CHAPTER 3

(Vivian’s POV)

I took a deep breath as I walked out of the hotel area. I was still confused about who my one-night-stand companion was. If he wasn't a gigolo I paid for, then who was he?

The suite we used last night wasn’t even a room rented per night. It was a room that he owned.

I didn’t even know his name.

I touched my lips. His touch was still imprinted on them, on my entire body. It left an odd sensation that I had never felt before.

If I had to admit it, that was the most memorable night I’d ever had compared to all the nights I shared with Adrian. That man was both wild and gentle at the same time. He knew how to satisfy me while making me feel comfortable.

I wanted him again.

I shook my head.

“Oh my god, you must be crazy, Vivian.” I covered my face, which had turned red from embarrassment.

How could something like this even cross my mind?

I had made such an impulsive decision because of the disappointment I felt from Adrian and Sophia’s betrayal. I was angry and hated myself for being so foolish and weak. I had trusted them too much, only to be stabbed in the back like this.

We had been together for such a long time.

I thought they were the people I could trust in my life, but it turned out they were the ones who hurt me the most.

They destroyed everything without any guilt.

At that moment, my phone rang. I reached into my bag and saw Adrian's name flashing on the screen. Instantly, my emotions went haywire again.

I sighed deeply before answering the call, pressing my phone to my ear.

“Where are you, huh?!” Adrian’s harsh curses immediately rang in my ears from the other end of the line.

“Why are you asking?”

“How dare you challenge me! What kind of wife doesn’t come home overnight, huh?! Have you started thinking about wandering the streets, selling your body like a cheap prostitute?!”

My chest felt like it had been struck by a giant stone. It hurt hearing Adrian’s words.

I knew his attitude had started to grow cold over time, but I never expected him to be this cruel to me. He even called me a "prostitute" when he was the one who had behaved like an animal, cheating with my own best friend.

I forced a bitter smile. “As a husband who dared to cheat, do you still think you have the right to say that to me, Adrian? Have you already forgotten that you slept with my best friend last night?!”

I gripped my phone tighter. My heart was in chaos.

“Shut your mouth and come back here, Vivian. Or you will regret it!”

And with that, he ended the call abruptly.

This couldn’t be left like this. I couldn’t keep being trampled on like trash while I was the victim here.

So I decided to go home. I would face Adrian boldly and end everything. The disgust and disappointment I felt didn’t even compare to the pain I had gotten from him.

And I didn’t want to sink any deeper.

I wanted a peaceful and happy life.

Without Adrian.

Without the pain.

Starting everything anew.

I entered the house. In the living room, Adrian and his mother, Sheila, were already there. When Adrian saw me arrive, he immediately stood up and approached me angrily. His hand gripped mine so tightly that I winced in pain.

"Where have you been?!"

"Adrian, it hurts. Let go of my hand," I protested, trying to free myself and immediately put some distance between us. "I want a divorce,” I declared to him.

"What did you say?" Adrian looked surprised by my statement, and so did Sheila, who began to rise from the sofa.

"You didn't hear it? I want a divorce!" I said firmly.

Adrian sneered. "You think you can run away from me? We will never divorce, Vivian. You won’t get what you want."

His arrogant, guiltless expression made my stomach churn. The image of him and Sophia tangled up in bed flashed in my mind again.

Anger and disappointment overwhelmed me.

I clenched both my fists.

"I've made my decision. I won't hold on to a marriage that wasn't even worth protecting," I stared at him with disappointment, but he seemed completely indifferent. "What can I expect from a husband who cheated with my own best friend? All this time, you never even respected me as your wife."

Adrian scoffed. "Hah, I wouldn't have done it if you could meet my expectations, Vivian. Wake up, you can't even satisfy me as your husband in bed, and now you're whining about wanting a divorce over something trivial?"

"You call that trivial? You're my husband! How could you say something like that? Sleeping with another woman as if it’s something normal to do?!" I shouted angrily, losing control.

"Don't yell at your husband, Vivian," Sheila spoke up. She gave me a sharp look of warning. "You should realize that Adrian has his reasons for doing that. Because you can’t satisfy him, even without giving him children? Don't dare speak up if you can't be a useful wife."

My eyes widened in shock at Sheila’s attitude, as she justified her son's wrong behavior. As a fellow woman, she should have understood my feelings more. But instead of defending me, she pushed me closer to the edge. She blamed everything on me like a gunshot aimed straight at my head.

What had I been hoping for from them?

I had always tried to be a good wife and daughter-in-law. I did everything for them, even though it was difficult and painful for me, but I tried to accept it. Without complaining, I gave my whole life, my devotion, because of my love for Adrian.

But the return I got was painful.

I should have cried.

I should have shouted in protest.

But the pain in my chest, the choking feeling in my throat, made everything feel empty.

I couldn't even bring myself to cry because of how deeply disappointed I was.

Everything had been in vain.

I clenched my fists, now at a loss for words. I glared at them both in turn. My gaze sharpened.

"No matter what you say," I swallowed hard. "I want a divorce."

"You think you can just get away with it?" Adrian mocked. "If you keep pushing, you won’t get a single penny."

Sheila smirked. "Leave this house, and you’ll lose everything," she challenged me, “still dare, Vivian?”

I stared at them both intently.

That would never happen.

I would prove to them that they had misjudged me all along.

"I will leave," I said, my voice trembling as I held back my anger, "but don't think for a second that I’ll leave without destroying all of you."