The wine steak was delicious.

I had two plates of it and felt content even though Shawn had stood me up again.

Shawn returned home in the middle of the night.

He noticed that the lights in the hallway and living room were off.

In our six years of marriage, whenever he went out drinking or socializing, no matter how late, I would always prepare hangover medicine, curl up on the sofa, and wait for him to come back.

Shawn didn't like me doing this, so he often stayed out all night.

He'd pointed to my dark circles and laughed at me.

"Janet, are you not feeling well?"

He walked into the room and tried to take my temperature.

I dodged his hand and frowned.

"It's late, go take a shower," I said.

The smell of alcohol on him made me nauseous.

Shawn sat beside me, squinting at his phone.

There were no missed calls.

That was odd.

Normally, I would take pleasure in ruining his mood when he drank.

I'd tell him not to drink too much and use a designated driver.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I couldn't get out of tonight's dinner. Tomorrow I'll make it up to you by having a meal together. That should satisfy you, right?"

I blinked. "No need, just do your thing."

My sincere words were met with Shawn's mocking laughter.

"Don't push my luck, Janet. I'm too busy to argue with you," he said.

An email came in. I quickly checked it out.

"Even in your busiest moments, you find time for movies and coffee. You're quite the time manager," I blurted out.

At my words, Shawn's face darkened.

He explained he'd known Emily since childhood. She was afraid of the dark, so he had to ride her to her parents' place last night.

"Janet, do you do anything other than imagine things all day? You've really disappointed me," he said.

Before tonight, his words would have made me cry and driven me to pour out my feelings to him.

But tonight, after hearing his accusations, I just held my phone and said nothing.

He didn't know I was reading the divorce agreement sent by the lawyer.

Sensing Shawn approaching, I quickly turned off the screen.

"What are you looking at?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep," I replied.

He left for the study room and slammed the door shut.

It was the classic start of a cold war.

A year ago, I would have begged him to come out and talk to me.

But tonight, there were no tears, only the sound of the printer clicking away.

I printed the divorce papers, sighed them, and put them away in the bedside cabinet.

Then I turned off the lights. Despite my insomnia, I slept well that night.

The next day, Shawn called me on the landline, summoning me up to the rooftop.

"Long time no see, Janet."

Emily sat in the chair, innocently smiling at me.

"I see Shawn every day and keep telling him to bring you out with us, but he never listens," she said.

Emily was an internet celebrity, young, beautiful, and stylish.

Every time I saw her, I couldn't help but feel plain in comparison.

But today, she didn't see any hint of inferiority in me.

I even smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I'm quite the homebody. You guys just have fun."

At my words, Shawn turned from the floor-to-ceiling window to look at me.

The faint dark circles under his eyes made it clear he hadn't slept well last night.

"Emily's hungry. Get my lunch for her," he said.

Married for marriage, I prepared lunches in various styles for Shawn every day.

Last Friday, I overheard him complaining to his assistant. He said that the food I made was awful and that it was what happened when someone married the wrong woman.

Thinking about this, I calmly said, "I didn't prepare lunch today."

Shawn looked at me incredulously and asked a foolish question, "Why didn't you prepare? You know I only eat the lunch you make."

Emily interjected sarcastically, "Shawn, you must have upset Janet. Otherwise, how could she bear to let you go hungry?"

Shawn's face darkened momentarily. Then he suddenly asked what I wanted to eat and instructed his assistant to order takeout.

"No need, just order what Emily likes. I'll grab something from a restaurant near the office," I replied, turning to leave.

Shawn hastily grabbed his suit jacket and insisted on coming with me.

In the end, I had to dine with them.

Throughout the meal, Shawn and Emily kept chatting.

They had grown up together, discussing people and things I knew nothing about.

I had tried to join in.

But every time I spoke, Shawn would grow impatient.

At first, he criticized me for not being able to keep up with the conversation.

Later, as I became more cautious and silent, he accused me of acting aloof and deliberately ignoring his friends.

Since everything I did was wrong, I chose to remain silent and focus solely on tasting the food.

After eating my fill, I went to the restroom. When I returned, Emily had already left.

"Janet, you had quite an appetite today," Shawn said.

After paying the bill, Shawn stood up, smiling as he glanced at my bulging belly.

I reached out and plucked a false eyelash stuck to his left cheek.

I never wore false eyelashes.

Shawn realized it and panicked a little.

"Don't misunderstand, Emily got something in her eye just now, so I had to get close to help her," he explained, furrowing his brow.

I hummed and started walking ahead.

Shawn stood frozen for a while, then hurried to catch up with me.

As we neared the office building, I said without looking back, "I'll go in first. You can return to the office in a few minutes."

Except for Shawn's assistant, no one in the entire company knew I was Shawn's wife.

Actually, the company policy didn't prohibit office romance.

It was just that when Shawn and I first started dating, he found it troublesome to make it public.

Over time, even if we bumped into each other at work, we silently pretended not to know each other.

That evening, Shawn left work on time, bringing back flowers and a brand bag.

Expecting praise, he was surprised when I handed him a divorce agreement.

"Let's get divorced," I said.

The flowers fell to the ground as Shawn picked up the agreement and flipped through a few pages.

His expression barely changed, but his grip on the papers tightened.

"You're playing this one seriously, printing out a divorce agreement," he said.

He threw the papers at me, sat down on the couch, and undid two buttons of his shirt with a sneer.

Bending down, I picked up the divorce agreement.

I remained composed. "This time, I'm serious."

... Shawn scoffed, "When weren't you serious? It's a divorce agreement this time. Are you planning to hire actors and bring the courtroom home next time?"

I didn't respond.

No matter how much was said, it would only lead us down the path of pointless arguments.

After placing the divorce agreement in the study, I returned to the bedroom and began to occupy myself with tasks.

Not even ten minutes later, the roar of an engine could be heard outside.

After Shawn left, I started contacting rental agencies to inquire about options.

Two weeks passed quickly.

Shawn no longer stayed out all night but instead came home promptly after work. He packed various dishes I loved, knowing I was too lazy to cook.

He even offered to pick me up and drop me off at work.

I didn't refuse his offer.

However, every time we approached the corner near the office building, I would speak up and ask him to stop the car.

He asked me why.

I looked at him strangely and said, "Don't you not want others to find out about our relationship?"

Shawn was rendered speechless.

Neither of us mentioned divorce again.

The divorce agreement remained on Shawn's desk.

He acted as if nothing had happened. Though I didn't point it out, I wasn't simply waiting passively.

I went back to my parent's house once and talked to them about it.

"Janet! You finally agreed to go out with us for a team-building event. Come sit down. This barbecue place is really good."

The restaurant was conveniently located near the company.

So when I saw Shawn there, I wasn't surprised.

I just didn't expect Emily to be there too.

"Janet, what brings you here?" Shawn asked.

He walked over happily.

But when he got too close, I instinctively stepped back.

Shawn stiffened for a moment and looked disappointed.

"Janet, come play Truth or Dare with us," Emily said, taking my hand and leading me to the dining table.

I noticed the deep blue pendant hanging deliberately on Emily's neck.

It was the one I had fetched from a church last year when Shawn's career was in a downturn.

I had asked Shawn why he wasn't wearing it.

But he had suddenly lost his temper.

"Can't I keep it in my wallet? Janet, must I report everything I do to you? Who do you think you are? I warn you, stop pestering me," he snapped, pointing at my nose.

After we sat down, Shawn poured me a glass of coke.

Seeing that I didn't drink it, he rubbed his knee with his palm and asked awkwardly, "Janet, don't you like cola the most?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I called the waiter over and ordered a glass of iced coconut juice.

I do like cola, but I didn't want to drink the one he gave me.

When someone praised Emily's pendant as beautiful, Shawn instantly turned pale.

He whispered to me, "Emily has been having bad luck recently. I just lent it to her to wear. Don't think too much about it."

In between grilling the meat, I glanced at him.

"It's not even something valuable. Why are you so stingy? If she likes it, just give it to her," I said.

I only cared about satisfying my appetite.

The other things didn't concern me.

In the next round of Truth or Dare, Emily lost.

She chose the dare of "kissing someone present".

After provocatively glancing at me, Emily blushed and gradually approached Shawn.

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

Shawn didn't expect me to join in with the crowd.

At the peak of the cheering, Shawn raised his hand and refused Emily's kiss.

Embarrassed, Emily glared at me fiercely and ran out in tears.

Shawn simply rolled up his sleeves and, in front of those bewildered colleagues, grilled meat for me.

As the event ended, Emily, who had been hiding at the restaurant's back door, stood tearfully in front of Shawn and me.

Clutching Shawn's clothes, she sobbed and insisted he take her home.

Shawn looked at me helplessly.

"Janet, her home isn't far from here. Shall we take a walk together and see her home?" he said.

My phone call interrupted his self-righteous arrangement.

I took a taxi and said to Shawn, "You can take her home yourself. I have something to do. I'll leave first."

Later, I heard from my colleagues that Shawn didn't take Emily home.

As for why, I didn't care.

On the weekend after the team-building event, I got up early, dressed nicely, and went to a university classmate's wedding.

Just as I was having a great time, Shawn called.

Initially, I didn't intend to answer.

But he persisted in calling. I excused myself, found a relatively quiet place, and reluctantly answered.

"Janet, why did you block me?" He asked.

I was confused for a moment before remembering that I had indeed blocked Shawn on my birthday.

I clicked my tongue impatiently. "Just because of this little thing, you've been calling me incessantly?"

Shawn fell silent, not expecting my words.