By midnight, the noises coming from the living room had died down. I lay curled up on the bed and stared blankly into space. Tears streamed down my cheeks despite my efforts to hold them back.

I picked up the photo frame placed on the bedside table and traced my finger along the outline of our faces, hoping to feel the warmth and happiness captured in the photo.

I smiled bitterly. Derek had blocked me from viewing his social media account. He had to since he could not possibly let me find out he was openly expressing his love for someone else.

I thought that Derek had loved me for my pureness and innocence. Yet, it turned out what he liked about me was the complete faith I had in him. I was completely oblivious for the past nine years.

My gaze fell on his tablet. After keying in Ivy's birthday, I managed to get the tablet unlocked.

I felt as though sharp knives were driven into my heart as I scrolled through Derek's social media account.

Every year during our wedding anniversary, he would use work as an excuse to meet and fool around with Ivy.

All of the posts on his social media account consisted of photos of him and Ivy. The only post about me was a photo of an old medical report indicating I had a miscarriage.

The comments section was filled with well wishes for Derek. Some questioned why he posted something like that. Yet, Derek expressed a firm stance through his comment.

"No one should have to be bound by marriage. I simply want to be with the person I truly love."

Tears blurred my vision before they plopped down onto the screen of the tablet. My hands and feet were cold as I turned off the tablet. I was in so much pain and despair that I felt light-headed.

I took out the medical report that I had folded in half several times. I broke down in tears yet again when I looked at the results of the diagnosis once more.

I steeled myself and phoned my best friend, Yvonne Smith, who was a lawyer.

"Yvonne, Derek cheated on me with another woman… I'll send you the evidence I've gathered. I want a divorce. I may have to file for a divorce lawsuit if things don't go as planned."

"Derek cheated on you?" Yvonne exclaimed in disbelief.

Ever since I married Derek, I became a full-time housewife and cut off almost all connections with the outside world. Yvonne was the only friend I had left.

I called her out of the blue and surprised her with such shocking news.

"Mhm," I replied calmly.

I had given up on a lot of things for Derek.

Yvonne accepted my request right away. I took photos of what I saw on Derek's social media account and saved them. Also, I decided to rent a room elsewhere and stay there instead.

I started gathering my belongings.

Derek was always busy with work. There were often days when he would be away from home.

There were not that many things in the house that linked us together. The ones that actually did were the nine pairs of earrings stored inside my jewelry box.

I finally realized what these nine pairs of earrings signify. Derek would give me a pair of earrings each time he cheated on me. The nine pairs of earrings indicated that it was already the ninth year Derek had been doing this.

I stood facing the jewelry box, lost in thought.

I was somewhat aware of Derek and Ivy's relationship from the start. Still, I figured it would be over between them once Derek and I got married. Moreover, it was Ivy who had dumped Derek back then.

Derek was deeply hurt by the breakup when I first got to know him. I thought I was the one who had reignited the feelings of love and passion in him. So, I did my best to treat Derek well.

While those feelings were indeed reignited within him, they were not directed toward me.

As I was packing my suitcase, I happened to notice a small wooden box placed on a bookshelf. It was locked with a combination lock. The password was still Ivy's birthday.

"I've decided to divorce Sienna. However, I'll give myself a month. I'll get rid of the divorce agreement if I happen to change my mind afterward.

"Still, Ivy is the one I love. She can't live without me."

I could sense his decisiveness through his neat handwriting. I had not realized that Derek yearned for Ivy so much. There were many things that I wanted from him, yet he never gave them to me.

He had never stopped loving Ivy. Derek simply chose to do it while keeping me in the dark.

Inside one of the drawers of the bookshelf, a divorce agreement was hidden underneath a stack of documents. Derek had already signed his name on the agreement.

I lost the strength and will to hold onto this relationship. It felt as though I was falling into a cold, bottomless pit. I spent the rest of the night in deep anguish and sorrow.

As the sky slowly brightened the next day, I did just as Derek wished and signed the agreement.

I placed the divorce agreement on the coffee table in the living room. Derek would probably be very pleased to see it once he returned home.

Leaving the house I had lived in for nine years still made me feel a bit sad.

The phone in my pocket vibrated just then. It was a text message from my doctor asking me to visit the hospital for another check-up. I suppressed the turbulent emotions inside me.

I took a cab to get to the hospital. Somehow, Derek's face came into my mind. I wondered how he would feel when he eventually saw the divorce agreement.

Yet, just as I lifted my gaze, I spotted the person that had been on my mind all the way.

Derek stood outside the entrance of the obstetrics and gynecology department. Ivy Andrews was standing right beside him.

Derek circled his arms around Ivy and lightly brushed the tip of her nose with his finger. The two of them looked like a happy, loving couple.

Perhaps it was because I was staring at them intently, Derek soon noticed me. He hurriedly let go of Ivy and pulled back his hands. He came up to me, looking flustered.

"Sienna, what are you doing here?"

Derek swallowed nervously. He kept eyeing Ivy to send her signals.

"I just came back after completing my last shift. Ivy's feeling a bit unwell. I happened to run into her, so I decided to accompany her to the hospital for a check-up.

"You know that Ivy and I are just friends. She doesn't know her way around yet since she's just arrived in our city recently. I can't possibly turn a blind eye to her predicament. You shouldn't overthink."

His explanation was sound and flawless. Derek was convinced he would be able to fool me by saying that.

If it were before, I would have trusted him wholeheartedly. Yet, that was not the case anymore.

I pretended to have bought his claims. I did not make a fuss about anything. Derek appeared as though he had not expected me to react so calmly. He opened his mouth but could not think of what to say.

Ivy, who had remained silent all this time, stepped forward. Her lips lifted in a soft smile.

"Derek and I are close friends. You're not upset about that, right? I hope you won't overthink it. I was the one who had asked Derek for his help."

Derek stared at Ivy with an intense, loving gaze as she spoke. I could not even recall how long it had been since the last time I saw him having that look in his eyes.

I felt my mouth go dry. Then, I said in a cracked voice, "I know. You're just friends."

My frigid tone irked Derek.

He gave me a hefty shove and asked sharply, "Sienna, what were you really doing here at the hospital?"

His voice hardened as a thought occurred to him.

"Sienna Jameson, I never imagined you were someone who'd do something like this! You secretly followed me just because I couldn't make it to celebrate our wedding anniversary?"

"That's what he's thinking? That's rich coming from him," I thought.

"I don't have the time or patience to do something like that. You're overthinking things," I retorted.

Derek grew more and more displeased as he listened to the icy tone in my voice. He was seething with anger, yet he seemed to be having trouble verbalizing his thoughts.

It was probably because I was usually too eager to keep him pleased.

"Sienna, don't be too greedy. Haven't I treated you well enough?" Derek raised his voice and vented his frustrations at me.

I could not be anymore disappointed. I was still clutching the latest medical report in my hand.

However, Derek did not notice it since he had all of his focus on Ivy instead.

When he did not get any response from me, Derek knitted his brows and let out a sigh. Then, he asked cautiously, "Are you feeling upset?"

It turned out he was not completely blind.

I forced a smile. "No, I'm not. It's probably because I didn't sleep well last night."

The atmosphere was growing tense gradually. Ivy dropped her gaze briefly. Suddenly, she leaned toward Derek's chest.

"I'm sorry, Derek. I shouldn't have troubled you in the first place. It's all my fault that Sienna's ended up in a bad mood now."

Derek instinctively placed his arm around Ivy's shoulders and pulled her closer. His voice was tinged with concern.

"It's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. Why should you feel bad asking for help from a long-time friend? It's not like we did anything wrong."

The two of them completely ignored me as they gazed into each other's eyes longingly.

I averted my gaze from them and decided to walk past them. I had only taken a few steps forward when Derek caught hold of my arm.

"Sienna, I'll take you on a trip overseas once my schedule frees up. I know you're sad about us not celebrating our wedding anniversary this year. Just be a bit more patient. I'll definitely keep my promise."

I was forced to stop and look into his eyes. However, Derek kept his arm around Ivy's shoulders and proceeded to whisper something next to her ear. They made such a lovely pair as they walked away side by side next to each other.

My heart had already been ripped into pieces. I felt nothing even as I looked at those two now.

I had signed the divorce agreement just as Derek wished. From now on, I would refrain from going to places where I might run into him.

I received horrible news when the results of my check-up were out. Although ovarian cancer might be curable, I could only rely on using medication to prolong my life since my cancer was already in its late stages.

I did not have much time left. At this point, I had lost the will to live anyway. Perhaps death was also a way to put me out of my misery.

Derek would also finally get the chance to be with the person he truly loved.

…

For two whole weeks after my visit to the hospital, Derek did not realize I had moved out of his house. He was probably too engrossed in spending all his time with Ivy.

The last text message that could be seen in the chat window shared between me and Derek was from two weeks ago.

"I need to work a lot of shifts recently, so I won't be coming home."

Derek finally started sending new text messages today.

"Sienna, I've been working extra shifts for the past few weeks. My colleagues can replace me for my shifts for the next few days, so I can come home and spend some time with you soon.

"Why have you been so cold to me lately? You haven't sent me any messages at all. I've been thinking about you all this time.

"I'll take it that you're just throwing tantrums now."

I felt annoyed after seeing those messages, so I turned off my phone. Around midnight, I received dozens of missed calls from Derek when he saw that I did not reply to his messages.

When I eventually blocked his number, Derek started sending me messages nonstop by using other numbers.

He had probably seen the divorce agreement that I had left on the coffee table. When I clicked on the messages, I could sense Derek's panic and agitation through his words. He was clearly anxious as he asked me various questions.

"Sienna, where the heck are you?

"Who gave you permission to sign the divorce agreement?"