I don't know how long I sat on the ground. With two dried tear marks on my face, my eyes were swollen and painful.

There was a noise from the living room outside. Penelope helped Albert into the room, and since then, that door had never opened again.

During my three-year marriage with Albert, we were tolerably close and loving.

But it never occurred to me that he loved another girl.

It was Penelope who he had always respected.

Albert and I met in college.

On the day we confirmed our relationship, he couldn't wait to introduce me to his friends, including Penelope.

Penelope was three years older than Albert, and when we met, she acted like a big sister.

She told Albert to love me and not disappoint me.

On our wedding day, she even joked that if Albert let me down, she would stand up for me.

But today, she brought me this great surprise.

My phone kept ringing with WhatsApp messages.

[Harriet, Albert cheats on you?]

[Who is that girl? They are so bold. Is Albert crazy?]

I clicked on the video, the noisy music was deafening, but all I could see were the two people on the sofa.

Albert sat on the sofa, with Penelope sitting on his lap.

They were close together. It seemed they were kissing.

A sudden nausea came over me. I covered my mouth and bent over, but nothing came out.

It was disgusting.

It was so disgusting.

For all these years, I had been blind like a fool.

Did they secretly mock me for being a fool?

The next day, I sat expressionless on the sofa. Penelope and Albert had not yet woken up.

It wasn't until noon that there was any sound in the guest room.

Albert rubbed his messy hair and walked straight into the kitchen.

When he came out again, he had a glass of milk and a sandwich in his hand.

When he saw me, his body stiffened for a moment, with a somewhat surprised expression.

"Harriet, didn't you go to work?"

I glanced at him. When I saw what he had in his hand, I asked, "Who is that for?"

He hesitated.

"Penelope is at home. So I made her breakfast."

"You slept together last night."

I interrupted Albert's words, with a hint of anger and questioning in my tone.

He saw me but had no intention of explaining as if it had long been taken for granted.

Has such a thing happened many times behind the scenes?

Was that why he didn't faze at all?

Albert frowned, his look turning cold.

"Harriet, I view her as a big sister."

Albert has used this excuse many times.

When he accompanied Penelope to Iceland, he said that she was his big sister, which made it acceptable.

When he traveled thousands of miles to France to celebrate her birthday, the same excuse made his demand irrefutable.

I pulled my lips and sneered, "So, can you sleep with your sister?"

"We have been like this since we were young. What's the problem?

"Harriet, can you stop being suspicious and unreasonable? You are only twenty-seven, you shouldn't be so feudal."

Albert looked at me expressionlessly, his deep eyes giving me a chill.

I looked away, and my heart sank little by little.

In Albert's heart, Penelope was different from anyone else.

If one day, both Penelope and I fell into the water at the same time, I had no doubt that Albert would choose to save her first.

She was his big sister.

Because of this, Albert would never let her be in danger.

"Albert, let's get divorced."

I decided that after a whole night's contemplation.

Only by getting divorced could we get a solution.

I was not generous. I couldn't share my husband with another girl.

Albert stayed in place.

He turned his head towards me in disbelief.

"What did you say? Divorce?"

I nodded and calmly said, "Yes, divorce."

Silence set in.

After a moment, Albert whispered, "You must be crazy."

Instead of answering me, he went straight into the guest room.

It seemed he deemed I proposed divorce out of rashness and couldn't be taken seriously.

But I was very clear that instead of a rash statement, this was the result of careful consideration.

In fact, I had already packed my luggage.

I carried my suitcase and knocked on the door of the guest room.

"Albert, I'm leaving. I will have the divorce agreement prepared by a lawyer, and you just need to sign it."

The door suddenly opened, and Albert stood in front of me with a cold face.

"Harriet, can you stop making a scene?"

He seemed impatient, and I was shocked for a moment.

"I wasn't causing a scene."

"You're asking me to divorce!"

I couldn't understand. Penelope had accepted that bouquet of balloon flowers. Albert should be happy that I asked to divorce.

After ten years of waiting, he finally got what he wanted.

Why was he suddenly disagreeing now?

"Albert, did you prepare balloon flowers for Penelope for ten years?"

He frowned and asked, "How did you know?"

I found that Instagram post. I followed Penelope two years ago.

Albert never knew.

As he looked at that Instagram post, a complex emotion flashed on his face.

"Harriet..."

"Don't worry. There's another one."

I clicked on the video of them kissing.

In the video, Albert was handsome, and Penelope was charming.

They truly looked like a well-matched couple.

Albert's expression became even more unpleasant.

I smiled indifferently.

"Albert, I just found out that you have always loved Penelope. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have wooed you.

"But it's not too late to realize it now. At least we don't have children yet. We don't have to argue over custody.

"I will draft the divorce agreement as soon as possible. Let's handle this matter quickly."

I said calmly, but Albert shook his head in pain.

"Harriet, I can explain."

"Albert, my stomach aches."

Their voices sounded almost at the same time.

Albert panicked and hurriedly ran into the guest room.

Penelope covered her stomach, her face pale.

Her voice was weak.

"Penelope, is it your period? I'll take you to the hospital."

His face was full of eagerness and concern as he picked up Penelope.

He trot while comforting her.

When he passed by me, he didn't even spare me a glance.

He remembered Penelope's period clearly but never remembered mine.

I bitterly jeered. His explanation was no longer important at this moment.

I applied to transfer to the branch company.

While I waited for the approval, I found a lawyer to draft me a divorce agreement.

I sent Albert the divorce agreement. But Albert didn't even make a call after two days.

I called him reluctantly.

The phone was answered in a few seconds.

But it wasn't Albert's who picked it up.

It was Penelope.

"Harriet."

"Where is Albert?"

Penelope smiled and raised her tone.

"I am unwell these days, and Albert is taking care of me at my place. He's making porridge for me now.

"If you have something to say, you can tell me, and I will convey it for you."

When I'm on my period, Albert would at most pour me a glass of water.

He said that all the girls had periods, and that I should endure the pain.

But he took care of everything for Penelope when she was in her period.

I jeered, "It's not a big deal. Tell him that I have sent the divorce agreement to his company. If there's no problem, he should sign it as soon as possible."

Penelope exclaimed, "Harriet, do you divorce because of me? Please don't misunderstand. Albert and I have always been like this since we were young. I am different to him."

I tightened my grip on the phone.

Penelope's provocation was like a slap in my face.

How could I have thought that she wanted to bless us?

There was a lump in my throat. "Don't misunderstand. It's not because of you."

"Is that so? That's good. Albert has been sending me balloon flowers for ten years. I accepted them this year. He was just a little excited.

"Harriet, ten years is longer than the time you two have known each other."

Albert and I had only known each other for six years.

But he had sent her balloon flowers for ten years.

This meant that Albert had waited for Penelope for ten years and loved her for ten years.

A touch of pain came from my fingertips. I came to my senses and said lightly, "Yes, ten years, quite a long time. He finally had this day."

After the words fell, I hung up the phone tremblingly.

[After ten years of perseverance, the efforts paid off.]

This was what Penelope said.

Albert finally had this day.

The approval came quickly.

The next day, I bought a ticket to Seattle.

I sat in the waiting room and dealt with the remaining work.

Suddenly, someone called.

Looking at the name on the screen, I hesitated and answered the call.

"Did you send me the divorce agreement?"

Albert's voice sounded tired, probably from taking care of Penelope.

I responded with a faint "yes".

"If there's no problem, then sign it. I'll come back in a month for the divorce hearing."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Albert's sneer.

I felt like he was mocking my incompetence and self-importance.

It grated on my ears.

"Harriet, do we have to go to the point of divorce?

"I can assure you that I have never betrayed you."

"Never betrayed me?"

I laughed out loud. "What about that video and that Instagram post?

"Albert, I really want to ask you, since you love another girl, why did you marry me? What am I to you?"

In my sophomore year, I got to know Albert and fell in love with him at first sight.

I tried to win his heart. It was a year later that I got a glance from him.

In a winter.

His roommate called me and said he was missing.

I looked for him all night and finally found him before the airport.

His shoulders were covered with snow, and his hair was wet.

The airport had long been closed, and only a few warm yellow street lights were still on.

He sat on the stone steps, looking very lonely.

After seeing me, he hugged my waist like an abandoned puppy and murmured, "She's gone. She won't come back.

"I'm such a failure."

I patted his shoulder and stayed with him in the cold air until dawn.

On that day, my relationship with him progressed rapidly. In less than two months, he agreed to be my boyfriend.

I saw Albert's desperate look, but I never asked him why.

Later I learned that it was because Penelope went abroad on that day.

I listened to his voice, but I didn't have any more feelings.

"Harriet, it is you that I love.

"I only treat Penelope as my big sister. Why don't you believe it?

"After all these years, you gave our relationship up without even asking for my opinion. Do you love me?"

His questioning was ridiculous.

The broadcast announced my flight number. I packed up and stood up, saying, "Albert, sign it. This is how it ends between us."

"Harriet, where are you?

"Where are you going?"

Albert's voice became urgent.

I hung up the phone, cutting off that urgent voice.

My phone was still ringing when I went through security.

Albert's eagerness reminded me of the day when he took Penelope to the hospital.

He knew I was at the airport, and I knew too that airports brought him bad memories.

But I don't want to think anymore how he would feel.

Will he be sad?

Will he sit alone outside the airport again?

I didn't want to care about these anymore.

I turned off my phone and blocked that abrupt ringtone.

The plane was delayed, and complaints filled my ears.

I frowned, feeling uneasy.

Suddenly, I caught sight of a figure in the corner of my eye.

Albert's face was full of anxiety, with messy hair falling on his forehead.

"Harriet, come here."