“Mom’s fine. The doctor said she’s recovering quickly. You don’t need to take it out on me.”

“Daniel, I mean it—if being with me just makes the both of us miserable, maybe we should—”

Before I could finish, Daniel’s tone softened.

“Sorry, I was just anxious earlier. I spoke too harshly.”

“Don’t do that again. She’s my mom—if you don’t feel for her, I do.”

“I’ll come to the hospital to pick you both up. The doctor says you can be discharged.”

After hanging up, I stared at the dark phone screen, lost in thought.

Over the past two days, I’d scrolled through nearly every one of Chloe Miller’s updates.

Since the last incident, she and Daniel had been getting bolder and bolder.

The Porsche was no longer enough for her to flaunt—her latest photo was of the two of them lying on a king-sized bed in a hotel’s presidential suite.

The caption read:

“Thanks for the advice, everyone—this good man is mine now!”

“When we get married, drinks are on me!”

The post already had over ten thousand likes. I stared at that number, unable to look away.

Margaret Brooks seemed to notice something and sighed heavier with each passing day.

When Daniel went to handle the discharge paperwork, she quietly slipped a bank card into my hand, pressing a finger to her lips to signal “shh.”

“This is the money Daniel gave me for my retirement. I know my son has wronged you. If you decide to divorce him, let this be my compensation to you.”

I hurried to give it back.

“Mom, we’re all family. You don’t need to say that.”

“Emma, you saved my life. This money is yours by right. No matter what happens between you and Daniel, I just hope you’ll be happy in the future.”

Margaret tossed the card into my lap and quickly left the room.

I stood by the window, watching her get into the car with Daniel and drive away.

A message from him popped up on my phone:

“I’m taking Mom back to her hometown. Wait for me at the hospital entrance.”

I stood outside in the cold wind for four hours, but Daniel never showed up.

When my body could no longer take it, I hailed a cab home—only for Daniel to walk in right after I arrived.

He tossed his car keys beside me and yelled:

“Why did you leave without telling me? Do you know how long I was waiting for you at the hospital?”

I looked up at him, baffled.

I had waited four hours and he never appeared—yet now he was accusing me of not waiting?

“If you wanted me to tell you, shouldn’t you first take me off your blocked list?”

“Daniel, I’ve been taking care of your mom all this time, and when I come back, you don’t even say thank you. Is this your idea of being a husband?”

The anger on his face vanished instantly, his lips pressed into a tight line.

“That’s not what I meant. I was just… worried about you.”

Worried I’d have an accident—or worried I wouldn’t?

Then he pulled a bag from behind his back and handed it to me.

“I went out of my way to stop for this on the way back. I remember you like this cake. Come on, let’s not drag this out—anger just makes women age faster.”

I stared at the brand name on the bag for a long time without speaking.

Yes, this shop was indeed out of the way—but more importantly, it was right outside Chloe Miller’s apartment complex.

And I’d stopped eating sweets after I turned twenty-five.

Even so, I opened the bag, trying to give us both a shred of dignity.

That was, until I saw that the fruit on top of the cake had been deliberately scooped out.

A surge of anger flared inside me.

I shoved the cake straight into the trash and said coldly:

“Forget it. I’m too old, my metabolism’s slow—I’m not fit to eat the desserts young girls like.”

I turned to head upstairs, and that’s when Daniel completely exploded.

“What is your problem? I already bought you something to apologize—what more do you want?”

“Yes, you worked hard taking care of my mom, but that was your choice. When did I ever beg you to do it? Even without you, I could’ve found another matching kidney. Don’t think that saving my mom once makes you some kind of saint I have to worship.”

I let out a cold laugh, staring him straight in the eye.

“You think I took care of your mom to tie you to me? Don’t flatter yourself. Yes, it was my choice—and even if you weren’t her son, I still would have done it.”

“Daniel, stop putting yourself on a pedestal. To others, you might be a prize, but to me, you’re just an irresponsible, inadequate husband.”

I lifted my foot to head upstairs, but Daniel grabbed my wrist.

“So all of this is because you’re mad I bought Chloe a dress? Emma, you’re already twenty-eight—not some young girl anymore. There are plenty of young, beautiful women out there. How long are you going to keep getting jealous over them?”

“I’ve told you a hundred times—Chloe is my sister. We’re completely innocent. If you insist on misunderstanding, then think what you want. I’ve explained all I can.”

I nodded numbly and shook his hand off.

“Right, you’ve explained, and I’ve listened. Now can I go?”

Daniel looked like he was about to lose his mind, raking both hands through his hair in frustration.

“Emma, what do you even want? You insulted Chloe first, so I bought her a gift to make amends. If you weren’t going to pay for it, who was?

I know you’ve worked hard looking after my mom, but did I ever tell you to apologize to Chloe in person? No, right? I’ve already done more than enough—groveling out there for you, then coming home to your cold face. What do I owe you?”

I was about to say the word “divorce” when his phone suddenly rang.

The ringtone was a love song—Chloe’s custom ringtone.

The girlishly sweet voice was cloying.

The anger on Daniel’s face disappeared instantly.

Glancing at the screen, he didn’t even look at me as he said:

“Something came up at work. I won’t be back tonight. Cool off by yourself.

If you keep being this stubborn, the only thing left for us to talk about is divorce.”

I remembered he had handled my discharge from the hospital but hadn’t picked up my medication.

So I put on my coat to go get it myself.

Just as I was changing shoes, he stopped in his tracks, irritation written all over his face.

“You’re going to follow me to work now? Can you stop being so controlling? Do you know how suffocating you are right now?

Why don’t you just buy a dog leash and chain me up at home?”

With that, he tossed his keys down.

“Fine, you go. I’m not going anymore. I won’t work either. I’ll just stay home—you can support me.”

In the past, whenever he went out at night, I would remind him over and over to be careful.

But now, I didn’t even care about this marriage—much less this so-called husband.

I looked at him coldly.

“I’m just going to the pharmacy around the corner.”

A flash of embarrassment crossed his face.

“You should’ve said so earlier. I’ll take you—it’s on the way.”

The atmosphere in the car was stifling.

When we passed by a pharmacy, I told him to stop.

Daniel visibly relaxed, still putting on an act of concern.

“Be careful.”

As I got out, Chloe Miller’s video call popped up on his phone.

Her playful voice rang out:

“Let me see—since you didn’t reply to my messages earlier, is it because there’s another woman in the car?”

I turned my head and caught his gaze.

Flustered, he quickly muted it.

“Just watching some videos.”

Not bothering to argue, I turned and walked straight into the pharmacy.

Behind me, I heard the roar of his engine as his car sped away—every rev a testament to his urgency.

To my surprise, the clerk told me the store was too small to carry the prescription I needed.

I pulled out my phone to search for other pharmacies nearby.

The only one that carried the medication was near Chloe Miller’s apartment.

With no other choice, I hailed a cab there.

I had just found the medicine on the shelf when the curtain at the back rustled, and I heard a familiar voice.

“Daniel, this emergency pill won’t hurt my body, right? I’ve never taken it before—it’s all for you. If you ever change your mind about me, I’ll just die!”

In the reflection of the glass, I saw Daniel Brooks smiling tenderly as he patted her forehead.

“You really think I came here just to buy you medicine? If you actually get pregnant, just have the baby. I’ll take care of it. After all, I’ve been working for years—I’ve got money. If I don’t give it to you, who else would I give it to?”

“Then why did you call me out so late at night?” Chloe pouted at him playfully.

Daniel leaned close to her ear and whispered:

“There’s a new brand of hyaluronic acid serum out—heard it’s really good. Don’t you want to try it?”

“You’re so bad…”

I stayed hidden in the corner until they left, then stepped out to pay.

Even though I’d already suspected it, hearing and seeing my husband cheat with my own eyes still hurt more than I wanted to admit.

Seven years married, three years dating before that—there aren’t many decades in a lifetime.

He had taken up half of mine.

But spoiled love is like spoiled food—if you don’t throw it out in time, the only one you hurt is yourself.

After paying, I took a cab home and called a lawyer friend on the way, asking them to prepare divorce papers.

That night, lying in bed, I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw scenes from when we were in love.

They flashed through my mind like a final burst of light before death—

Daniel waiting outside my dorm for me before class.

Daniel standing in line for two hours just to bring me food.

Daniel kneeling on one knee at graduation, proposing in front of the entire school…

At 3 a.m., I finally felt drowsy. Ten minutes after I shut my eyes, my phone rang.

The moment I picked up, the caller hung up.

Daniel immediately sent me a message:

“Help me.”

Below was a location—at a bar.

Remembering how he had once ended up with a perforated stomach from drinking too much at a work function, I gritted my teeth and got dressed to go.

In my heart, I told myself—this will be the last time.

But when I reached the door of the private room, through the glass I saw Daniel sitting there perfectly fine.

The suit I had picked out for him was tossed carelessly aside.

His shirt was wrinkled from Chloe’s pulling.

The two of them were kissing passionately while their friends egged them on.

When they finally broke apart, a thin thread of saliva still clung between their lips.

I couldn’t hold back my anger any longer and stormed inside.

“You called me out in the middle of the night just so I could watch you cheat?”

His expression froze, and he stood up in a panic.

“What are you doing here?”

“Were you following me?”

The anger in his eyes looked real.

At that moment, there was nothing left for me to misunderstand.

Chloe clung to his arm, feigning weakness.

“Who’s this? Does the staff here have no manners? Barging in without knocking?”

Leaning closer and recognizing me, she covered her mouth and laughed.

“Oh, Emma, it’s you. Sorry, I thought you were some cleaning lady. Why did you come out without makeup? You look like a ghost.”

From the side, one of Daniel’s friends chimed in, clearly enjoying the drama:

“Uh-oh, the tiger wife is here to settle accounts.”

Chloe straightened up, toying with the Porsche 911 key fob in her hand.

“Don’t be mad, Emma. I just lost a game, and the penalty was to kiss someone in the room. I didn’t know anyone else here, so I picked my brother.”

Smack!