Chapter 3

Joe was docking his ship five days later.

I did not meet him at the jetty.

In the past, when he returned, I would start preparing three days prior.

I would change the bed sheets, buy his favorite food, and stock the car with hangover cures.

This time, I was at home going through the logbook.

When he opened the door, I was scanning the record of the jewelry on my computer.

Joe walked in with his luggage. He was still in his uniform.

When he saw the logbook, his face fell.

“Are you investigating me, Aria?”

“Are you afraid of that?”

He tossed his cap onto the couch.

“I’ve just come home, and you want to fight?”

“I’m not fighting.”

He walked over and took the logbook away.

“Where did you get this?”

“The dependent copy of the logbook has always been with me.”

He glared at me in annoyance.

“Don’t touch anything relating to the ship in the future.”

I laughed.

“When you sent Mia the jewelry via official channels, why didn’t you think twice?”

He was speechless.

A few minutes later, he changed his words.

“It’s not what you think.”

I asked, “Really? Then, what is it?”

“Mia helped me in the past. She’s been living a tough life these past couple of years, so I’m only giving her a gift.”

I said, “You gave her jewelry. What are you giving me?”

He looked annoyed.

“Why do you have to compare with her?”

I did not say a word.

He took out a bag from his luggage and placed it on the table.

“I brought you something.”

It was a fridge magnet.

He had bought it from a souvenir shop near the jetty. He had not even taken off the price tag on the back of the magnet.

It was only $2.

I placed the magnet back into the bag.

Joe’s face fell.

“Are you unhappy?”

I asked, “Do you think I should be happy?”

He rubbed his temple.

“Aria, I’m very tired from the voyage. Mia knows about shipping, and she knows how stressed I am. You’re always looking at all the wrong places. Is this entertaining for you?”

To him, a whole set of waves-themed jewelry meant nothing. Our six years of marriage meant nothing to him either.

I took out my phone and took out the registration log of Bayfront Apartment to show him.

“You said she’s a client. Would a client stay in a temporary apartment registered under your name?”

“Who told you?”

“The security guard.”

He grabbed my phone.

He flipped through my media gallery and noticed that I had saved copies of evidence. He paused.

“What do you want?”

I said, “A divorce.”

He was stunned.

Then, he laughed.

“Aria, don’t try to threaten me with divorce. Without me, how are you going to live?

“You’ve left the workforce for so many years, and you can’t earn any money. Without me, you’re nothing.”

I looked at him.

“You’ve never asked what I have on hand.”

He tossed the phone back onto the table.

“You’ve been staying at home for far too long, and your worldview is narrow. Your outlook is too naive.”

That night, he went to the guest room to sleep.

At 1 a.m., I heard his muffled whisper from the guest room.

He had not shut the door tight, so I could hear him whispering.

“Don’t worry. She won’t do anything. She’ll only throw a tantrum for a few days, and it’ll be over.

“Just wear the jewelry. You don’t have to return them. I bought it for you anyway.

“My mom will deal with her. She won’t actually dare to divorce me.”

I stood in the corridor silently.

It turned out that, to him, all my sadness was just a small matter that he could resolve within a few days.