Chapter 5

The three of them stood together, looking like one big happy family.

People around the room had already started whispering.

"Isn't that Whitney? Who's the guy she's with? He's gorgeous."

"I think that's Jethro. He was the golden boy back in college. I heard he just got back from overseas."

"Whitney's married, isn't she? I remember her husband was one of our classmates. Patrick, right?"

"Wow! Looking at them, I'd say Patrick doesn't stand a chance."

I listened to the whispers without letting a single emotion show on my face. I picked up a glass of champagne and took a small sip.

Then someone asked Jethro, "Jethro, didn't you marry Yoana and move overseas back then? How come you came back alone?"

The smile on Jethro's face faded for just a second. Then he put on a perfectly measured look of vulnerability.

"I was young and stupid back then. I thought love was all that mattered. After I married Yoana, she... She started staying away from home all the time. And whenever she came back, she smelled like a different man's cologne."

His eyes grew slightly red as he spoke. Whitney immediately slipped an arm around his shoulders and murmured something comforting.

A wave of sympathy swept through the room.

Jethro closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed hard before continuing in a restrained voice, "I couldn't take it anymore, so I divorced her and came back home. Luckily... Luckily, I had Whitney to help me through it."

He looked at Whitney, his eyes filled with tenderness. Whitney tightened her grip on his hand. Then she looked around the room, her voice low and full of pain.

"The truth is... Patrick and I have been over for a long time. All these years, he's been suspicious of everything. He thinks I'm involved with every man I talk to.

"If I work late, he accuses me of cheating. If I have dinner with a male client, he assumes I'm having an affair. I couldn't take it anymore, so I asked for a divorce, but he refused. He even threatened to kill himself if I left him..."

"Oh, my God. What happened to Patrick?"

"That's terrifying. Is he seriously unstable?"

"Whitney's been through so much. Getting stuck with a guy like that..."

The whispers grew louder. Everyone was looking at me now with a mixture of pity and disgust.

Yes.

They had finally noticed me.

I stood alone in the corner, letting their eyes fall on me. I felt completely calm.

Jethro walked over to me, his voice carrying the smug generosity of someone offering a favor.

"Patrick, we've known each other for years, so I'm going to give you some advice. Let her go. Whitney doesn't love you anymore. The more you cling to her, the more embarrassed you'll make yourself for yourself.

"If you're willing to divorce her, Whitney said she'll give you a portion of the marital assets. It'll be enough to support you for the rest of your life."

I looked at Whitney. "Do you feel the same way?"

Whitney avoided my eyes. Her voice was clear and firm. "Patrick, let's just end this peacefully. The way you've been acting... It's exhausting me."

"Dad, just leave Mom alone!" Lucas came running over too. He grabbed the hem of my jacket, his little face full of resentment. "Jethro is always so nice to Mom. He's nice to me too. Can't you be more like him?"

I looked at the child who shared my blood, the child I had raised for five years. Now, he was looking at me with nothing but disgust, siding with another man and accusing me.

Whatever warmth I had left inside me disappeared completely.

I took a deep breath, lifted my head, and looked at Whitney and Jethro. My voice was clear and calm.

"I agree to the divorce."

A smile immediately spread across Whitney's and Jethro's faces. Their expressions showed a mixture of triumph, relief, and the smug satisfaction of people who were convinced they had already won.

But then I continued, I added, "However, I want Whitney to walk away with nothing."