In the seventh year of our marriage, my husband, Irvin McDowell, gave me a cute orange cat.

　　Just as I woke up from the anesthesia, I called him calmly and asked for a divorce.

　　The next day, his mistress, Amelia, knocked on my door, crying and apologizing, "Mrs. McDowell, I'm sorry. Mr. McDowell said you just lost the baby. I thought having a pet would make you happy."

　　I silently watched her performance as Irvin comforted her, saying to me, "You're angry with me, don't take it out on Amelia."

　　After that, they left hand in hand.

　　When Irvin returned, there was only a divorce agreement left on the table.

　　This time, I didn't want him or the child.

——

　　When the delivery guy brought the orange cat with innocent big eyes to me, I didn't have much emotional reaction.

　　Instead, the nurse frowned and said, "Pets are not allowed in the hospital. Take it away."

　　The cat seemed to sense it was about to be abandoned and started meowing anxiously.

　　For a moment, I felt a soft spot in my heart, so I asked the delivery guy to take it to the McDowell family mansion and give it to the young master, Michael.

　　"Don't tell him it was from me."

　　I instinctively told the delivery guy, as Michael seemed to have never liked me as a mother.

　　He always rejected anything I gave him.

　　As the delivery guy walked away, I finally turned on my phone, which I hadn't used in two days.

　　There was nothing on it, not a single message.

　　I called Irvin.

　　"I agree to the divorce you mentioned last time."

　　He didn't speak for a long time, and I only heard heavy breathing.

　　Besides that, there was also a woman's giggling.

　　I waited for a while, but he didn't express his opinion, so I took it as his consent and hung up the phone.

　　I used to scoff at the idea of the seven-year itch, thinking that Irvin and I would surely be loving for a lifetime.

　　But I never thought that in the end, I would lose.

　　After the follow-up treatment after leaving the hospital, I went home with a weary body.

　　But I found that Irvin, who hadn't set foot in the house for half a month, was sitting on the sofa waiting for me.

　　"Why did you just come back?"

　　Irvin frowned, not seeing my busy figure as soon as I came back as usual, and he seemed a little unhappy.

　　Seeing my pale and sickly complexion and wrinkled clothes, he subconsciously frowned and told me to take a shower first.

　　I nodded faintly and walked past him.

　　When I came out of the shower, he was still sitting on the sofa, and there was a pile of high-end luxury goods on the table.

　　He raised his chin slightly, "I bought these for you on my business trip."

　　They were all trendy styles, obviously just randomly picked by the salesperson.

　　And brought back to appease me.

　　I couldn't be bothered to look at them more, just casually dried my hair and asked him, "Remember to have the divorce agreement prepared. Contact me whenever you have time."

　　Irvin was very busy and was away from home for five days a week.

　　During this time, he was also very passionate with someone else, so busy that he needed Amelia to help him pick out birthday gifts.

　　I didn't care to accommodate him in this matter, as long as I could get a divorce, anything else was fine.

　　"Don't make a scene. You're still carrying my child. Do you want him to be born without a father?"

　　Irvin casually picked up a small box nearby and opened it. Inside were a set of diamond jewelry, a larger one for the mother and two smaller ones for the child. It was the most popular mother-child clasp at the moment.

　　"I had a miscarriage."

　　Before he could say anything, I interrupted him.

　　Irvin was stunned for a moment, and his eyes suddenly turned somewhat red.

　　Half a month ago, I suddenly experienced unbearable abdominal pain.

　　That day, Irvin happened to be home to pick up some documents. Before I could ask for his help, he received a call from Amelia.

　　He hurriedly drove off to resolve a difficult business deal for Amelia.

　　Meanwhile, I endured the pain and called an ambulance myself.

　　Just as I arrived at the hospital, I received intimate photos of him and Amelia.

　　My already precarious pregnancy couldn't hold on any longer. I was three months along, but the baby turned into a pool of blood and left my body.

　　The embryo hadn't been expelled completely.

　　Yesterday was supposed to be our wedding anniversary, but I had to go through the surgery alone.

　　Ironically, shortly after I came out of the operating room, I received that cat.

　　It felt like Irvin and Amelia were mocking my helplessness, each action feeling like a stab to my heart.

　　And he knew very well that I was terrified of cats.

　　Irvin suddenly stood up, gripping the box tightly, his knuckles turning white.

　　He didn't question why I hadn't told him.

　　Because that night, he hung up on me many times.

　　The only time he picked up, he said only one thing.

　　"I'm busy right now, don't bother me."

　　In the dead of night, what could he possibly be busy with Amelia?

　　"It's okay... We still have Michael."

　　He forced a casual laugh, but his expression was even uglier than if he had cried.

　　Before I could respond, he walked to the room and skillfully closed the door.

　　It seemed like he had forgotten that our true eldest son, Michael, had been separated from me since birth.

　　For so many years, he has harbored the most resentment towards me.

　　As I gazed at the closed door, for the first time, I didn't try to reconcile.

　　Throughout our seven years of marriage, I had always been the one to make amends in every conflict.

　　About half a year ago, our conflicts intensified, and I acted out of selfish desire, thinking that having another child whom I could raise myself would surely ease the tension in our family.

　　It would also allow me to experience the long-lost affection through the baby.

　　But I was wrong. With the baby's departure, the conflict between us had reached an irreconcilable point.

　　"Goodbye, Irvin."

　　I muttered to myself as I faced the door.

　　Early the next morning, I was still packing my things.

　　Amelia knocked on the door and stood pitifully with the fruit in her hand.

　　"Mrs. McDowell, I heard that you're going to divorce Mr. McDowell. Could you... please not act rashly?"

　　I leaned against the door, observing her carefully.

　　Amelia was Irvin's secretary, rumored to come from a poor family, but she was very diligent.

　　Her efforts were not only directed towards her work but also towards seducing Irvin.

　　I had seen her use countless excuses to lure Irvin away from me, and afterwards, she would claim that I was being petty and had misunderstood their relationship.

　　But what legitimate president would have such a close relationship with his secretary, spending time together even late at night?

　　I smiled, tears welling up in my eyes.

　　"I'm getting a divorce, and you're conveniently taking my place. Isn't that good?"

　　Upon hearing this, Amelia's face turned pale.

　　With tears in her eyes, she tried to explain, "Mrs. McDowell, I'm sorry. Mr. McDowell said you just lost your child. I thought having a pet would make you happy."

　　"You knew about my miscarriage even before Irvin did, and you executed it quite cleverly."

　　"No, it's not like that," Amelia shook her head, wanting to explain further, but then abruptly stopped and simply started crying silently.

　　"Delia Abigail, come at me if you're angry. Don't be angry with Amelia."

　　I didn't know when Irvin had appeared by my side.

　　He was cold all over and without a word, he embraced Amelia.

　　It was a scene of a hero saving a damsel in distress, a pitiful sight that I was quite familiar with.

　　In the past, Irvin used to protect me like that.

　　But now, he didn't say a word and left with Amelia right in front of me.

　　He didn't even look back once.

　　For several days, Irvin didn't come back.

　　Instead, I received a call from Michael.

　　He was six years old now, and since he was a month old, he had never stayed by my side. Irvin rarely let him have contact with me; whenever something came up, it was always Amelia who was called to handle it.

　　Irvin was right—Amelia was more like his mother than I was.

　　"Michael, why are you calling me?"

　　I asked, feeling a bit nervous since it had been so long since I heard his voice.

　　"Bad woman, where did you take Aunt Amelia?"

　　His childish cries came through the phone, and I felt as if I had been plunged into an ice pit.

　　He hadn't contacted me in a month, and now he was calling to question where Amelia had gone.

　　I tried to suppress my sorrow and comfort him, but he just kept crying.

　　I had no choice but to hang up and rush to the McDowell family's mansion.

　　When I arrived, I found a scene of a happy family.

　　Amelia was sitting in the spot that should have belonged to me, holding Michael and taking care of him tenderly. He was wiping away his tears, cradling a little orange cat in his arms, clearly enamored with it.

　　And Irvin was bending over to serve dishes, revealing a smile I hadn't seen in a long time.

　　Suddenly, I didn't feel like walking in. They looked like a real family, while I felt like an outsider.

　　"Mrs. McDowell?"

　　It was the housekeeper who spotted me, and instantly, all eyes turned towards me.

　　Mrs. Amy McDowell rolled her eyes, while Irvin and Amelia looked awkward.

　　I forced a casual smile, trying to appear unfazed. "Looks like I came at a bad time."

　　For a moment, no one spoke.

　　Suddenly, Michael, who was in Amelia's arms, pouted and shouted as he ran towards me.

　　In his haste, he knocked over a cup of coffee on the table, and the little cat let out a yelp and scurried away, accidentally crashing right into me.

　　"You're a bad woman. Go away!"

　　Michael rushed in front of me, pushing me away repeatedly.

　　"I don't want you to be my mommy! I want Aunt Amelia! I want Aunt Amelia!"

　　My eyes reddened as I looked at him, who I hadn't seen in so long, but he felt so unfamiliar to me.

　　When he was a month old, the McDowell family, fearing my alcoholic and gambling father would come after me, took him away under the guise of safety.

　　The only time I truly spent with him was that first month after his birth.

　　Michael looked just like his father, and now he was treating me with the same disdain, crying for me to go away.

　　"Michael, you shouldn't talk to your mom like that."

　　Amelia came to her senses and quickly ran over to hold Michael in her arms to comfort him.

　　Michael was already hyperventilating and kept asking me why I had come back.

　　I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

　　"Mrs. McDowell, Michael has been feeling down these days; please don't take it to heart."

　　These words made it seem as if I was the real outsider.

　　Upon hearing this, everyone looked at me with disdain.

　　I forced a smile and said to Amelia, "If you really want to compete for his affection, why not persuade your darling Mr. McDowell to divorce me sooner? Then you could be the legitimate Mrs. McDowell without any issues." They hadn't expected me to say this in front of the entire McDowell family, and Amelia's face turned anxious.

　　Irvin walked over with a stern expression, rebuking, "Michael doesn't understand; do you not understand either?"

　　Amelia's eyes flashed with delight as she pouted, pretending to sympathize while waiting to see the drama unfold.

　　I locked eyes with Irvin and gave him a scornful smile.

　　"Mr. McDowell, are you reluctant to divorce because you really care?"

　　Hearing this, Irvin frowned and asked, "Do you have to keep bringing this up?"

　　"The first one to mention divorce was you," I replied.

　　I held back tears as I recounted his wrongdoings during this time.

　　Initially, Irvin had merely been impatient with me, then he became increasingly dismissive.

　　I had cried and argued with him, only to receive the response, "If you can't stand it, just get a divorce!"

　　At that time, I didn't agree; I was still trying to salvage our marriage.

　　But later, he became more and more unreasonable.

　　During this time, Amelia appeared by his side more frequently, and he never bothered to explain anything to me.

　　I felt like a transparent person, as if my husband and child belonged to someone else.

　　They had nothing to do with me. And I, Delia, was just a joke!!

　　Irvin's face darkened as he gritted his teeth, "You'd better think carefully; if you divorce, I won't give you custody of Michael."

　　He knew that for these past few years, my biggest worry had been Michael.

　　Now, he could only threaten me with that.

　　But unfortunately for him, his plan was flawed.

　　I glanced at Michael, who was nestled in Amelia's arms, crying so hard, and for the first time, I didn't feel guilt.

　　"Do as you wish; I don't want either you or Michael."