Chapter 2

Asher's hand was still resting on the cold door handle.

He didn't push it open right away, fighting the urge to tear the door off its hinges. In the end, he cracked it open just a sliver.

The scene inside the private room was even more suggestive than what he'd seen in the video. A crowd had gathered, cheering on a game that was both childish and provocative: a blindfolded game of tag.

Lucas had a black silk scarf tied around his eyes, groping blindly through the crowd and calling out in a deliberately obnoxious tone. "Where are you, Katherine? I'm gonna catch you soon."

And the woman, who was supposed to be trapped in a corporate video conference, was now standing right behind Lucas, less than three feet away.

She was covering her mouth with her hand, her usually cool, striking eyes curved into crescent moons, bright with unmistakable delight.

It was a youthful, mischievous joy that Asher had never once seen on her face. His heart went cold, inch by inch, until it felt frozen.

Lucas whipped around. His arms outstretched to wrap around Katherine when a deafening crash pierced the air.

Asher booted the heavy door wide open. The massive slab slammed hard against the wall, its thunderous impact instantly drowning out the blaring music.

Startled, Lucas stumbled and crashed awkwardly onto the floor.

Total silence fell over the room. The music cut out abruptly, and more than a dozen pairs of eyes whipped toward the doorway.

The smile froze instantly on Katherine's face. The moment her eyes landed on the intruder, panic and annoyance flashed across her features in rapid succession.

Her immediate reaction was to step back, putting distance between herself and Lucas.

"Babe? What are you doing here?" she blurted out, her voice laced with an accusatory edge.

Asher ignored her. His gaze swept like a razor over the man lying on the floor, past the black silk scarf, and finally landed on Katherine's stoic face.

A crushing sense of absurdity swallowed his anger. Rattled by his cold gaze, Katherine tried to maintain her front.

"Honey, why are you here? You're scaring everyone. Lucas isn't in good health. Take it easy."

Before her words could even settle, someone had already helped Lucas to his feet. Rubbing his bruised backside, Lucas put on an innocent, earnest expression.

"Hey, Asher, what brings you here?" he greeted naturally. "Man, please don't misunderstand this. Everyone insisted on dragging me out to hang out tonight.

"Katherine kept it from you because she didn't want you to get the wrong idea. Look, if anyone's to blame, it's me. Please don't yell at her."

This textbook passive-aggression manipulation instantly painted him as the victim while thoughtfully making excuses for Katherine.

The crowd immediately found a target to pile onto.

"Seriously, Asher, it's just a night out. Why are you being such a buzzkill?"

"Lucas is a rising star, and Katherine is a CEO. Do you think you're on their level, sitting around and living off her?"

"What, trying to play controlling husband now? Seriously, an average guy with that kind of confidence is such a turn-off."

"If I had a husband like him, I couldn't last a day. That's so low-class it's practically underground."

...

Every insult and sneer stung like a needle. Yet Asher ignored them completely. Walking up to the coffee table, he looked down at Lucas's hypocritical face.

"Just got back from abroad?" he repeated. "Not in good health?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a terrifying calm. "If your health is so fragile, how are you supposed to do shots? How are you playing blindfolded games of tag with a married woman?

"That’s quite the medical condition. You should have it checked. If it’s incurable, I suggest cremation."

The smile on Lucas's face instantly froze, and he turned to Katherine with tear-filled eyes.

"Enough!" Katherine stepped forward, spreading her arms to shield Lucas. "Asher, what is wrong with you? We're having a welcome-back celebration for Lucas tonight. Do you have to come here and ruin everyone's night?"

"I'm ruining it?" Asher let out a harsh laugh at how fiercely she was protecting Lucas. "A homecoming party? Katherine, are your brains damaged or something? He’s been back for weeks. What kind of welcome-home party is this?

"Look at the date! It's our fifth wedding anniversary! I sat at home like a fool for five hours waiting for you. You lied to me, saying you were on a video call at the office, and what did I find?

"You're here playing this cheap, sleazy game with your ex? Do you think I’m invisible?"

Katherine choked on her words, a flash of guilt flickering in her eyes. But that guilt vanished in a split second, replaced by an even more defensive, overbearing stance.

"It's just an anniversary. We have one every year. Why do you blow this out of proportion?" she shot back without a trace of shame. "Lucas just got back. He doesn't have many friends here, so what's wrong with me looking after him? Can't you show some basic empathy?"

"Empathy?" Asher stared fixedly at the woman standing before him, feeling like she was a stranger.

For five years, he had cooked her meals, given up his future, and treated her as his entire world. And after all that, it boiled down to him lacking empathy?

Right then, Lucas, who had been cowering behind Katherine, peeked his head out over her shoulder. Looking at Asher, he kept up that pathetic, sorrowful act.

"Sorry, buddy," he whispered. "Katherine said the drinks tonight taste way better than the cold leftovers waiting at home."

In that split second, the last thread of Asher’s self-control snapped. Without thinking, he surged forward, shoving aside Katherine as she tried to block him.

He grabbed Lucas by the collar of his designer shirt, drew his arm back, and put every bit of rage he had built up over the past weeks into one devastating punch straight into that smug face.

Lucas let out a high-pitched, shrill scream and crumpled onto the sofa like a puppet with its strings cut. Screams erupted from the women around them.

Katherine shrieked as well, shoving Asher back frantically. Seeing the blood at the corner of Lucas's mouth, she screamed, "Asher! Are you out of your mind? Lucas is frail to begin with. Are you trying to kill him?"

Something inside Asher went cold. Her furious roar extinguished the last embers of hope.

Rachel chimed in from the side, fueling the fire with smug satisfaction. "See, Katherine? A freeloading househusband like him was never fit to be brought out in public. He's a violent thug at heart!

"Look at all that tacky, low-class vulgarity. A savage can only solve things with his fists. He doesn't come anywhere near Lucas."

Katherine didn't argue. She just stared at Asher with a look mixed with disappointment and disgust, as if looking at a pile of incomprehensible trash.

"Get out! Stop embarrassing me here!" she barked.

Asher slowly uncurled his trembling fist, and an eerie silence settled over the room. Everyone waited with amused expectation, expecting him to bow his head, apologize, and beg for forgiveness just like he had done countless times before.

Except this time, he didn't. Instead, he calmly pulled out a napkin, meticulously wiped away the drop of blood on the back of his hand, and let it fall at Katherine's feet.

His voice was soft, yet every word landed with crystal-clear weight on everyone in the room.

"Katherine, I want a divorce."

He turned on his heels and walked out without a second of hesitation or attachment, as if he weren't walking away from a five-year marriage, but throwing off a disgusting burden that had weighed him down.

"Don't you dare!" Katherine's voice boomed from behind him in disbelief and fury. "Get back here! Explain yourself!"

Asher didn't turn back, nor did his footsteps hesitate for even a fraction of a second. He pulled the heavy door open and slammed it shut behind him.

"It's over! Screw this damn life as a simp! I'm done with it!"