She only had two words for me.

"You're insane."

I walked home in the rain for three hours, soaked and looking pathetic, feeling like the road would never end.

Long enough for five years to replay in my head.

Long enough for something warm to go completely cold.

Gloria froze for a second, like she'd remembered what happened last time too.

But she didn't say anything. She just pulled a delicate diamond brooch from her pocket.

"This is for you."

I glanced at it. It looked familiar.

Two months ago, on my birthday, Gloria had her assistant deliver this exact brooch.

Back then, her assistant had said—

"Ms. Lawton's been really busy lately, but she still went out and picked this out for you herself."

Picked it out herself.

And now, two months later, she was giving me the exact same thing.

The old me would've lost it.

But I can't do that anymore.

I'm Gloria's perfect partner. Everything revolves around making her happy.

So I took the brooch and looked it over like I'd just gotten something amazing.

"It's beautiful." I looked at her and smiled. "I love it. Thanks."

Gloria looked caught off guard, like that wasn't the reaction she expected.

She was about to say something when her phone rang.

The ringtone was familiar.

It was the one she'd set just for Damian.

Giving someone their own ringtone was basically a confession.

I got it.

I looked away and casually played with the brooch in front of the mirror.

Gloria let out a quiet scoff and answered the call.

Damian's voice came through the speaker.

"Gloria, the results are back. You're pregnant!"

"Pregnant?"

Gloria went still, then pressed a hand against her stomach. Her face lit up instantly.

"I'm coming over."

She rushed into the bedroom. When she came back out, she'd changed into flats, the smile still on her face.

At the front door, our eyes met.

"The baby—"

"Congratulations."

We spoke at the same time.

Gloria's face turned cold instantly. "I don't care what you're planning, but I'm keeping this baby. You'd better behave yourself."

Then she shoved the door open and walked out.

I stared after her, confused, trying to figure out what she meant.

Then I caught my reflection in the mirror.

A perfect partner should make his wife's life easier.

Now that she was pregnant with Damian's child, Damian should be the one beside her.

I pulled out my laptop and started drafting the divorce papers.

***

News about Gloria's pregnancy spread through the Lawton family fast.

They were thrilled and immediately set up a family dinner, reminding her over and over to bring Damian.

Gloria barely ever took me back to the Lawton estate, but this time, she asked me to come too.

The old me would've said no.

The Lawtons never liked me.

They thought I came from nowhere and wasn't good enough for someone like Gloria.

Especially her mom, Jennifer. To her, I was a mistake in Gloria's life.

Damian was a celebrity from a wealthy family. He ran in the same circles as the Lawtons.

After finding out Gloria was pregnant with Damian's baby, Jennifer was probably the happiest person there.

But now, I just smiled and changed into the new white suit I'd bought.

I stood in front of Gloria and spread my arms.

"This is your favorite color. But you're pregnant now, and everyone's celebrating. Would it be weird if I wore white?"

Gloria's brows pulled together even more, her eyes sweeping over me again and again.

She rubbed her temples, already annoyed.

"Whatever. I'm going to pick up Damian."

By the time we got to the Lawton estate, Gloria and Damian were already there.

They were being treated like royalty, surrounded by people.

Jennifer was fastening an antique bracelet around Gloria's wrist.

"This has been in our family for years. I didn't give it to you before because you weren't pregnant. But now, thanks to Damian..."

Her face was all smiles.

Then she saw me.

Her smile disappeared instantly.

"What are you doing here?"

The disgust on her face wasn't even subtle. She looked ready to kick me out on the spot.

Around us, the guests turned to stare, obviously waiting for drama.

Gloria leaned against Damian's chest, her eyes half-lowered, like she was waiting for me to react.

Damian had this smug look in his eyes as he pulled her closer.

I smiled. "Jennifer, what are you talking about? You've always wanted a grandchild. That's on me. Five years of marriage, and I never got Gloria pregnant. Now she and Mr. Keane are expecting, and your wish finally came true. That's a good thing."

The whole room went dead quiet.

The smile disappeared from Gloria's face. She straightened up, her expression turning cold.

Even Jennifer stared at me like I'd completely lost it.

"Did you take something?"

She'd been waiting for me to blow up and get tossed out like garbage.

I kept smiling and set the gift down. "Mr. Keane, this is for you. Hope you like it."

Gloria used to hate it when I got jealous.

Now all I had for her pregnancy were good wishes.

I was being the kind of husband she wanted. Calm. Generous. Easygoing.

The kind that made her happy.

She should've been happy.

But her face only got darker as she stared at me.

"Go sit down. Stop making everyone wait on you. It's rude."

I nodded, but I still couldn't figure out why she looked upset.

Not that it mattered.

I brushed my fingers over the divorce papers in my bag.

Once I gave up my place as her husband, she'd finally be happy.

Gloria stayed attached to Damian the whole night.

I sat at the end of the long table, watching the way she looked after him. Even with a small piece of fish, she carefully picked out every bone before dropping it into his bowl.

Gloria used to treat me like that too.

When my stomach hurt, she'd rub it gently while tears filled her eyes.

If I wanted dessert from some bakery across town, she'd drive two hours through snow just to get it for me.

Once, she lit up the whole city with fireworks and proposed under a sky bright as daylight.

"I'll only ever love Mason Moore in this lifetime."

I frowned.

The Perfect Partner mindset the system had planted in me told me not to think about how good Gloria used to be to me.

The more you held on to things like that, the more you'd want.

And wanting too much would make me the kind of husband Gloria didn't want.

Since Gloria had treated me so well, I just needed to work harder and become the husband who made her happy.

But by the time dinner was over, I still hadn't found a chance to give her the divorce papers.

I stood by the door, waiting to head home with her, only to hear that she and Damian were staying at the Lawton estate for the night.

"You can go."

Her bangs fell over her eyes, hiding whatever expression was there.

I nodded and started walking out.

I had barely stepped outside when she called my name.

"Mason?"

I turned around, confused.

Gloria looked like she wanted to say something.

But she didn't.

She rubbed her temples, looking irritated. "Forget it. Text me when you get home."

Strange.

Ever since Damian showed up, this was the first time she'd seemed concerned about me.

At one in the morning, Gloria dragged me out of a dead sleep.

She stormed into the bedroom and yanked me out of bed.

Still half asleep, I rubbed my eyes and forced myself awake.

"Weren't you staying with Mr. Keane?"

The anger on her face only got worse.

"I thought you'd really changed. Turns out you're still the same. Jealous, petty, and willing to pull any dirty trick."

The disgust in her voice wasn't even hidden.

My chest tightened with hurt and guilt.

Why couldn't I ever make her happy, no matter what I did?

I reached for her hand. "What happened?"

"You seriously have the nerve to ask?"

Gloria shoved me away.

My forehead slammed into the corner of the bed. Pain shot through me, making my eyes water.

I pushed through it and looked up at her. "I really don't know."

"Still pretending?"

Gloria slammed a bottle of cologne onto the floor.

Glass shattered everywhere. The strong scent instantly filled the room, making me cough.

"You knew Damian was allergic to this brand, and you still gave it to him as a gift. What the hell were you trying to do?"

My mind went blank.

I stared at the broken glass on the floor.

I never gave Damian cologne.

I never even bought any.

Gloria knew I was mildly allergic to cologne too.

If she'd stopped and thought about it for even a second, she would've known I wasn't the one who sent it.

But this involved Damian.

When you care too much, logic goes out the window.

As a perfect partner, I couldn't expect Gloria to stay rational all the time.

Especially when it came to the man she loved.

So I didn't explain.

A husband who makes her happy doesn't argue. Doesn't push back.

I lowered my eyes and quietly got out of bed, stepping onto the broken glass scattered across the floor.

I ignored the blood dripping from my feet, staining the carpet red.

"Gloria..."

Her eyes widened.

She shoved me back onto the bed.

"Are you insane?"

I froze.

Why did her voice sound like it was shaking?

I reached for her hand again.

"Gloria, I'm sorry. I'll go apologize to Mr. Keane. Don't be mad, okay?"

But the "okay" I was waiting for never came.

Gloria suddenly went still.

She stayed quiet for a long time before finally looking up at me.

Confusion filled her eyes.

Confusion, uncertainty... and then slowly, panic.

She couldn't understand why I wasn't arguing anymore. Why I wasn't making a scene. Why I'd suddenly become so easygoing it felt wrong.

She just stared at me in silence, but the panic in her eyes only grew.

Like she was about to lose something she couldn't afford to lose.

I couldn't understand what she was thinking.

Even the Perfect Partner Program couldn't tell me what to do.

I could only look back at her, tears slowly filling my eyes.

What did I have to do to make her happy?

In my panic, my hand brushed against the divorce papers under the pillow.

Then it hit me.

That had to be it.

I still hadn't brought up divorce.

I still hadn't given Gloria and the man she loved what they wanted.

As long as I handed her the divorce papers, she'd be happy.

Then I'd finally satisfy her.

I'd be the perfect husband. The husband she actually wanted.

So I pulled out the divorce agreement I'd prepared earlier.

Under Gloria's increasingly shaken stare, I handed it to her.

"I get it now." I looked at her and smiled. "I'll let you go. So..."

"Let's get divorced."