Back then, I didn’t even get a single cent of compensation after our divorce.

Now I need nothing from her anymore. Yet she came to me and said she wanted to give me compensation herself.

“Baby, I called you just now. Why didn’t you answer me? Who are you talking to?”

While I was still stunned, a young man wearing a light-apricot hoodie bounced over and grabbed Patricia’s arm.

When he saw that I was there, his smile froze for a second before quickly returning. “Robert, it’s you! We haven’t seen each other for so many years. How about we have a meal together?”

I didn't even have the chance to react, but Tobias grabbed my arm enthusiastically.

“Robert, we’ve been looking for you for the past six years. There was never any news from you. Even your old coworkers thought you went abroad. Where have you been?” he talked loudly.

I looked quietly at the young guy in front of me, he had changed a lot I almost couldn’t recognize him.

Tobias Wilbur was much simpler back then. He had dark skin, simple clothes and eyes like a frightened fawn. He was a poor student. After six years under Patricia’s careful care, he had already grown into a bright, shining sunflower.

I gave a distant but polite smile. “I did go abroad.”

“Really?” Tobias stared with wide, surprised eyes. “But Robert, I went to look for you several times back then. They all said that after the divorce you went back to the countryside…”

Tobias seemed to say whatever came to his mind, but before he finished, Patricia cut him off. “Enough. Don’t talk about the past.”

Patricia affectionately ruffled his hair. “Eat the little cake I bought you. If you don’t eat it soon, it’ll melt.”

Tobias ate the cake while continue speaking in between chews. “Robert, it was truly difficult to find you until today. Let us treat you to a meal, okay?”

“As for what happened back then, well, I know you hate us. But you were very good to me. You sponsored my four years of university studies. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today…” Tobias looked very sincere, as if refusing would make me seem ungrateful.

So, I looked down at my watch and saw that it was still early. “Alright, but I only have an hour and a half.”

Patricia and Tobias chose the restaurant. On the way, the young man kept chattering nonstop and even fed Patricia cake by mouth.

Because I was there, Patricia felt awkward. She grabbed his restless hand. “Behave a little, won't you? Rob is watching.”

Tobias playfully stuck out his tongue. “Sorry, Robert. We’ve been married for a few years now and we’re used to acting like this. Sometimes we can’t even stop ourselves from kissing on the street. Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable.”

I calmly watched the flash of provocation and pride in his eyes and simply smiled. “It’s fine. After all, when you were in university, you already couldn’t control yourself at my house with her. I got used to it.”

The atmosphere instantly froze. Tobias and Patricia both looked slightly embarrassed. I, however, stayed calm and kept walking.

Before reaching the restaurant, we passed a fireworks shop. Tobias’s interest was instantly stirred. He insisted on dragging Patricia inside.

“Baby, didn’t you say you were going to set off fireworks across the whole city for my birthday in three days? I want to choose the style first… Robert, you don’t mind, right?”

I smiled. “I don’t mind.”

But Patricia gave me a meaningful look, then turned to pick a firework. “This one, ‘Tears of the Sea.’”

I froze. Memories I had almost forgotten rushed back all at once.

Patricia once loved me very much. We dated for four years and were married for six.

Everyone Patricia she was famous in our circle for spoiling her husband.

As a university professor, she never went to social dinners. When male students asked for her contact information, she would coldly refuse. Among the many academic books she published, there was one special book called "Confessing Your Love". She wrote it especially for me.

The whole Sky University praised our beautiful love story. Even on my birthday every year, she would set off fireworks across the entire city.

But one day, while I was cleaning the bookshelf, I accidentally found an intimate photo hidden inside Patricia’s book.

The boy in the photo was very young. He wore very short shorts and was sitting on her lap, smiling at the camera. I recognized him instantly. That boy was no one else but Tobias, the poor student whose study I personally sponsored for three years. He's the one who always declared that I was his real “brother.” He was also a student in Patricia’s class.

Back then, on a rainy day, he was surrounded by some gangsters in a dead-end alley and I saved him. I brought him home, let him shower and gave him clean clothes.

When he saw Patricia, he was scared. I laughed and comforted him, “Don’t be afraid. Professor Angelo won’t eat you.”

Later, Tobias slowly became braver. He even started going carefully to the study to ask Patricia questions. Seeing them getting along so well, I couldn’t help feeling happy.

Until later on, I found their intimate photos on Patricia’s computer.

After I found them, I rushed into the study in a furious state.

And there they were, the teacher and student supposedly “discussing questions”, but actually entangled with each other in front of the desk.

I lost all dignity and manners. I screamed like a madman. I questioned Patricia, asking why she cheated right under my nose.

Yet, Patricia protected the man beside her instead. She covered him behind her back. While looking at me with cold and angry eyes, she shouted “Get out! Robert, you’re shameless. We’re not even finished yet.”

Yes, women can be cruel and heartless. When they love you, they can give you their life. But once they stop loving you, they can strip off your skin.

I smashed everything I could grab in every room.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. On the one hand was the woman I had loved for almost ten years. While the other, was a poor student I had supported for three years and treated like a younger brother.

Yet they were making love right under my eyes, while I was cooking, openly in the study. They used the excuse of discussing academic topics to do such shameful things.

I shook violently, my eyes red, unable to accept any of it.

“Robert, you’re acting like a lunatic!” Patricia looked at me with disgust and stubbornly kept Tobias behind her. “You’d better calm down. If you dare hurt Toby even a little, I won’t forgive you.”

Tobias hid behind her. The red marks on his neck still had not faded. He cried and hiccupped.

“Robert, I’m sorry. I’m in the wrong on this. I know this is immoral, but I still fell in love with Professor Angelo…” He continued, “Please, I don’t want any official title. Please, let me stay with Professor Angelo, okay?”

I was shocked. “Do you understand you’re becoming the home-wrecker in someone else’s marriage?!”

“I don’t care!” Tobias shouted back loudly, as if fighting for his freedom. “Our attraction is mutual, Robert. Even if you never saved me, I had already fallen for Professor Angelo at school. And she felt the same…”

Looking at Tobias's stubborn yet brave expression, I suddenly remembered the rainy night when I brought him home.

Ever since I saved him from that alley, the same gangsters kept targeting me. For a long period, I didn’t dare walk down that road again. Only after reporting it to the police was the whole matter finally resolved.

I never regretted saving Tobias. But on that night, I hated myself for being so kind. Why did I give another man a chance to get close to my wife?

Ten years. Those were my ten years.

I refused to accept the truth. I let myself fall apart, hair messy and clothes dirty and I kept asking them like a madman when their relationship started.

Thinking back now, I was really foolish. Everything had already happened—what was the point of asking? But at that time, I was full of anger, full of the rage of being betrayed.

After putting on her clothes, Patricia said confidently, as if she was comforting me. “Rob, stop causing trouble. Tobias needs to focus on his studies. He won’t fight you for anything and he doesn’t want a title. Mr. Angelo will still be you.”

She then added, “From now on, you don’t need to sponsor Tobias anymore. I’ll take care of his sponsorship.”

Tobias never came to the house again. But the places where they had dates only increased. Cafés, restaurants, libraries, even hotels…

I began watching them like a madman. Patricia never worked on Saturdays, but ever since she got close to Tobias, she went to the university every Saturday.

I followed them by taxi like a stalker. At the bottom of the teaching building, I saw them kissing passionately.

They couldn’t control themselves and got into the car. It was the same car I bought for Patricia as her birthday gift. Soon, the car began to shake in a steady rhythm.

That time, I rushed up and smashed the car. I embarrassed them both completely. Yet, Patricia was determined to protect him. She treated me like a lunatic and had the security guards throw me out.

After that, for a long time, I acted like some shameful human being. I held banners and caused a scene at the university where Patricia worked. I even went to Tobias’s class.

I wished the whole world would know he was a home-wrecker. He was the poor student I sponsored, the one I treated like a younger brother. I had been so good to him and now I hated him just as much.

There were so many women in the world—why did he choose to covet my wife? I wanted to tell everyone that he was an ungrateful traitor. And Patricia was the worst liar in the world.

My relationship with Patricia became more and more ugly and broken. She was afraid things would get too big, afraid I would damage Tobias’s reputation and studies, so she hired bodyguards to keep me locked up.

I even hurt myself many times. That feeling of being abandoned by the whole world made me suffer silently with no one to talk to. I desperately needed some way to let out my pain.

In the past, whenever I got even a small injury, Patricia would wrinkle her eyebrows with worry. But she became more and more impatient.

Even when she saw long wounds across my body, she only shouted at me with disgust, “Enough! If you want to die, go die somewhere else. Why are you using self-harm to get sympathy?”

“Robert, I never thought about divorcing you. As long as you kept turning a blind eye like before, I could let you stay and be Mr. Angelo for the rest of your life.”

“But now I don't think you can handle that anymore.”

Later on, I took sleeping pills and was sent to the hospital, but I didn’t die.

After waking up, I finally thought things through and I signed the divorce agreement.