Chapter 1

After my mother’s funeral, Calvin and I barely spoke. The air between us was heavy and every word was stuck in our throats.

Today was the seventh day after her passing, the day we were supposed to visit her grave according to tradition. However, Calvin went straight to his sister-in-law’s house early in the morning and did not come back all day.

It had been eight hours since I texted him at noon, asking if he would go to the cemetery with me. There was no reply, not even a single call.

This was not the first time Calvin abandoned me because of his sister-in-law, Lexi.

It did not matter if we were on a date, out shopping, eating, or even in the middle of making love, one call from his sister-in-law, and he would leave me without a second thought.

He always said his brother’s death left behind a poor widow and an orphan, and that it was his responsibility to take care of them.

I told myself that if Calvin ever crossed a line with Lexi, I would leave.

However, he denied it every time I confronted him, claiming that I was just imagining things.

I tried to find a balance, some way where he could fulfill his brother’s dying wish to look after them without destroying our own life together.

Still, it was useless.

I thought I had already grown numb to it. Yet what happened seven days ago broke me completely.

My mother had been tortured by illness for years before she finally passed away a week ago.

Before she passed, she kept looking toward the door. I knew she was waiting to see her son-in-law one last time.

I ran out to the hospital stairwell and begged Calvin to come, but he pushed me aside impatiently.

“My mom’s dying. Please, just visit her one last time. I am begging you!” I cried, kneeling on the cold floor.

However, his voice was ice cold. “Tell your mom to die later! I am busy!”

What was he busy with? Comforting his sister-in-law, who was upset after arguing with her son.

I wiped my tears, splashed water on my face in the bathroom, and forced a big smile when I went back to my mom’s bedside.

“Calvin’s just finishing up an important meeting call. He will be here soon, Mom. Just hang on a little longer.”

She waited two more hours. Then she closed her eyes for the last time and was wheeled to the morgue.

The man who once swore he would treat my mother like his own missed both her last moments and her seventh-day memorial.

I sat on the cold hospital floor for what felt like forever. My tears had already dried when Calvin finally showed up.

He crouched in front of me. Guilt was all over his face.

“Yvette, I will apologize to Mom tomorrow. Do not be mad.”

“Let’s get a divorce.”

“What?!”

Calvin frowned at me. “I get that you’re angry, but don’t say things you don’t mean.”

I looked at his handsome face with detached eyes, too tired to explain that this was not anger talking.

After a long silence, he finally spoke again.

“Can’t we just talk this through? Why do you always jump to divorce whenever you are upset? It is not like I have done anything unforgivable.”

I put on a cold, mocking smile. “Think about it. How many times have you ditched me over Lexi’s trivial problems? You even skipped my mom’s final moments just to comfort her.”

“So, this is still about my sister-in-law? Are you really that petty?” Calvin cut me off, irritation rising in his voice. “Yvette, you are a woman yourself! Can’t you understand how difficult it is for her to raise a child alone?”

“Hah!” I could not hold back a sharp laugh.

Lexi got millions in compensation and savings from my brother-in-law’s death. Calvin would also send her plenty of money every month, and his mother helped her raise the kid. What hardship did she really have?