Chapter 2

I even wondered if someone had swapped his brain out while everyone was busy at the wedding.

Before I could say anything, Mia's sweet voice came from beside him. "Ethan, don't blame Nora. She probably didn't mean for this to happen. Besides, didn't you already give me a raise? Don't make Nora thank me anymore."

"A raise is a raise. An apology is an apology. They're two different things."

"But helping Nora means helping the company. And helping the company means helping myself, right?"

The two of them played off each other perfectly.

I felt sick listening to them, but I was used to it.

Ethan had always spoiled Mia without limits.

At the company, everyone had to call him Mr. Stewart. Only Mia was allowed to call him by his first name. If anyone else at the company made even a small mistake, Ethan would criticize them severely. But no matter how big a mess Mia created, he always turned a blind eye.

A month ago, Mia's mistake had ruined a multimillion-dollar business deal.

Everyone in the company had been furious. But to calm everyone down, Ethan shifted the blame onto me and deducted a year's worth of my salary. He didn't even discuss it with me.

I went to him angrily, but he only looked at me indifferently. "We've been together for so many years. How can you still make such a big deal out of something so small?

"That money doesn't mean much to you. Mia comes from a difficult background. If you cut her salary, how is she supposed to survive?

"If it really matters that much to you, I'll compensate you, alright?"

This wedding was supposed to be his compensation for me.

Seeing me stay silent, Ethan sighed. "Nora, can't you learn from Mia? She's younger than you, but she's much more understanding.

"Whenever there's a problem, she actively tries to fix it. She even invited her parents today just to make sure the wedding went smoothly.

"You don't have parents who could come, so fine. But when something happens, you can't just get angry, refuse to communicate, and walk away, leaving everyone else to clean up your mess."

When he brought up my parents, I couldn't help but snort.

When Ethan was a child, a fire broke out at his house while he was home alone. My father rushed into the flames to save him and suffered severe burns. He died despite emergency treatment. Unable to overcome the grief, my mother passed away soon after.

The night my mother died, Ethan held me while I cried and promised me he would never leave me.

That was less than eight years ago. Now, according to him, my parents' deaths had somehow become proof that I was inferior to Mia.

Back then, I would have broken down emotionally and fought with him. But now, maybe because Ethan had done too many ridiculous things for Mia, I had already mentally prepared myself. I felt oddly at peace.

"You're right. I was wrong." I lowered my voice.

Perhaps because he heard how calm I sounded, Ethan softened his tone.

"It's okay to make mistakes as long as you realize them and change. Now listen to me. Apologize to Mia, then compensate her with–"

I interrupted him calmly.

"You misunderstood me.

"What I meant was, I shouldn't have come looking for you back then. I shouldn't have agreed to register our marriage. And I definitely shouldn't have let my father save you, you ungrateful snake."

Ethan froze for a moment. His embarrassment turned to anger, and he asked me coldly, "Nora, what do you mean by that?"

Hearing him get angry, I didn't lower my voice, apologize, and try to coax him like I used to.

Instead, I calmly said, "Ethan, let's get divorced."