Chapter 5

Allen was fast asleep when he felt something squirm onto the bed and wrap around him from behind.

"What are you doing?" He shot upright, staring coldly at Carina, who was lying beside him.

"Going to sleep, of course," Carina replied in a hurt voice.

"Why are you trying to sleep here?" Allen snapped as he looked at the open study door.

He silently kicked himself for not remembering to lock the door.

"Hey! I'm your wife. If I don't sleep with you, who am I supposed to sleep with?"

"Sleep with whoever you want," Allen retorted irritably. "If I remember correctly, isn't your hubby waiting to take you to bed? You can go sleep with him."

"Why, you!" Carina frowned, but a thought came to her, and she felt assured again. "I get it. You're jealous, so you're just trying to rile me up on purpose, right?

"We've been married for close to a decade and have been together for even longer now. Can you really stand to see me sleep with someone else? Come on, behave yourself and stop throwing a tantrum. Let's go back to our room. We both have work tomorrow."

Carina took Allen's hand and tried to lead him back to the master bedroom.

Allen lowered his eyes and said nothing, but the moment Carina stepped out of the study, he reached out and smacked her hand.

"Ouch! That hurts! What are you doing?" Carina clutched her reddened hand and turned around angrily, only to find that the door had shut in her face.

"I told you. Sleep with whoever you want. Don't bother me." Allen locked the door from the inside. "Lying in the same bed with someone like you makes me sick."

"Allen! Haven't you kicked up enough of a fuss?" Carina pounded hard on the study door, her eyes blazing furiously.

"I would never sleep with him! I already scolded him about those Instagram stories he posted. Besides, I haven't even held you accountable for the mess you caused tonight. I even came to placate you! I've already done so much to appease you. What more do you want?"

"If you think that getting yourself a new hubby and cheating on me before coming back to demand my forgiveness is an attempt to placate me, then we have nothing more to say to each other," Allen replied flatly.

He could finally see things clearly now. It was his own show of humbleness and lack of self-respect all these years that had made her so brazen and full of herself.

"Allen! How many times do I have to explain this to you? I didn't cheat on you! That was just a nickname Jon and I used because of a game we played. Nothing is going on between us!"

"We'll go to the courthouse at 8:00 am tomorrow."

"W-What did you just say?" Carina could hardly believe her ears.

"At 8:00 am tomorrow, we'll go to the courthouse to file for divorce. Remember to bring the marriage certificate and your ID," Allen said before heading back to the bed to sleep, without caring whether Carina heard him properly.

"Allen! How can you still say things like that!" Carina sounded aggrieved.

"How did this even escalate to divorce? Do you have any idea how badly you beat up Jonah? I had to spend ages at the hospital convincing him before he agreed not to file a police report against you. Otherwise, you think you'd be sleeping in the study right now? You'd be in a holding cell at the police station!

"I even had to cancel my business trip because of you. Do you know how important that trip was? You've made my life a complete mess, and you still have the nerve to bring up divorce? As if you've suffered some great injustice! Answer me, Allen! Stop playing dead!"

Carina kept pounding on the door, but not a single sound came from inside the study. "Hmph! Fine! I'm done with you!"

No longer bothering to talk to Allen, she stormed back to the bedroom to sleep.

The door to the study wasn't soundproof. Allen heard every word she said. She said nothing about why she had secretly gone to a hotel with Jonah. Instead, she blamed him for all the consequences of their fight.

It was clear what was going on in her head. As long as Allen didn't make a fuss, turned a blind eye, and put up with the suggestive behavior between her and Jonah without ever questioning her about it, their lives could continue without any issue.

This was the price Allen paid for being gentle and thoughtful this whole time.

This wasn't some fictional universe or some ideal world where being gentle and thoughtful meant others would treat one the same in return.

In reality, gentleness became a sign of weakness in others' eyes—a symbol of incompetence. The kinder and more considerate he was, the more people pushed him around and crossed the line with him.

As a result, even when Allen was just trying to defend his dignity as a husband, it was seen as him being unreasonable and throwing a tantrum. The apology he received from his wife for betraying their relationship was just a means of placating him.

The 12 years of effort and sacrifices he'd made without a word of complaint had ended up being nothing but a joke. His gentle, caring ways were seen as worthless.

Carina and Allen had been each other's first love. He once believed that after marriage, they would live happily ever after. He'd been far too naive. He thought he was making sacrifices for the sake of others, but it just meant he was devaluing himself.

"Carina, if this is how you think, then so be it. I won't make any more sacrifices for your sake. I've been hurt enough."

Allen turned off the light in the study and fell into a deep sleep.

In the master bedroom, however, Carina tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. It had been a long time since she slept alone. Her heart felt strangely empty without someone to hold her in bed.

But the moment she thought of Allen's stubborn expression, her anger flared up again.

She'd truly been too lenient with him, which led him to think he could cross the line like that! It was all her fault for being too nice to him all these years. He got jealous over a simple visit she paid to someone who was just a brother to her, and he even hit Jonah!

Carina made up her mind not to pay Allen any attention for the entire day tomorrow. She was going to give him the cold shoulder to knock him down a peg or two, so that he wouldn't become even more arrogant in the future.

…

The next morning, Carina came out of the master bedroom with dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't slept well all night. She truly wasn't used to sleeping without Allen.

Meanwhile, Allen looked refreshed. He'd got up bright and early, busying himself in the kitchen to prepare an entire table's worth of breakfast.

Staring at the toast and pancakes on the table, Carina swallowed.

Only last night, she'd made up her mind to ignore him. Wouldn't it make her seem too much of a pushover if she ate the breakfast he made now?

But she quickly dismissed the thought.

As it was, Allen had been cooking for her for over a decade. To her, it was naturally his duty to keep her fed. With that in mind, she picked up a piece of bread, only for Allen to snatch it away.

"What are you doing?" Carina stared at him in shock.

She suddenly noticed how cold his expression was, as if he had become someone else.

"If you want to eat something, make it yourself. I didn't prepare anything for you." Allen gathered all the food to his side and began eating heartily.

Carina sat across from him, her thoughts in disarray. "What did you just say? You're telling me to cook for myself? You know I can't cook. Are you deliberately trying to make me angry?"

She was so hurt that she felt like crying, but upon remembering they were still fighting, she forced the tears back. "Fine. I won't eat. Give me the bone broth. I'm going to work."

She picked up her bag and held out her hand.

"What broth?" Allen deliberately asked.

"What do you mean by what broth? The bone broth you make for me every day. The one you always put in the thermal flask with all the heart-shaped stickers…"

"Oh. Then give me the flask. I'll fill it for you," Allen said with a mocking smile.

Carina rummaged through her bag but couldn't find the flask. "Huh? Didn't I give it to you?"

Every evening after work, she would hand the thermal flask back to Allen. He would simmer the soup overnight and pack it for her the next day.

They'd maintained the same routine for the past 12 years.

But this time, she turned her bag inside out and still couldn't find the flask. She started feeling a little flustered. How strange this was. It was still with her when she went to the hotel yesterday.

Jonah had even spilled the soup on her, so she went to take a shower. Then Allen came and beat him up…

"I'm so sorry, Carrie! It's all Allen's fault for filling the flask too full. That's why your clothes got ruined. I'm going to toss this out!"

Watching Carina standing there in a daze, Allen felt like laughing.

How could she possibly find the flask? He had already thrown it into the trash.

As he'd said, she couldn't expect him to give her something that she didn't cherish, be it the broth or his love.