Chapter 2

When I finally dragged myself home, utterly exhausted, I found the lights still on and Liam in an apron.

“You’re back so late. I made your favorite food,” he said.

I froze. The image of the perfect husband in front of me overlapped with the man lifting the newborn earlier that day.

“Darling, what are you doing just standing here? Are you exhausted? Maybe you should quit your job and stay home to enjoy life a little.”

I turned away and bent down to untie my shoes.

“We don’t even have kids. What would I do at home if I quit my job?”

He came over and hugged me.

“Then, let’s have one.”

I caught a faint milky scent.

As an obstetrician-gynecologist, I was all too familiar with the smell of breast milk.

Pain surged in my chest.

“Liam, have you forgotten that I had my fallopian tubes removed for you?”

He stiffened, then let out an awkward chuckle. “I was just kidding.”

I pushed him away coldly.

If not for what had happened that afternoon, I might have believed him.

Back when we were still in university, neither of us had much life experience.

All I remembered was how captivating he looked beneath the moonlight one night.

“Baby, I’ll take care of you.”

After the heat of the moment passed, the two lines on the pregnancy test left us stunned.

As graduation was just around the corner, I tested the waters and asked, “What if we keep the baby?”

Liam’s expression darkened immediately.

“We don’t even have jobs! How can we raise a child? Besides, I hate kids. Staying child-free sounds a lot better.”

He took my hands and said earnestly, “You’re going to be a doctor. With a child, you won’t have the energy to focus on your career.”

Back then, I was still interning at the hospital, and I was always exhausted.

After agonizing over it, I ultimately gave up the baby, despite how badly I wanted to keep it.

I even went as far as having one of my fallopian tubes removed because he wanted us to stay child-free.

If I could go back in time, I would slap some sense into my younger self.

How foolish I was!

The house was filled with the aroma of food, and the warm yellow light gave the room a comforting, dreamlike feel.

This was exactly what I had always imagined a home to be.

I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I had made my decision.

“Liam, let’s get a divorce.”

I slipped the plain silver ring off my ring finger and handed it to him.

Liam froze. “You want a divorce?” he asked in disbelief.

His tone softened. “I know I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t paid enough attention to you. I’ve been so busy, but I still make time to cook for you.”

I wanted to ask him whether he truly cared about me, or if this was simply guilt-driven compensation for a mistake.

I turned and went into the bedroom to pack.

Every time I put something into the suitcase, he took it back out.

He tried to kiss me, but I turned away.

He tried to hold me, but I resisted.

The ringing of his phone finally broke the silent struggle between us.

Liam glanced at the caller ID and instinctively looked at me.

“It’s work,” he said.

I scoffed. In the past, he had never hidden work matters from me.

He would say, “You’re my wife. There’s no hiding things between us, even if it’s company secrets.”

A few minutes later, he said casually, “Something came up at the company. I have to leave on a business trip. Stay here. Just take some time to calm down.”

Taking my hand again, he slipped the ring back onto my finger and gently pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.

“This ring means a lot to us. I’ll get you a diamond ring later,” he said tenderly.

I flung the ring straight at the wall.

His expression darkened instantly.

“The more I try to soothe you, the worse you get. I’ve spoiled you too much.”

As the ring hit the floor with a sharp clink, Liam walked out of the house.

My gaze followed the ring as it rolled on the floor, and old memories began to surface.

“Darling, I don’t have any money right now, but I made this ring for you.”

Although his hands were scraped raw, he did not seem to care at all.

His eyes shone as if I were his whole world.

“Darling, once I make it in life, I’ll give you a villa and an unforgettable wedding.”

He did succeed. He became a rising star in the pharmaceutical industry and achieved financial freedom.

He also fulfilled most of his promises, except that there was someone else in his villa.

I was no longer interested in any of it.