On the eve of the annual company party, my wife said she had a surprise for me, a top-tier lawyer. However, the next day, she publicly quintupled the bonus for the marketing manager. For me, she only said, “Keep up the good work next year.” When I questioned this, my wife dismissed it casually: “Your cases were indeed well-handled, but without Charlie’s promotion, you wouldn’t have become a star lawyer.” “Besides, we’re married. What’s mine is yours. Why fuss over a little bonus?” Everyone was waiting for a scene, but I didn’t make one. Instead, I remained silent until the end of the party. The next day, I personally placed my resignation letter on my wife’s desk. “You might as well add my salary to Charlie’s. Consider it a wedding gift for you two.” My wife angrily called me petty and cursed that I’d only end up unemployed. But she forgot that as an experienced top-tier lawyer like me, there were plenty of prestigious law firms eager to hire me. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” Grace threw her bag onto the sofa, her face cold and refusing to communicate. I rubbed my temples, feeling utterly exhausted. Since we left work, Grace and I had been arguing about what happened at the law firm’s annual party today. I couldn’t understand why she downplayed my achievements, nor could I comprehend the point of excessively praising Charlie, a newcomer who had just joined the firm. Grace, however, thought I was being petty, fighting over such small favors with Charlie. As the argument went on, neither of us was willing to back down, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold. At that moment, Grace’s phone buzzed with a message notification. She took out her phone, and after looking at it, her face showed obvious annoyance. “There’s an urgent matter at the firm that needs my attention. Lucas, I don’t want to argue with you about this. You’d better shape up, and don’t forget to prepare and send me the case analysis for tomorrow’s work.” “If you continue being so petty, I can’t help you. We’ve been married for five years, and you’re hung up on this little money. I’m so disappointed in you.” “I’m being petty?” I felt utterly powerless. Grace always changed the subject during arguments, never directly addressing an issue. Every time Charlie was mentioned, she had a bunch of excuses about being busy. Most often, she would use the fact that we’re married as a reason to tell me not to be so calculative. For the next few minutes, I had nothing to say. Grace complained that she had worked all day, so she specifically took a shower before returning to the bedroom to change clothes. During this time, we didn’t speak, falling into a cold war. But life can’t go on like this; someone has to make the first move. “Honey…” After pondering for a moment, I was about to take the initiative to make peace when I inadvertently noticed something strange. Grace was secretly stuffing something into her pants. As I got closer, I was shocked to see it was a pair of black stockings! The words I was about to say got stuck in my throat. I couldn’t say them, nor could I swallow them back. My heart suddenly sank. I couldn’t help but think about how Grace’s attitude towards me had changed over the past six months. She always had work to discuss, was always on business trips, and her attitude towards me became increasingly impatient. We hadn’t even had any intimate moments as a couple for a long time. At this moment, I finally realized she was having an affair. After a moment of hesitation, I instinctively wanted to stop her, but then I paused. I suppressed the anger in my heart, thinking that I might as well use this incident to divorce her directly, since my marriage with Grace had long been just a facade. Thinking this, I quietly retreated from the bedroom and sat directly on the sofa, waiting. Grace came out not long after, looking slightly nervous. “Lucas, did you call me just now?” Hearing this, I looked up and perfectly feigned a confused expression. “No, I didn’t.” Seeing that I showed no signs of suspicion, Grace visibly relaxed, her face turning cold again. “I need to go back to the firm now. We’ll talk about the year-end bonus when I get back. I might not be able to come home tonight.” Then, without waiting for my response, she hurriedly left. A few minutes later, after calculating the time it would take her to drive out of the neighborhood, I got dressed, went downstairs, and took a taxi to follow her. From the moment Grace left home, she wasn’t heading in the direction of the law firm!
I let out a cold laugh in the car when I saw her car finally stop in front of a hotel. Although I couldn’t go up to the hotel, I could get into her car. I unlocked the car, played back the dashcam footage, and heard Grace calling a man on her way there, addressing him as “baby” right from the start. “Hello? Charlie? Are you there yet? I’m almost there… It’s just that Lucas again. I don’t know what’s gotten into him these past few months, always looking for reasons to argue.” I frowned, but Grace’s next words were even more hurtful. “He should remember who got him where he is today. Now he dares to argue with me over the year-end bonus. He’s really crossing the line. It’s driving me crazy. I want your kiss, baby…” My blood boiled as I realized the person on the other end of the call was Charlie. No wonder his contributions were the greatest this year and his bonus was doubled. Apparently, he had been doing “overtime” after work. Grace, how could you do this to me? Six months ago, when Charlie joined the firm, it was already strange enough that he was parachuted in as a team leader with just a few years of experience after graduation. Moreover, his abilities were mediocre, yet Grace always assigned him the best resources, causing quite a stir among other colleagues in the company. Later, Charlie leveraged these resources to climb to the position of marketing manager in just half a year. From that point on, I began to have suspicions. On the other hand, Grace’s care for him in daily life was meticulous. During meals and business entertainment, I often couldn’t even sit next to Grace, but Charlie was always by her side. I had raised objections before, but Grace always said he was her junior from university, and it was only right to look after him. For the past six months, every time Grace had a business dinner or trip that I couldn’t accompany her on, she was probably fooling around with Charlie. Finally, I returned home in a daze. Sitting on the sofa, I rubbed my face. Suspecting and actually discovering are two different feelings. At least I had truly loved Grace. Now, having seen and heard it with my own eyes and ears, I still felt heartbroken. The TV at home was broadcasting local news about someone who killed for revenge for their mother. I had no interest in watching it and tossed and turned half the night before finally falling asleep on the sofa. The entire dream was filled with memories of my past with Grace. We met in the workplace after graduation. I was impressed by Grace’s capable and decisive nature at first sight and promptly began pursuing her. After we got together, Grace directly opened a law firm for me. I was very grateful for her recognition and worked tirelessly for the firm. This went on for six years. Later, I proposed to Grace, and both our parents were very pleased. But I never imagined that now, as the firm has grown bigger and stronger, she would already be having an affair before we even reached the seven-year itch. A night of chaotic dreams led to me being late for work the next day. In response, Grace mercilessly reprimanded me in front of all the executives during the morning meeting. “Lucas! What’s wrong with you? We just had a few words yesterday, and now you dare to be late? Let me tell you, you’ve lost your perfect attendance bonus for this month! Reflect on yourself!” Faced with the sympathetic or indifferent gazes of everyone, I just nodded, without saying much. However, this reaction made Grace think I had a bad attitude. After everyone else had left, she sat down in the boss’s chair, folded her arms, and coldly spoke to me. “Lucas, let me tell you, don’t use that attitude from home here in the company! Do you think you can give me the cold shoulder in front of everyone just because you’re my husband?! I’ve always kept our personal and professional lives separate!” Keeping personal and professional lives separate… I chewed on these words repeatedly, finding them laughable. She keeps things separate with me, but last night in the car, she was all sweet talk and coquettish with Charlie, saying all sorts of nice things. My indifference made Grace feel disrespected. She became furious, stood up, and slammed the desk. “Lucas! What are you trying to do? Are you rebelling?” I ignored her outburst and directly turned to leave the office. I went straight downstairs to the HR department to submit my resignation.
“Mr. Lin… Are you sure you want to resign?” “Yes, I’m sure.” The HR person was very surprised and repeatedly asked me. Although I had never publicly disclosed my relationship with Grace, over the years, my colleagues had all guessed it. The HR person clearly didn’t want to get involved in our “domestic affairs” at this moment and immediately showed a troubled expression, trying to deflect. “This… This is such a big decision, I can’t make it on my own. Why don’t you go talk to Ms. Gu first? See what she thinks.” My position was considered a key player in the company, and logically, it did require Grace’s signature. “No need to ask. Just handle it as a regular procedure,” I said softly but firmly, not sounding like an impulsive decision made in anger. The HR person looked at me for a while and could only agree with a bitter smile, telling me to come back in the afternoon to pick up the report. Just as I left the HR office, I was called to Grace’s office again. When I went in, I saw Charlie was also there. Seeing me come in, he smiled insincerely and said, “Brother Lucas is here.” “Good timing. Did you see the news yesterday about the person who killed for revenge for their mother? The case has now fallen to our firm. It was Charlie who secured it for you, Lucas. If you handle this case well, you could make a big name for yourself.” Grace called me in, reluctantly showing some goodwill, and then arrogantly “entrusted me with an important task” – to defend the killer from last night’s news. I had looked at that case this morning. As things stood, online public opinion had already pushed this case to a critical point. Grace wasn’t wrong; if handled well, it could indeed make me famous. However, I felt that Charlie had ulterior motives. This kind of case was a hot potato. No matter how it was defended, it would end up being criticized. The law is impartial, but morality is emotional. The outcome of this incident, good or bad, would affect one’s career. It was like unnecessarily inviting trouble. Thinking of this, I refused on the spot. “I still have several cases unfinished. Adding a new one would be too much to handle. I can’t take it. Please assign someone else.” “Lucas, Mr. Big Shot Lawyer, what’s wrong? Have you become too good for these kinds of cases after achieving some success in recent years? You’re not even seizing opportunities when they present themselves. What are you thinking?” Grace’s face showed mockery, her words extremely unpleasant. Charlie, seeing this, also pretended to persuade me: “Brother Lucas, if this case is handled well, it will only benefit our firm. Think it over. We need to consider the long-term development of Ms. Gu and the firm.” “Since this case has come to us, and I’ve worked hard to secure it, logically, the company needs someone to take it on. Currently, it seems you’re the most suitable person for this case, Brother Lucas.” I frowned, ignoring his moral coercion. Just as I was about to speak, Grace’s phone rang. “Hello? Little Li? What’s the matter? Huh? Who? Who wants to resign?!” Grace was stunned for a few seconds, and in the course of a few sentences, her expression became extremely unpleasant. After hanging up the phone, she looked at me in disbelief. “Lucas, you want to resign?! Just because I said a few words to you this morning?!” She stood up and flew into a rage at me, her whole body fuming. I remained outwardly calm, leaning on the desk and slowly moving closer, pulling the corners of my mouth into a cold smile as I spoke calmly. “Grace, not only am I resigning, but I also want a divorce.”
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