Chapter 2

I've fallen in love with Vivienne for two years, and we've been married for five.

Before this incident occurred, our relationship had always been great.

Usually, it was indeed her who went out to work while I stayed home to do the housework.

But that was also because her father had been diagnosed with cancer at the time and needed someone to take care of him.

At that point, Vivienne couldn't get away, so she forced me to quit my job.

I cared for her father tirelessly for two years, and when I tried to return to the workforce, my position had already been filled.

It was Vivienne herself who said that we didn't need to have children now, and the money she earned was enough for us.

So she wanted me to continue taking care of her daily needs at home.

Every month she gives me 270 dollars for groceries, which isn't nearly enough when you factor in rent and utilities.

I felt awkward constantly asking for more, so I took up a side gig on my phone, specifically doing project designs.

Fortunately, my knowledge base from years ago was still intact, and I was in relatively easier circumstances. I even managed to save up two hundred thousand dollars.

I didn't feel like I owed her anything particularly.

But I never imagined that in Vivienne's mind, I had become a man living off his wife.

Thinking back to her recent coldness and distance, I suddenly had a hunch.

She and Draven, I'm afraid, had long since resumed contact. It's just that I only discovered the clues today. I rushed downstairs and sped all the way to the hotel entrance.

The moment the door opened, I swung my fist hard at Draven's face.

He and Vivienne had dated in college, but he dumped her after hooking up with a rich girl.

He even badmouthed Vivienne's looks and figure behind her back, saying she was desperate and clingy.

In no time, Vivienne found herself in a whirlwind of gossip, nearly falling into depression.

I was the one who helped her through that dark time, but now they were conspiring together again.

Draven was now sprawled on the floor from my punch, cursing angrily as he covered his head, "Dane, you've got some nerve showing up here!"

"You gold-digging loser, you could never make Vivienne happy. How dare you lay a hand on me!"

I was completely enraged. I pinned him down and pummeled him furiously, unleashing all my pent-up frustration and resentment in that moment.

Draven's voice gradually changed from defiant to pleading as I continued to beat him.

Just as I was about to let him go, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head.

Vivienne had smashed a vase over my head without mercy.

My body went limp, and I collapsed straight onto the shards of the broken vase. Vivienne didn't spare me a single glance, frantically helping Draven up, her voice still tinged with tears.

"Darling, are you alright? If you're hurt, my heart would break."

Clinging to my fading consciousness, I reached for the back of my head, only to find my hand covered in blood.

My shoulders, neck, and arms were also cut by the shards of the vase. I couldn't help but let out a whimper of pain.

Vivienne looked over at the sound, her eyes filled with venom and hatred.

She was wearing nothing but a bathrobe, apparently caught off guard by my interruption.

"Dane, let's get a divorce. I've wanted to end things with you for a long time now. You brought this on yourself today."

Having regained his composure, Draven aimed a kick at me. "If you hadn't interrupted us, I'd have been satisfied by now. This is all your fucking fault, damn it."

"Weren't you so tough just now? Come on, keep fighting."

On the brink of passing out, I struggled to pull my phone from my pocket, intending to call for help.

But Vivienne, mistaking my intentions for calling the police, snatched it away.

"So what if I hit you once? Is it necessary to act like you're on death's door? Dane, you're so pathetic."

"Besides, I didn't even hit you that hard. You..." She violently hurled my phone to the ground, the screen shattering instantly into countless pieces.

My vision gradually blurred, and then I completely lost consciousness.