Daniel didn't come home that day. He called me in the evening.

"Isabella is divorced now," he said. "She finally sees that scumbag for what he is. You both were victims of all this, and she wanted to invite you to dinner."

I wanted to refuse, but Isabella took the phone.

"Jessica, don't turn me down," she said. "Look, you're married to a good man. You're not holding a grudge about me taking your ex-fiancé, right? Now I'm just like you, a victim. Doesn't that make us friends?"

I didn't respond, and Daniel got impatient. "Come on. It's just a meal."

Finally, I agreed. "Alright."

I figured this was all Isabella's idea. She wanted to provoke me face-to-face, but I didn't fear her.

As soon as I arrived, Daniel stood up and trotted over.

Before I could say anything, he explained eagerly, "Don't misunderstand. I got to know Isabella at work. She has been running her own company and has business dealings with me."

He paused and added, "I knew things between you two were complicated, so I didn't tell you before. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

He lied so naturally. I wondered how many times he had practiced it.

I nodded in acknowledgement and followed him to the table. Ever since I arrived, Isabella had been eyeing me with a triumphant smile.

Without hesitation, Daniel sat down beside her and across from me. Under the table, his hand rested on her thigh.

I was still processing it when Isabella spoke up. "Mrs. Smith, you're lucky enough to get rid of a scumbag early and end up with a good man. It's envious."

She placed a hand on Daniel's chest, and he stiffened.

But when he realized I wasn't reacting, he relaxed.

"Thanks. You're amazing, too," he said smoothly. "Running companies requires talent. Jess doesn't have that."

His words hurt me deeply.

Even if he didn't love me, he had never belittled me like that. Now, just to praise Isabella, he was willing to tear me down.

I thought about how I used to speak so highly of him. That was only because I loved him.

Isabella smiled knowingly and placed a glass of wine in front of me.

"Let's drink and forget the past," she proposed.

I didn't take it, which annoyed Daniel. He tapped the table and urged me, "Just take it."

I looked up at him, realizing he had forgotten everything when Isabella was around.

The last time I had a sip of alcohol, I had an allergic reaction and ended up in the hospital.

Daniel had panicked so much that he dragged a doctor out of bed in the middle of the night to treat me. Now he no longer cared.

His patience wore thin, and he sulked, "Bella only wants to make friends with you. How can you be so rude?"

I took the glass with a smirk and tossed it off.

It was fine. Anyway, I would be leaving him tomorrow.

Once the wine went down my throat, my head started to spin. Before passing out, I heard their conversation.

"She really can't handle alcohol, huh?" Isabella snorted. "Let's not mind her and go on with our meal."

I wondered if Daniel would just listen to her and ignore my situation.

An hour later, they finally finished eating.

Only then did they send me to the hospital. The little bits of love left in me were gone with that.

As soon as I woke up, Daniel was eager to take me home.

Isabella sat in the passenger seat, while I was left in the back.

Daniel didn't explain why he was bringing Isabella home, but I didn't care anymore.

Taking advantage of my grogginess, he kept whining, "I never thought you'd be like this. Now you're making me lose face by pretending to be allergic to alcohol."

I didn't bother arguing with him. It was pointless.

Isabella smirked and glanced back at me.

"Daniel, don't blame her," she said sweetly. "If she doesn't want to drink, that's fine."

"You're so understanding," he replied. "Jessica is probably still holding a grudge against you. She's too petty."

When we got home, Daniel handed me a glass of water. "Still feeling unwell? Here, have some water."

I knew the water was laced with sleeping pills, so I secretly poured it out and pretended to fall asleep.

Daniel then carried me to the guest room. Soon after, Isabella came in.

"I knew you didn't drink it," she started. "You heard everything at the train station, didn't you?"

I opened my eyes, saying nothing. She continued, "So, you should know that Daniel only loves me. In fact, he married you because of me."

Taking advantage of my weakness, she tied me to a chair and placed me by the bedroom door.

"Sit here and listen to his passion for me tonight," she grinned. "Be a wise woman and leave him."

"Actually, you don't need to do this," I said calmly. "I've already decided to leave him. He's all yours."

Isabella snorted and slammed the door shut.

Inside the room, Daniel's breathing was heavy. He had never shown such passion to me.

But then again, it totally made sense because he never loved me.

"I can't believe we're doing this in your house with Jessica right outside," Isabella said. "This is thrilling."

"Be patient, my dear," Daniel grunted. "The real thrill is yet to come."

Their moans grew louder and louder, the bed creaking with every movement.

I couldn't cover my ears because I was tied up. But honestly, I felt nothing about it.

Suddenly, Daniel stopped. "Keep it down. If Jessica wakes up, I won't know what to say."

"Keep going," Isabella urged. "She won't wake up. Besides, who cares if she hears?"

Daniel slowed down anyway to avoid making too much noise.

Their passion went on until 2 AM.

Half an hour later, after Daniel fell asleep, Isabella came out to untie me. She gloated, "Heard all that? Ready to give up now?"

"Don't worry. I'll leave," I replied calmly.

Back in the guest room, I stretched my body and fell asleep instantly.

The next day, I woke up early, left the divorce agreement in the room, and headed to the airport.

On the way, I texted Sarah. [I'll be joining you soon.]

Right before I boarded the plane, Daniel called me.

I rejected it without hesitation, but he was persistent, calling me again and again.

I simply turned off my phone and closed my eyes to rest.

Maybe it was exhaustion or relief of finally letting go, but for the first time in a long while, I slept soundly.

By the time I woke up, the plane had already landed. I stepped out of the airport and saw Sarah waiting for me.

I had packed lightly, with only important credentials with me.

She waved at me, and I ran straight into her arms.

"Girl, it's been a long time. I missed you so much," she said, hugging me tightly. "Ugh, it's all Daniel's fault. If he hadn't forced you to give up painting, you'd have been a famous artist too."

Her words brought back those painful memories. Painting used to be my major and passion. But after marrying Daniel, I gave it up.

"Wait a second," Sarah said, pulling back to look at me. "Daniel did everything he could to stop you from coming here. What made him change his mind?"

I told her everything that had happened.

After she heard me out, her face was flushed with anger.

"That's insane," she fumed. "How could he treat you like that? I'm going back with you now and demanding answers from him."

She grabbed my wrist and tried to drag me back inside the airport.

I stopped her. "It's okay. I don't want to see him ever again. Let's not waste our time on people like that."

I had already moved on. Out of the misery, I needed to start fresh.

After a long, exhausting journey, I settled into the room Sarah arranged for me.

Just as I was about to hit the sack, my phone buzzed.

Daniel blew up my phone with messages.

[Jessica, where are you? Why did you leave so early in the morning?"

[I called you countless times. Why weren't you answering? What the hell are you doing?]

[Rely to me.]

[What kind of game are you playing?]

...

I stared at his messages without responding.

When my phone finally went silent, I closed my eyes again.

But then, he sent me more messages.

[What's that agreement in the guest room? You want to divorce me?]

[What are you even mad about? Just because of the allergic reaction yesterday? Seriously?]

[I don't get it. You couldn't handle a little alcohol. Or maybe you were just pretending to embarrass me. How is that my fault? How is that Isabella's fault?]

[How did you become like this? Do you have to pull a stunt like this?]

[And who told you to leave the divorce agreement behind like that?]

[You'd better come back now. If you don't, don't think about stepping foot in this house ever again.]

[If you're not back within an hour, I swear I'll sign it and be done with you.]

I read through his messages and finally replied.

[I'm not going back. Go ahead and sign it.]

For a moment, he didn't send anything back.

Maybe he was in shock. After all, I had always clung to him. He had never thought I'd leave him one day.

For a moment, he didn't believe it. But soon, the reality set in, and he started to panic.

[Jess, are you seriously mad? If you don't wanna drink next time, we won't, okay?]

[Just tell me where you are. I'll come pick you up.]

[Where could you even go? Just send me your location. I'll come right now.]