I felt nothing. “Crossing the line? Do you forget that you are the one kissing someone else? Spare me the lectures, Marvin. Just get a divorce.”
The word divorce made his expression change instantly.
I could tell he was on the brink of losing his temper.
But with all the onlookers, he forced a sigh of exasperation instead. “Stop making a scene. Let’s talk about this later, okay? Be good, Ariadne.”
At that moment, Lindsay piped up again from the ground, her voice soft and sickly sweet. “Marvin… I’m feeling a little dizzy.”
Marvin hesitated, glancing at me. I gave him a cold smile. “Go on. Don’t keep her waiting.”
I said it as calmly as I could, but watching him walk over to her filled me with a deep, aching bitterness.
Reflecting on the fact that I had rebelled against my family and severed all connections just to be with him, I couldn’t help but feel utterly foolish.
He gently touched my hair, soothing me as he had done countless times when we had arguments. “Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”
The moment he turned away, my smile froze, my face going blank.
My scalp prickled with revulsion.
A nauseating wave churned in my stomach. I spun around, barely making it to a trash can, before I vomited everything inside me.
02
“Are you really going to divorce him?”
I met my best friend, Raelyn Hilton, for dinner. When she heard about what had happened, her shock was palpable.
After all, in her eyes, Marvin had always seemed like a good man.
None of us had thought he would be like this.
“Yes.”
There was no way I could ignore what he had done.
This marriage had to end.
“What about Mindy?”
At the mention of my daughter, my heart sank further. The memory of her standing in front of Lindsay, defending her, flashed through my mind. I shook my head. “I won’t keep either of them.”
To be honest, it wasn’t Marvin who hurt me the most. It was my daughter.
I never thought she’d say something so cruel, words that cut me to the core.
“God, I can’t believe it. You two were so good together. How did it come to this?”
After dinner, Raelyn dropped me off at home.
When I arrived, the house was empty. Marvin and Mindy hadn’t returned yet.
I stared at the family photos on the walls, their bright, cheerful smiles now dripping with irony.
What had once been a picture of a happy family was now shattered, all because of Lindsay.
I ran my hand over the photos, lost in thought.
Marvin didn’t come from a well–off family. Mine, on the other hand, was a well–known business clan in Aeloria. We’d met in college, studying in the same department. He worked part–time jobs, often picking up my packages.
I was drawn to his determination and optimism.
Before long, we were together.
Four years into the relationship, I brought him home, only to face fierce opposition from my family.
My mother had said he could never make me happy, that I shouldn’t be fooled by appearances.
But I was convinced Marvin had potential and ambition.
Most importantly, he loved me.
From the moment we got together, he had cared for my every mood, surprising me with thoughtful gestures.
I loved him deeply.
My mother and I had a heated argument. She refused to accept him, and in my stubbornness, I cut ties with my family. When Marvin found out, he was overwhelmed. That night, he held me and cried for hours.
He promised me.
2:15 PM
“Ariadne, I’ll never let you down.”
I believed him completely.
O
e
The year Marvin decided to start his own business, I poured all my savings into his venture. I accompanied him to meetings, drank with clients, and hustled alongside him.
As his success grew, we moved into a bigger house, bought a luxury car, and eventually got married.
Then we had Mindy.
I thought our happiness would last forever.
However, later, Lindsay came along and destroyed everything.
I started packing up the house. This was the home Marvin had bought with the first big paycheck from his startup.
Every piece of decor had been chosen with my tastes in mind.
After Mindy was born, the house had become filled with family touches.
We had countless cute mugs about our family and matching family outfits.
I threw them all into the trash.
I ripped down the photos from the walls, one by one.
When I lit the lighter, ready to burn them, Marvin and Mindy walked in.
“What are you doing?”
Marvin ran toward me, grabbing the lighter and tossing it aside.
The flame singed his fingers, but he didn’t seem to care.
Even though he tried so hard to save them, the photos were already ashes scattered in the trash.
His eyes reddened, his voice trembling. “Why are you burning the photos?”
They were memories of the last ten years.
But that was all they were. They were only memories.
I thought, “This family is falling apart. What is the point of keeping them?”
I looked at him blankly. “Why would I keep them?”
My cold tone seemed to strike a nerve.
