Chapter 3

After walking out of the room, Allen picked up the thermal flask from the floor and looked at the little heart-shaped stickers he had personally stuck onto it. He let out a self-mocking laugh.

"Since you don't cherish my love, Carina, you can forget about having it."

He tossed the thermal flask that had accompanied them for 12 years into the trash can and turned to leave.

"Allen! Where are you going?"

Romina hadn't made it into the same elevator as Allen just now. She had to circle to the other side of the hotel to catch another one. By the time she finally rushed over, all she saw was Allen's back disappearing into the elevator.

She stepped into Room 2203 and froze at the sight before her. The room was in complete disarray, and Jonah lay bleeding on the floor. She also saw Carina kneeling on the floor in a daze, wrapped in nothing but a towel.

"Carina? Carina!"

Still stunned from the earlier argument, Carina hadn't noticed Romina's arrival.

"You lost your chance, Carina. Let's get a divorce."

"A-Allen wants to divorce me?" she mumbled to herself.

They had been together for 12 years. Not only had they never had a serious fight, but they'd barely even had any disagreements.

However, she'd been over the moon the past few months, following Jonah's return. She spent all her time hanging out and having fun with Jonah, which meant neglecting Allen somewhat. But how had things suddenly escalated to divorce?

Was she not even allowed to have her own social life?

"Carina! Snap out of it! Don't scare me."

After Romina shook Carina out of her reverie, she looked at Romina with an aggrieved expression. "Allen wants to get a divorce, Romina. But on what grounds?"

"Allen's bound to get jealous that you came to a hotel with another man without his knowledge, Carina."

"But I didn't do anything!" Carina shrieked. "Jonah's just a brother to me. How many times have I told him that? Why the hell is he jealous?"

For the first time, it occurred to Romina that Carina had no idea how to keep her boundaries.

"Carina, if Allen went to a hotel with some random woman, and after you found out, he simply said she was just a sister to him, would you believe him?"

Carina couldn't respond. It hit her that she wouldn't be able to accept that either. Was she really the one in the wrong?

Glancing between her stupefied sister and the unconscious Jonah, Romina sighed. What a mess.

"Hello, Paramount Hospital? This is Dr. Romina Simpson, the chief of internal medicine. Please send an ambulance to Stellar Grand Hotel…"

…

Sitting in his car, Allen took a deep drag of a cigarette and slowly exhaled.

He'd quit smoking for 12 years. Carina disliked the smell of smoke, so he stopped smoking the very first day they got together.

The cigarettes in his pocket were just for work. He'd pass them out to clients during social events.

Whenever he had the faintest trace of smoke on him, he would wipe himself down with wet tissues from head to toe before being in Carina's presence. He didn't want his wife to suffer even the slightest discomfort, but now, she'd chosen to be someone else's wife.

This meant that everything he'd done over the past 12 years, be it giving up on smoking or preparing the nourishing bone broths for her, was simply a joke.

Was it time for a divorce?

Yet, Allen had worked for the Simpsons for the past eight years. If he got a divorce, the only assets that would be split would be those in Carina's name. He wouldn't get much in the end.

It wasn't that Allen loved money. If it were just him, he could easily manage as long as he had food and a place to stay.

But he had his family to consider. His parents had died young, leaving him and his younger sister, Sophie Jamison, with no one but each other to count on.

A year ago, Sophie had been diagnosed with a genetic disorder. She had to be hospitalized just to stay alive, and the medical expenses cost over 100 thousand a month—more than a million a year. Simpson Group was currently covering the costs.

Nearly all of the Simpson family's wealth was in the hands of Carina's parents. If they got a divorce, all Allen would get was the villa and a few cars. At current market prices, that would be less than ten million, and even that might be reduced if the legal team at Simpson Group resorted to some legal maneuvers.

At his age, there was no chance he might get a decent job if he quit now and looked for a new one. And even if he found one, the salary might not be enough to cover Sophie's hospital bills.

Standing on the balcony, Allen suddenly let out a bitter laugh. Eight years of hard work, and in the end he got nothing.

It was his fault for having too much faith in their relationship—and for loving Carina too deeply.

Throughout all the years, he'd been like a blind mule, allowing the Simpsons to work him to the bone. He worked for their company, handed over all his salary to the family, and never even thought about putting aside some money for himself.

Even if he rushed headlong into getting a divorce, he could only get ten million at most out of it. He could get another job, but a fairly ordinary income wouldn't be enough to cover the medical bills.

At this rate, Sophie wouldn't even make it to ten years. She was only 18…

Should he endure all of this just for the sake of money?

Allen almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity. He never thought he'd become some defeated loser trapped by money.

Stamping out his cigarette, he drove back home feeling rather frustrated.

Back at the villa, he was greeted by the dark living room and the untouched dinner on the dining table. The candles had already burned out.

The bleak desolation seemed to foreshadow Allen's fate. If he remained with the Simpsons, this would be what his daily life would look like from now on.

Perhaps it really was time for all of this to end.

Though he hadn't eaten all night, his anger had driven away his appetite. He didn't even feel hungry. He swept the entire dinner, even the plates, into the trash. Then, he went into the study to sleep.