Chapter 3

I handed in my resignation letter to the company. My superior looked at me regrettably and said, “Melody, with how skilled you are, you’d be promoted to manager in no time. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider this?”

I shook my head with a smile.

I had reluctantly accepted this nine-to-five job to prove my ability to Gregory.

My dream was to join the research expedition team and travel around the country.

I sacrificed my dream in exchange for his betrayal. How foolish!

Gregory did not show his face for the next few days.

I sent him a message on WhatsApp, but he did not reply to me. I called him, but he did not answer my call either.

I needed to wrap up my work, so I was not in the mood to cajole him.

So, I finalized my departure date with Professor Fiona. We would leave after two weeks. On that day, I went to Gregory’s company.

When I pushed open the glass door of his office, I saw Amelia straddling him and kissing him. They appeared disheveled, and her blouse was mostly unbuttoned.

“It looks like I picked a bad time.” I closed the door calmly, but the sound snapped them out of their passion.

Amelia fumbled with her buttons, but her skirt had already slipped down to her calves.

She shot me a glare that was full of resentment and bluntly said, “Ever heard of knocking? Didn’t anyone teach you basic manners?”

Gregory said nothing and gave her a sidelong glance with a tinge of amusement.

He slowly adjusted his tie before the corners of his lips curled into a prideful smile.

“So, you’ve finally decided to come looking for me?”

He smacked Amelia on the butt and said in a teasing tone, “Babe, give us a minute. I need to have a little chat with my wife.”

Amelia glared at me again with resentment. Before she left, she purposely slammed the door.

“Missed me after just a couple of days?” Gregory leaned back in his office chair. “Like I always say, why cause a fuss like a kid? See. I just have to give you a few days to cool off, and you’d come running back to me­—”

However, I interrupted him calmly. “I want a divorce.”

Gregory’s hands froze in mid-air. He narrowed his eyes and stared at me. “Say that again.”

I looked him in the eye and enunciated every word, “I said, I want a divorce.”

Gregory let out a bark of laughter like he had just heard a ridiculous joke.

“Melody, when did you learn how to use such methods to get my attention?”

He moved closer to touch my face.

“I know I’ve neglected you recently. I’ll cancel all my appointments next week and take you to the Maldives. How does that sound?”

However, I took half a step back to avoid his touch. Gregory froze when he saw this.

Then, I took out the divorce agreement from my bag and handed it to him. He did not take it, though.

As such, I had no choice but to put the agreement on his office desk.

“I’m not joking around,” I said gently but with absolute firmness. “I don’t want to drag this out any longer. This agreement spells everything out. Our assets will be split fifty-fifty. Go through it. If you have no qualms about the arrangement, just sign it.”

Gregory rested his gaze on the agreement, and his pupils contracted.

He returned to his office chair and flipped through a few pages. Soon after, he snorted and tore it in half.

“So, you want a divorce, huh? Over my dead body!”

I rubbed my temples in exhaustion.

“Why make this harder than it already is? Once we’re divorced, you can even bring home a hundred women, and no one will care about it.”

“Melody.” He softened his tone as if he were comforting a child. “We’ve been together since we were in university. When I started my business and I was at my lowest, you were the one who stayed by my side.

“Those women are just meaningless flings. I’ve never thought of leaving you.”

He skirted around his office desk and came to me. The smell of post-intimacy and his cologne made me feel nauseous.

He made it sound so noble, as though he were a faithful man.

He was the one who had brought women home and made out in front of me. He even celebrated another woman’s birthday when I was having a high fever. He had betrayed me countless times. He was the one who hurt me the most, like stabbing a knife into my heart.

Ultimately, Gregory was just afraid of being labelled as a man who ditched his wife after gaining wealth.

He needed me as a cover to maintain his image as a successful entrepreneur.