When I learned that my wife, Miranda Shaw, had abandoned me while I was unconscious in the hospital—all to deliver a jacket to her male assistant, Callum York—I asked for a divorce. Miranda agreed instantly. “What’s there to worry about? He’s a grown man. He can take care of himself.” That same day, she posted a photo on social media of her and Callum holding hands. The caption read: “For the rest of our lives, you and I are each other’s one and only.” I immediately called my sister, Autumn. “Autumn, buy me a plane ticket home.” “Really? That’s wonderful! You’re finally willing to leave that awful woman! Wait right there—I’ll come pick you up myself!” My sister’s voice on the other end was full of joy. After I hung up, Miranda walked in, reeking of pungent perfume. The hickeys on her neck stung my eyes. “Who was that?” Miranda asked casually, her eyes glued to her phone. She didn’t even glance at me. “Autumn.” A shrill ringtone drowned out my voice completely. Miranda answered immediately. Callum’s voice came through: “Miranda, thank you for bringing me those clothes the other day. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been so embarrassed. I don’t know what I would’ve done.” Seeming to realize the timing was inappropriate, Miranda looked somewhat guilty as she lowered the volume, stood up, and retreated into the study. A self-mocking smile tugged at my lips. We were already in the cooling-off period for divorce. What was I even expecting? I silently cooked myself a bowl of noodles, ate it without a sound, then returned to the bedroom to pack my luggage. An hour later, Miranda finally finished her nauseating conversation with Callum. As usual, she sat at the dining table with a magazine, waiting for me to serve her a hot breakfast. But this time, after waiting and waiting—not even a glass of warm milk appeared—she finally spared me half her attention, visibly irritated. “So what if I didn’t go with you for your checkup? Insomnia isn’t some serious illness.” “The doctor prescribed medication. Just take it on time and you’ll be fine. Why are you being so emotional?” “Besides, I already agreed to the divorce. What more do you want? Are you going to keep giving me that sour face every day?” I stopped what I was doing and looked blankly at this person who used to share my bed. That day after she left, I collapsed at the hospital. If the doctors hadn’t acted quickly, I would’ve already been sent to the crematorium. And afterward, neither I nor the doctors could get through to Miranda’s phone. When I finally did reach her, I heard Callum’s sweet laughter in the background, followed by Miranda’s impatient scolding: “It’s just medical bills. Can’t you figure it out yourself?” In the end, I had to borrow money from a friend to pay the fees. Yesterday when I was discharged, I learned that she’d gone to deliver a jacket to Callum, who was at a business dinner. All because he said he was cold. I asked for a divorce on the spot. “Once we get the divorce decree, you won’t have to see this face anymore.” I thought my distant attitude would please Miranda, since she’d always wanted me to stop interfering in her affairs. But to my surprise, she slammed her magazine on the table and shouted, “You’d better not regret this!” Then she stormed out. Bang! The loud noise didn’t stir a single emotion in me. I had no interest in analyzing her behavior or emotions. I just did my own thing. After sending the revised proposal to my client, I poured myself a glass of warm milk. I was just about to find a movie to watch while taking a bath when a message popped up. It was from Miranda. “Dawn Lounge. Had too much to drink. Drive over and pick me up.” I was about to close the screen when a second message appeared. “You’re still my husband in name. This is your obligation.” I gripped my phone tightly and took several deep breaths before mentally preparing myself to go out. It’s all for a smooth divorce. I can endure this! When I found the private room at the lounge according to the address she’d sent, I heard Miranda and Callum laughing inside. Their voices were like swords stabbing into my heart. I bit down hard, steadied my expression, and pushed open the door. The laughter stopped abruptly.
When Miranda saw me, her expression was startled, her delicate brows knitting together. “Are you following me?” Miranda’s accusatory question made everyone present exchange subtle glances. I pulled up the message screen. “This is the address you sent me.” Callum immediately wrapped his arm around Miranda’s shoulder and said softly, “Miranda, I was worried it wouldn’t be safe for you to go home alone, so I had Dylan come pick you up. I hope I didn’t mess things up by trying to help.” Miranda’s expression softened. Looking at Callum’s anxious face, she smiled indulgently. Watching Callum shoot me a provocative look when no one was watching, and seeing Miranda’s tacit approval, I felt strangely calm. I simply nodded, my attitude cold and distant. Perhaps she was used to my hysterical outbursts in the past. My current silence seemed to make Miranda uncomfortable. For once, she extracted herself from Callum’s embrace and explained in a gentler tone, “Dylan, we were just entertaining clients. Everyone here is either a client or an employee.” I handed her the milk I’d grabbed on my way out. “I know.” Perhaps my arrival had ruined the atmosphere. Soon everyone left in twos and threes. Miranda called a car for Callum and fussed over him with reminders before finally getting into my car and settling into the passenger seat. I started the car silently while she dozed off beside me. Neither of us spoke. When I parked in the underground garage, I got out first and walked toward the elevator. At the corner, Miranda suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me into her embrace. The next second, a car sped past where I’d been standing. For an instant, my heart pounded wildly. “Can’t you watch where you’re going? What if you’d gotten hurt?” Miranda’s voice was urgent as she gripped my hand tightly and positioned me on the inside. Memories of our passionate early days suddenly surfaced. She used to hold my hand like this, protecting me. But at some point, such gestures had disappeared. I’d even forgotten I was once cherished this way. Fortunately, the elevator wasn’t far. When she pressed the floor button, I discreetly withdrew my hand. Miranda glanced at me, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately made no further moves. But the next morning, she surprisingly offered to drive me to work. “I’ll take you.” I yawned and agreed. I’d slept poorly last night, drifting in and out, so I could use the extra rest. However, when I opened the car door, I saw a custom pillow in the passenger seat with a photo of Miranda and Callum making heart shapes together. This was a blatant declaration of ownership. I pointed at the pillow. “So you two take couple photos together?” But what I really wanted to ask about was the photo Miranda had posted on social media the day we filed for divorce—the one of intertwined fingers at a candlelit dinner. I still remembered the caption: “For the rest of our lives, you and I are each other’s one and only.”
My words made Miranda’s face flash with discomfort. All my energy suddenly drained away. Whether out of revenge, showing off, or some other reason, Miranda’s heart had strayed. That was a fact. I gave up on asking further and silently sat in the back seat. Perhaps feeling guilty and awkward, Miranda handed me a pastry. “Have something to eat.” My gaze fell on where she’d retrieved the pastry. That compartment was filled with various cookies and candy, even pungent spicy snacks. “How rare. Your germaphobia is cured?” I admit I was jealous. I was constantly too busy to eat regular meals and needed to keep bread and cookies on hand. Once when I was doubled over with stomach pain, trembling all over, I’d barely taken out my only piece of bread when Miranda snatched it and threw it out the window. That day, Miranda had sternly warned me never to eat anything in her car, not even drink water. Yet now, what she’d forbidden me to do, she allowed another man to do freely. The one who is loved can always be indulged without limit. My sarcasm made Miranda’s face darken. But I didn’t care about her feelings. I turned my head and closed my eyes, pretending to rest. As soon as we arrived at the office, I couldn’t wait to get out. While she parked, I rushed into the elevator ahead of her and went straight to my desk. Countless emails awaited me. I was so busy I didn’t even have time to look up. It’s not that I wanted to stay at Miranda’s company. I just believe in seeing things through to the end, and I still had unfinished work. If I was going to resign, I needed to complete my current projects first. I worked straight through until four in the afternoon, too busy even to order lunch. My stomach was cramping painfully when I finally realized I hadn’t eaten in a long time. I quickly got myself some hot water, returned to my desk to eat some bread, and continued working. Just then, the security guard came in carrying two large bags of snacks, bubble tea, and small cakes. “Miranda ordered afternoon tea for everyone. Come and get some.” The guard’s announcement made everyone cheer. A crowd immediately swarmed over. “Thank you, Miranda! It’s my favorite pearl milk tea!” “Ah, there’s nothing with mango…” “Tsk, be grateful for what you get. Don’t you know Callum is allergic to mango?” People immediately responded with knowing “ohhhs” and some gossips turned their gazes toward me. A new intern spoke thoughtlessly: “I heard Miranda got divorced. Is she going to marry Callum now? She spoils him so much!” Someone immediately yanked her back. “Shut up. Dylan’s right here.” The intern’s face flushed with embarrassment. Someone placed a milk tea and a piece of cake on my desk, saying awkwardly, “The kid was just joking. Don’t take it personally.” I looked at the walnut cake on my desk and pushed it away. “Sorry, I’m allergic to nuts. You can have it.” The person’s face showed awkward embarrassment. Actually, everyone knew I was allergic to nuts, because Miranda had used this tactic against me before. Back then, to prove her love for me, she’d order my favorite matcha cake for the office every day and wouldn’t allow anything nut-related in the office because of my allergy. She’d even order meals delivered to everyone’s desk when I was too busy to eat, then sit in front of me and supervise until I finished. Now, she’d simply switched to a different target. Because Callum was allergic to mango, the company wasn’t allowed to have anything mango-related. The grand romantic gestures she once gave me, she now gave to another man. The office had no shortage of gossip. As many people who used to ship me and Miranda now shipped her with Callum. I wasn’t bothered by it. The work was too demanding for me to spare any attention for irrelevant people.
My current project was nearing completion, and communication with the client was becoming more frequent. The proposal might need revisions two or three times within an hour. I’d been working overtime for nearly a week, and today we’d finally reached the critical final stage. Once I got through this, the project would be complete. I stretched, deciding to treat myself to a nice dinner tonight. But as I raised my arms, I bumped into someone, letting out a startled yelp. I turned around to find Miranda standing there. When had she positioned herself behind me? “Still working overtime?” Miranda didn’t care that my face had gone pale from fright. She asked casually. I didn’t know why she’d suddenly sought me out. I could only try to calm myself. “Miranda, is there something you need?” A flash of displeasure crossed Miranda’s face. She wasn’t used to my distance. But she still reined in her temper. “Transfer the client and project you’re working on to Callum. He needs to build experience.” A chill shot through me. Even knowing how unreasonable Miranda could be, I hadn’t expected her to be this absurd. Seeing my silence, Miranda stepped forward. “There are always rumors in the office. He just graduated not long ago—how can he handle all that? Having this project in hand will shut up those questioning him. You’re the senior here. It’s only right to help newcomers.” I couldn’t help myself. I laughed bitterly and rolled my eyes. Miranda knew perfectly well how many all-nighters I’d pulled for this project. I’d even worked myself into cardiac arrest and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. But the moment I entered the hospital, she’d been whisked away by a casual phone call from Callum. My life wasn’t even as important as a jacket for Callum. And now, this project I’d fought desperately to complete, she wanted to hand over to Callum with a few careless words. She considered Callum’s feelings, worked to protect his reputation, but never once considered whether any of this was fair to me. “Fine. Have him come for the handoff tomorrow.” Perfect timing to submit my resignation letter. I’d done my duty to this company. As for what happened afterward, with Miranda interfering, I couldn’t control it even if I wanted to. Better to let go gracefully. Miranda seemed surprised I’d agreed so easily. She froze for a moment. But then she was overjoyed, throwing her arms around me. “I was wrong before. I always thought you were petty and stubborn. I didn’t expect you to be so understanding today. Let’s go to that revolving restaurant by the river for dinner. You’ve wanted to go there for ages, haven’t you?” The revolving restaurant by the river? That three-star French restaurant? I’d once wanted to spend our wedding anniversary there, but none of that mattered anymore. Miranda put her arm around my shoulders, her tone much warmer. “We’ve been married for years. What obstacle can’t we overcome? You should work on your temper too. In a couple days, we’ll withdraw the divorce application, and then I’ll go back with you to visit your parents. You haven’t been home in years, right? This time you can stay longer.” I remained silent. She assumed I’d accepted everything and talked enthusiastically, continuing even after I’d saved my files and gotten into the car with her. Sitting in the back seat, I scrolled through social media and discovered Callum had posted a photo from an hour ago. He was wearing a suit, sitting in a spacious outdoor restaurant, elegantly dining by candlelight. Looking at the river behind him, I couldn’t help a self-mocking laugh. So he’d already enjoyed his time there, and Miranda was thoughtful enough—after finishing the first date, she’d deigned to leave her beloved and arrange a second one with me.
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