Thankfully, the mirror was clear, and I could see every bit of their affectionate moment.

Ethan, who had been so short-tempered with me lately. He had yelled at me so many times, and now he was speaking softly to someone else.

When I saw Ethan, like a magician, pull a necklace from his bag, the girl's smile grew even bigger as she walked over to him. She playfully asked him to put it on her.

I closed my eyes. I couldn't watch anymore.

He was putting in so much effort.

So much that I couldn't even feel jealous anymore.

I leaned back in my seat, and suddenly, my phone rang.

"I won't be coming home tonight. Take Nathan out for dinner," he said. In the background, I could hear a playful voice.

I didn't respond, but I couldn't stop the sting in my nose.

Suddenly, Ethan looked up, directly at me.

His voice turned cold immediately, the smile vanishing from his face.

"You're following me?

"Chloe, have you forgotten everything I've told you? Can't you stop being so paranoid?"

I gave a quiet "hmm" and rolled up the window.

Seeing that I didn't say anything, Ethan's tone softened a little.

"Just go home. Luna and I are here to discuss work. Don't overthink it."

"What kind of work requires bringing flowers?

You won't even bother making up a decent lie. You're just so dismissive of me."

"Ding."

I looked at the private message, and my expression slowly changed.

[Chloe, I know who you are. The one who's unloved is the real third wheel. Just go take care of Nathan and stop interrupting our date.]

[Oh, did you see it? He gave me a new gift. It's Bvlgari, you know.]

I could almost picture her smug expression.

How pleased with herself she must have been.

I quickly looked up, and Luna was deliberately showing off the gift box through the window, grinning boldly.

It was Bvlgari.

After searching all over the house for the Bvlgari necklace Ethan had given me, I finally opened the cabinet, clinging to a shred of hope. But it was completely empty. I let out a bitter laugh, gripping the empty shelf.

How could he?!

How could he give my anniversary gift to the woman he's seeing on the side?!

Back then, he had tossed the beautifully wrapped box on the table and carelessly said to me, "A client gave it to me. You lucked out."

I'd been so happy, jumping up from the couch, not even noticing his tone. I admired the necklace from every angle, thrilled beyond belief.

He didn't understand why I was so happy.

It was the first gift he had ever given me, and the only one.

I cherished it so much that I didn't even want to wear it.

But now, even that doesn't belong to me anymore.

My childhood friend called. Her voice was uneasy, trembling as she spoke, "Chloe, can you... handle this?"

I had asked her to look into this for me, and she did. She probed his friends for information, and now she had the answers.

"Tell me.

"I can handle it."

I listened in silence.

It turned out that his coworkers had known all along. They had all been making excuses for Ethan, trying to downplay the whole thing.

One of them had said on the phone, "Chloe, all men are like this. You just have to be more understanding..."

He didn't even finish before my friend snapped at him.

"Chloe, I'm on your side."

My friend said firmly.

I listened as she told me that Ethan often met Luna at the coffee shop downstairs during his lunch breaks.

He even took time off work to go on vacation with her to Manville.

Tears slid down my collar as I tilted my head back. I was unable to hold back the bitterness any longer.

Manville.

I had mentioned so many times that I wanted to go, and now Ethan had actually gone, but not with me.

They had kept me in the dark, all of them lying to me together.

What a united front they had.

They preserved their friendships, and the only one left hurt was me, someone they didn't even care about.

I took a deep breath and sincerely thanked her for helping me.

I opened Luna's social media page and saw that she had criticized the meals I made, pointing out flaws, even though she had eaten every bite.

Over three hundred videos, over three hundred meals.

No wonder Ethan's taste had suddenly changed, asking me to add more chili to lunch.

No wonder he'd started giving me detailed menus.

It was all because she liked it.

Waves of bitterness surged in my heart.

It's laughable how happy I was back then, thinking he actually cared about my preferences.

I love spicy food too.

But it turns out he had me cooking for his mistress all along...

I don't know how long I stood there before my mind started working again. I slumped against the counter, feeling drained.

"Ethan, how could you treat me like this? How could you?

You promised my dad, right in front of him, that you'd take care of me. That's the only reason he trusted you with me, back when you had nothing.

The house, the car, all of it came from my family.

I didn't even ask for a single penny as a dowry.

And this is how you repay me?"

I come from a single-parent home. Ever since Dad passed, I've put all my energy into maintaining my family.

He was my only emotional support.

And now, things have turned out like this.

Dad must be pacing in heaven, so worried.

After crying until I was dry, I slowly got up from the floor. Ethan came home with takeout barbecue in hand.

He stood in the doorway, seeing me, and let out a sigh of relief.

"I should have told you I was going out, that was my bad.

"Here, I brought you something."

He put the barbecue down on the table.

I opened the container and looked at the skewers of chives inside, saying nothing.

"I'm allergic to chives.

I even went to the hospital for it once.

So, he doesn't even remember that now?"

My heart grew colder, and I couldn't help but tremble. When you're unloved, nothing about you gets attention.

It feels like I don't even matter.

I gathered myself and looked up.

All I wanted was an answer.

And now, I've got it.

Now, I had to say what needed to be said.

I calmly said, "Ethan, let's get a divorce."

Ethan's phone slipped from his hand, and his body shook.

"What now? Why suddenly bring up divorce?

"I even brought you both dinner.

"Chloe, what's your deal this time?"

Suddenly, his tone shifted, becoming arrogant.

"Chloe, how old are you? And you're still playing these games? Isn't this a bit childish?

"I said I knew I was wrong, and I brought food. Can we stop this now?"

I clenched my fingers and stated, "I'm allergic to chives, and Nathan can't eat greasy food.

"So, who did you bring this for?

"Who do you want to eat it?"

After laying out the skewers, I finally felt calm.

"You can eat these leftovers yourself."

Ethan's lighter paused mid-air, and his expression faltered. He said awkwardly, "Leftovers? Fine, don't eat them then!"

He quickly shifted the conversation. I wasn't surprised anymore.

Smoke rings rose, and Ethan's face grew hazy.

I love cats. That night, when I saw him squatting by the roadside playing with the stray cats, I couldn't help but be captivated.

He turned his head, the light making his hair look so soft.

I thought, I might have fallen in love with him at first sight.

Ethan's family situation wasn't great. His parents were always fighting. He was stuck in the misery of his upbringing, and I foolishly thought I could be his savior, that I could warm his heart.

I didn't realize that one-sided love is the most painful.

I pitied his circumstances and felt for everything he went through.

It seemed like he finally noticed me, and we naturally got together.

I even got him that legendary 4090 gaming setup.

Ethan had a real talent for gaming, but his parents' constant pressure forced him to stop at the regional level. It was one of his biggest regrets.

I remember him holding his computer, crying, and promising he'd treat me well in the future.

I always believed him.

He really was a good person.

Everyone around him spoke highly of him.

I knew about his ex-girlfriend. She dumped him because he was poor, but Ethan never said a bad word about her.

He just said they weren't a good fit.

Later, we did have our sweet days together.

He was so anxious when I gave birth. He pacing in circles, crying even more than I did, and he bought me those designer bags I liked.

He took care of almost everything for Nathan. He would feed, bath, everything.

And now...

Looking at this still-handsome and mature face, I couldn't help but feel a deep, unshakable pain.

How did we end up like this?