Chapter 1

Dawn had just broken on the horizon.

My wife, Elena Clifford, leaned against the headboard of our large bed in our bedroom as she scrolled through her phone, occasionally chuckling to herself.

I lay next to her. I couldn't stay awake any longer. My eyes had just fluttered close when Elena kicked me awake.

"Are you a pig? Your loud snoring's disturbing my peace and quiet. Put on the device."

Elena grabbed the anti-snoring device from the bedside cabinet and threw it at my face.

Although I didn't snore, I was forced to wear the device because Elena was mentally weak and suffered from nyctophobia.

I jolted fully awake when I thought about the video I had received last night and hurled the device to the floor. I had planned to confront her the next day because I was too exhausted, but at that moment, I realized that I couldn't wait another second longer.

"Let's get a divorce. You can force someone else to wear this stupid thing. I'm done."

Elena finally placed her phone down. She frowned and asked, "You want to get a divorce just because I'm annoyed by your loud snores? Don't you know that I'm mentally weak, Thomas?"

My loud snores? What a joke.

In the past, I had also believed that I snored loudly. In fact, I had even dropped by the hospital to get it checked out.

"You might as well stop breathing if your snores are considered loud," the doctor said.

Even so, I had worn the anti-snoring device whenever I slept because I wanted to provide Elena with the perfect sleeping environment.

I brandished my phone at her and demanded, "Are you truly mentally weak? Or are you just weak when it comes to me?"

A hint of panic flickered across Elena's face. "Music can help a person fall asleep. How can you possibly compare your snoring with Chris' guitar-playing?"

I scoffed. "Can that out-of-tune melody really be considered music?" I thought to myself.

From Elena's perspective, she never had an issue with the sounds around her. The only thing that she took offense at was the person who was making those sounds.

"Great! I'll vacate my position for him then. You can fall asleep to his wonderful music every night from now on."

Elena finally reached the end of her patience. She slammed her phone down on the bedside cabinet and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is it so wrong for me to want a good night's rest when I work myself to the bone when I'm away from home?

"You should find a job if you have nothing better to do, Thomas. Don't you dare complain when you're just a freeloader in this house."

She tossed the blanket aside and got off the bed. When she made it to the door, she glanced back at me and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. You were left in the dust a long time ago."

My heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow at that moment, but the pain cleared my mind.

I finally understood Elena's true character, the woman whom I had loved with all my heart—for whom I had given everything up.

I was determined to divorce her and restart my career.

…

I did everything that the Cliffords asked of me in the past few years. Although I had maintained my features and my figure, my current condition was far from enough. I wanted to return to my glory days.

Thus, I began dropping by the gym every day.

My phone chimed when I was taking a break.

It was Elena.

She hadn't shown her face ever since I told her that I wanted a divorce.

"Mom's on vacation now, Thomas. Don't forget to stop by her house to feed her dog. Don't you dare miss a single meal. Mom will weigh the dog when she's back."

I couldn't hold myself back anymore and cursed aloud for the first time as I read Elena's message. "Fuck off!"

Noticing that I was in a foul mood, my coach assumed that I was frustrated over the results of my training. He sat next to me and said with a smile, "This is what working out is like, Tom. It's very boring, but you have to stay disciplined. But…"

He pointed at a small, private room before continuing, "If you have a girlfriend, you can try out a couple's workout. It's way more fun!"