Chapter 1

Ariel Meyers turned sharply to stare at me.

She demanded, "What did you just say, Matthew Tanner?"

I replied, "I said, let's get a divorce. You can go back to being Isaac's wife and Gianna's mother. I want out."

"Matt! Don't say things out of anger—"

"It's not that," I said, interrupting her. "It's something that I've been thinking about for a long time and only finally made the decision recently."

Ariel was completely stunned. "You…"

I suddenly chuckled. "Actually, I know that you can't bear to sever all ties with your ex-husband. And if you had to choose between me and your ex and your daughter, I would always be your last choice."

Ariel frowned. "It's not like that, Matt…"

I was done listening to her excuses for years. I finally lost my temper and shouted, "I've had enough of this, Ariel! I've had enough of getting beaten up by Isaac, being painted as the bad guy by Gianna, and still having to smile and pretend everything is fine!

"I've had enough of him making a huge fuss online, accusing me of being the third wheel in your relationship, and getting massively cyberbullied online but not being allowed to defend myself and having to hide from the public!

"I've also had enough of you constantly abandoning me to go hiking and shopping with them under the guise of "taking care of them", only to expect me to wait up all night for you to come home and graciously pretend everything is fine!

"I've had enough of always being your last choice, Ariel! I've had enough of your guilt-tripping and emotional blackmail! You always use it against me and hurt me the most with them!"

I then turned around and stormed back to the master bedroom.

"Matthew!"

Ariel called out after me from the back, her voice finally tinged with a hint of panic.

"Stand right there! We can discuss—"

I shut the door in her face.

I didn't hear a sound from the living room for a long time. I just collapsed onto the bed and buried my head into my pillow, letting it soak up the tears pooling in my eyes.

I recalled how Ariel had hugged my arm just six months ago, saying, "We'll wait a while longer until Gigi's adjusted a bit more. Then, we can consider having a child of our own after that.

"We'll also get a child psychiatrist to step in early to help her mentally prepare for the big change…"

Ariel had said it so seriously back then, and I felt the warmth in my chest as I listened to her making long-term plans about our future.

But now, I finally realized that they hadn't been long-term plans at all. I was nothing more than just a backup plan for her. She was simply making empty promises she knew she wouldn't keep.

And now that the person who mattered the most to her had returned from abroad, I was no longer needed and had to step aside to make space for him again.

To think I'd ever entertained the fantasy that Ariel and I could be truly happy together, with children of our own, and that her daughter, Gianna Thornton, and ex-husband, Isaac Thornton, would give us their blessing.

When I woke up the next morning and stepped out of the bedroom, I saw Ariel waiting for me. Dark circles ring her eyes, her clothes are wrinkled, and it's obvious she barely slept a wink all night.

She came up and greeted me the moment she saw me come out.

"Matt."

"I'm going out," I said calmly.

"I'll give you a ride," Ariel said almost immediately. She added, "Once you're done with your stuff, you might as well stop by the hospital and get the kidney compatibility test done for Isaac. His condition can't wait."

She spoke so matter-of-factly as though we were simply discussing what to have for breakfast.

I felt something violently squeezing my heart inside my chest. The pain was so intense that it seemed to shoot through my entire body.

"I won't do it."

Ariel was taken aback for a moment. Then, she frowned and asked, "How can you be so cold-blooded, Matthew? Isaac can't afford to wait for a suitable kidney donor anymore. If I were a match, did you think that I'd need to come begging you like this?"

I cut her off and stared into her eyes.