Chapter 1

I begged my husband 304 times before he finally agreed to accompany me and take my father on his final journey out to sea.

But as I stood on the shore, my father's temperature slowly ebbed away in his wheelchair.

I never even saw my husband's shadow.

His pure love social media post showed photos of them watching clouds on the prairie.

"Escaping the mundane world, as long as I have you."

My finger slipped and I accidentally liked it. He immediately messaged me demanding:

"How many times have I told you not to bother Estella? If you can't control your hands, let's get divorced!"

I've lost count of how many times he's threatened divorce.

I'm tired of hearing it.

"Fine, let's divorce then."

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1

After the night had fallen and dawn approached, I finally finished handling my father's funeral arrangements.

At this late hour, Damien's pure love Estella posted another update.

The two of them were at a ranch, sitting around a campfire with the shepherds, gazing at the stars.

Damien, who never showed his face on social media, even commented on her photo:

"As long as you're happy."

Their mutual friends all sent their blessings.

Even though they all knew of my existence, they still felt that Damien and Cian were the real couple.

I might be his wife in name.

But I felt like an outsider who had taken advantage of Estella's absence.

Damien could go to the grasslands for Estella, despite the altitude sickness he couldn't bear.

Yet he wouldn't accompany me to the beach just a few miles away.

My hundreds of pleas couldn't compare to a single glance from Cian.

I was truly exhausted.

After I finished dealing with everything, I stood on the hospital rooftop, looking at the sparse stars in the city sky.

Only then did Damien call.

About the divorce I had mentioned in a reply hours ago.

"Aren't you tired of bringing up divorce to fight with me every other day?"

But you're the one who brings up divorce every time, Damien.

I opened my mouth to argue, but then felt it was pointless. He just thought I couldn't leave him, that I loved him, that I was willing to give him everything I had.

That's why he could threaten me with divorce without hesitation.

He knew I wouldn't leave. For the past eight years, I was always the one to back down first.

So he treated divorce as a tool to manipulate me.

Now, this is the first time I've brought up divorce, and it will be the last.

"My dad is gone now. You don't need to force yourself to act like a loving husband in front of him anymore."

Damien was silent for a while on the other end of the phone. When he spoke again, his tone had softened a bit.

"Where are you? I'll come keep you company."

Where am I?

Would he really ditch Estella and take a twelve-hour flight just to be with me?

I don't believe it for a second.

But Damien had already hung up.

I wanted to go home and rest, but as I was going downstairs, I somehow lost consciousness and tumbled down the stairs.