3

"Betty, you know how important this arrangement is to both families."

"I know, yeah, I do." I nodded.

"Then you understand that we can't make such a decision without considering the consequences."

I closed my eyes. "I've considered them. I've considered this marriage for an entire year, Dad. I've tried to make it work, but I can't keep doing this."

"Come home tomorrow. We'll talk properly." He said.

"All right." After ending the call, I ordered a taxi.

I had a difficult conversation ahead of me, and I knew my father wouldn't agree easily. The contract had brought benefits to both families, and ending it would affect more than just Jayson and me.

But that didn't mean I had to remain trapped in it.

When the taxi arrived, I entered inside and gave the driver the address of the mansion.

The mansion was quiet when I returned.

The golden lights were still glowing in the dining room. The flowers remained arranged at the center of the table, and the cake sat untouched beneath its glass cover.

Everything was exactly as I'd left it.

I stood in the doorway for a moment before I walked to the table and picked up the small card beside his cake.

“Happy Birthday, Hubby. With all my love.”

I stared at it before setting it down.

Then I switched off the lights.

One by one, the golden glow disappeared, leaving the dining room in darkness.

I wasn't going to preserve a celebration for a man who had chosen to spend his birthday with someone else.

Upstairs, I retrieved my suitcase from the wardrobe and placed it on the bed.

I'd packed it days ago, though I never found the courage to leave. At the time, I told myself it was only a precaution.

Now, I know better.

I folded a few more clothes and placed them inside.

Then I opened the drawer of my bedside table and took out the envelope containing the divorce papers my lawyer had prepared weeks ago.

I'd asked for them after one of the many nights Jayson had come home late, barely acknowledging my presence before disappearing into his room.

I kept the papers hidden because I was afraid of what signing them would mean.

But tonight, the thought of remaining in this marriage frightened me more.

I placed the envelope inside my handbag.

I wasn't going to make another decision based on the hope that Jayson might change.

The sound of the front door opening made me pause.

I glanced at the clock.

Jayson was home.

For a moment, I considered staying upstairs and waiting until morning. I could leave the papers with my lawyer and let him handle the conversation.

But I didn't want to hide from my own decision.

I wanted Jayson to hear it from me, so I put the envelope in my handbag, left the suitcase beside the bed and walked downstairs.

Just then, Jayson entered the living room, loosening his tie as he walked.

He stopped when he noticed me standing near the dining room.

"Why are the lights off?" He reached for the switch, illuminating the room.

His gaze moved over the decorations before settling on me.

"Didn't you prepare something for my birthday?"

I stared at him.

Of all the things he could have said, that was what he'd chosen.

"I did."

"Then why is everything packed away?"

"Because I realized the person I prepared it for had other plans."

His expression changed. "What does that mean?"

I held his gaze. "I went to Morris Hotel."

Then his jaw tightened. "What were you doing there?"

"I saw Jewel."

He exhaled sharply, looking away. "Betty, you shouldn't have gone there."

I almost laughed. "You think that's the problem?"

"I don't want a scene."

"Neither do I, Jayson. That's why I'm trying to have a conversation with you."

He loosened his tie and tossed it onto the nearby sofa.

"Then say what you have to say."

There had been a time when I would have taken his impatience as a sign that I'd disappointed him. I would have rushed to explain myself, hoping to soften his expression.

"Your parents were there," I said. "They told me they were celebrating your birthday with your one true love."

His expression darkened.

"Why are you involving my parents in this?"

"I'm not involving them. They were the ones who told me."

He dragged a hand over his face. "Betty, I don't have the energy for this."

I swallowed the response rising in my throat.

“Of course you don't have the energy, afterall you spent his birthday with the woman you loved. Now you're back home, and your wife is asking him to acknowledge what everyone else already knew. How exhausting that must have been for you.” I glanced at the dining table. "I prepared all of this for you. I wanted to celebrate your birthday with you."

Jayson followed my gaze. "I didn't ask you to."

The words landed between us.

I nodded slowly.

“Wow,” I nodded. “You're right, you didn't ask me to do anything."

For once, I wasn't going to argue with him about the effort I'd made or ask him to appreciate something he'd never wanted.

I had prepared the celebration because I loved him.

I reached into my handbag and took out the envelope.

Jayson's eyes dropped to it.

"What's that?"

I held it out. "Divorce papers."

His gaze snapped back to mine."What?"

“Let’s get a divorce,” I said.

For a moment, Jayson didn’t react.

Then he chuckled, as though I just told him a joke.

“Because you found out Jewel is back, you want to threaten me with a divorce?”

His lips curled into that familiar smirk that had once made my heart flutter.

Now, it only made me wonder how I had ever found comfort in it.

I smiled calmly.“Do you really think I’m threatening you?”

His amusement deepened. “Isn’t that what this is? You found out Jewel is back, and now you’re throwing a tantrum.”

I stared at him, struggling to believe what I was hearing.

A tantrum?

“Jayson, you celebrate your birthday with the woman you love. I saw how you looked at her. And now you’re standing here acting as though I’m the one making a scene?”

“Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be, Betty. I do not owe you loyalty, you're just my wife because of the contract we signed and you know that!” He said.

“Yes, you owe me nothing. I’m done being your housewife. I’m done pretending that I have a husband when I’m always alone. I want a divorce. Is that clear enough?” I said, without any emotions. “The divorce papers. Sign them and send them to my father’s mansion.”

He looked up at me, and I met his gaze without flinching.

A maid appeared behind me, pulling my suitcases into the living room. She placed them near the entrance before giving a brief bow and leaving.

Jayson’s eyes followed her.

Then he looked at the luggage. “Betty, are you drunk?”

I let out a humorless laugh. “You think I need to be drunk to leave you?”

I turned toward my suitcases, but before I could take another step, Jayson moved.

His arms wrapped around me.

I froze.

For a moment, I couldn’t understand what was happening. His warmth surrounded me, and my heart began to race.

Jayson had never hugged me like this.

Not once in all the time we had been married.

My hands remained at my sides. I was too stunned to move, too confused to understand why he was suddenly holding me.

Was this what I had wanted all along?

A simple embrace from my husband?

I hated how quickly my heart responded. Despite everything he had said, some foolish part of me still wanted to believe that this meant something.

That he had finally realized I was serious.

That perhaps, for once, he didn’t want me to go.

Then he pulled away.

His hands lingered on my waist, and he smiled.

“Finally, Betty,” he said. “You’re back to your senses.”

I blinked.

“What?”

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to file for divorce?”

Waiting? I was stunned.

Jayson glanced at the papers in his hands, looking more relieved than I had ever seen him.

“I thought you’d do it the moment I told you how much I love Jewel,” he continued. “But you didn’t.”

The words settled between us.

I stared at him, unable to understand how he could say something like that so casually.

“You’ve been waiting for me to leave?”

“Of course. I didn’t want to force you into anything.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“Force me? Jayson, you didn’t have to force me. You made it clear every single day that you didn’t want me here.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

He rubbed his forehead, already looking impatient.

“I knew you wanted this marriage to work. I thought you’d eventually come to terms with the fact that we weren’t right for each other.”

I swallowed hard.

“So while I was trying to make things work, you were waiting for me to give up?”