What would you do if you saw your husband kissing his mistress on the street? Julian’s face tightened when he saw me. A cynical smile played on my lips as I raised my coffee cup in a mock toast to him. **One** Watching him, his face grim, his eyes flicking nervously between me and the young woman still clinging to his neck, I suddenly felt a twisted amusement. I knew he was terrified I’d snap again, storm over, and dump this coffee right onto that girl’s face, tearing into her until she was unrecognizable. If this were the old me, I definitely would have. But now? It all just feels so pointless. Outside the coffee shop, the girl tugged at Julian’s jacket, looking up at him like a spoiled child. Julian’s gaze darted my way for a second, then he lowered his head, a soft smile replacing his tension. He murmured sweet nothings to her, gripped her hand, and hurried away. I stared at the coffee on the table for a long moment before finally picking it up and draining it in one gulp. After so many years of marriage, we still had some warped understanding, apparently. Julian, who hadn’t been home in six months, finally unlocked our front door today. I was already sitting on the couch, waiting for him. I watched him hang his coat, then start to walk towards me, intending to sit beside me. I couldn’t help but inch away. Julian stiffened slightly, then casually settled onto the adjacent sofa. I took a deep breath, my voice rough: “Julian, let’s get a divorce.” The moment the words left my lips, a flicker of impatience crossed Julian’s face. His voice was cold, laced with annoyance: “Audrey, I have enough on my plate with company matters. I’m already stressed. Can you just not start this again?” His reaction was exactly what I expected. After all, he’d calmly brought up divorce himself plenty of times when he was cheating. The only problem was, I’d always interrupted him with a hysterical outburst. Now that *I* was the one proposing it, he probably just saw it as my latest ploy to keep him. I raised my hand, pulled the diamond ring off my ring finger, and tossed it onto the coffee table. The massive diamond flashed a cold brilliance under the light. “I’m serious. I’m not joking around.” Julian finally took me a little more seriously. He raised an eyebrow, crossing his long legs, and looked at me with an air of casual amusement. “Reason?” “I just find this life too boring. I want a new way to live.” I looked up at him, a cool, clear smile on my lips. I spoke each word distinctly: “After all, I’ve seen enough of your face.” My words made Julian’s face fall. He stared at me intently, as if scrutinizing the truth behind my words. My expression remained calm, my demeanor serious. Finally convinced I wasn’t just throwing another tantrum, he rubbed his temples in frustration, then patiently told me: “I don’t care how you spend your time when I’m not home. Divorce or not, it’s all the same. We’ve lived this way for so many years, why now? Why do you suddenly need to divorce?” He looked at me, a hint of deeper meaning in his eyes, and reminded me: “Divorce is a big deal. You should think it through carefully, don’t just act on a whim.” It was clear he still wasn’t taking me seriously. I knew he was warning me, reminding me that once we divorced, there’d be no turning back, urging me to think clearly. Too bad for his well-intentioned advice. This time, I genuinely had no desire to keep this charade going. It was just too exhausting. Under my steady gaze, Julian abruptly stood up, walked to the door, grabbed his coat from the rack, and shrugged it on. The swing of his coat seemed to carry a hint of anger. “I’m not agreeing to a divorce.” Then he walked out of the villa, slamming the front door shut behind him. **Two** Julian refusing a divorce completely blindsided me. I thought, given how much we clearly despised each other, he’d jump at the chance the moment I gave him an opening. After all, he should have been the one who wanted out the most. Later, I tried calling him, but every time, it was his assistant, Sam, who answered. The last time, Sam sounded a bit awkward as he told me: “Ms. Audrey, the boss says he’s really busy. Uh, he doesn’t have time to deal with your… antics.” After that, I completely lost interest in calling him. After thinking it over, I could only conclude that his refusal stemmed from our families’ intertwined business dealings, and how a divorce would impact our companies’ development. Strategic alliances between influential families are always complicated, and our intertwined businesses just made it worse, especially with the messy property division that would drag on for ages. Julian was incredibly ambitious, so his refusal to divorce was, I supposed, understandable. Even though the divorce didn’t happen, it felt like a long-locked door in my heart had finally swung open. At a social gathering, I casually accepted an invitation to a “Party” from my girls in the circle, which immediately drew surprised glances from everyone. In our crowd, arranged marriages were common. Some couples had open marriages, just keeping up appearances, while others genuinely loved each other. But someone like me, who’d caused such a public scene over her husband’s infidelity, completely losing all composure? That was rare. Julian and I got engaged young. We were childhood sweethearts, and there was a time when our love was so intense, we thought we’d die for each other. After finishing our studies, we married as planned, a model couple in our social circle. I never indulged in the wild parties and lavish living that many rich kids did. But everything changed after Julian started cheating. In the beginning, I’d stormed his company, trashed his car, and even hunted down his girlfriends. It all ended with both our families losing face, and my father personally stepped in to stop me from continuing. At first, some people tried to talk me into joining their own fun, but I always refused. Over time, everyone just gave up, though they still invited me out of habit. No one expected me to actually say yes today. My friends flocked around me, ushering me into a private lounge. One of my girls nudged a guy to sit next to me, winking suggestively. “Audrey, this is a new one. Want to try him out? One night with him, and you won’t even remember that Julian guy’s name.” I raised an eyebrow, taking it all in. Everyone in the room visibly relaxed. The guy next to me, sensing my closeness, tightened his lips, his hands clenched nervously on his knees. I let out a soft laugh, resting my hand on his clenched fist, and whispered, “Nervous?” He nodded rapidly, then quickly shook his head. “N-no, not nervous.” After years of Julian’s composed, almost cold face, even when I was screaming at him, seeing this fresh-faced college student with such an innocent reaction was surprisingly entertaining. He probably was faking it, but who cared? After tonight, we’d be nothing to each other. What did it matter if it was real or not? Julian kicked open the lounge door. By then, my vision was blurry from drinks, and I was leaning against the college student’s shoulder, my lips brushing his ear as I asked, “What’s your name?” The guy’s ears were a fiery red, but he’d grown bold enough to squeeze my hand. He answered shyly, “My name is Leo.” The room suddenly fell silent. I turned my head, and there they were: a pair of expensive suit pants, perfectly tailored, standing right in front of me. I looked up further to find Julian glaring at me, his eyes dark with fury. Then, amidst a few gasps, he yanked me off the sofa and dragged me out of the lounge. He was seething, practically radiating anger. He pulled me into the elevator, then down to the underground parking garage. He unlocked the car door and practically shoved me into the passenger seat. My wrist, where he’d gripped it, was throbbing, and I winced slightly. The driver’s side door opened. Julian’s long legs swung in, and he slid behind the wheel. He pulled a few tissues from a box, his face grim as he pinched my chin and started wiping my lips. The vivid lipstick stained the tissue, and his eyes darkened, his grip tightening. It hurt so much I struggled a few times but couldn’t break free. Finally, I just slapped him across the face! *Smack!* The sharp sound echoed in the car. Julian’s head snapped to the side from the impact. I casually pulled my hand back. “Hurting a lady isn’t exactly polite, Julian. Is that what your family taught you?” Suddenly, those words sounded familiar. I remembered him standing in front of me, watching me coldly, asking me ‘Where’s your upbringing?’ when I’d been confronting his mistresses. I wasn’t afraid of having slapped him, nor did I feel guilty. Julian didn’t seem to be in the mood to argue today. He just started the car, his face a thundercloud. The car slowly pulled out of the garage. I rested my head against the window, watching the raindrops splatter on the glass, leaving trails. I was in a surprisingly good mood. “Today, you know, I got a taste of the life you usually lead. It’s pretty interesting, actually. Young guys really do have a lot of energy. Just watching them lifts your mood…” “Stop talking.” Julian’s voice held a warning. I ignored him and continued, “I’m starting to understand you now. You’re right, it’s incredibly boring looking at the same face year after year. It’s only natural for people to seek something new…” “Audrey, I said stop talking!” Julian’s voice rose. “That young guy today was so cute, all flushed. If you’d come a little later, I might have even tried to kiss him…” Julian slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched against the pavement. My body lunged forward with the inertia, the seatbelt almost choking me. I turned to see Julian glaring at me, his eyes bloodshot and terrifying, his chest heaving. I couldn’t understand what he was so angry about. He was the one who said he didn’t care, the one who told me I could do whatever I wanted. Now, he was acting like he’d caught *me* cheating, his fury swelling in a way that just made me want to laugh. In fact, his angry face looked so grotesque, almost ugly, that I just turned my gaze away. Silence fell in the car, broken only by Julian’s heavy breathing. After a moment, he opened a pack of cigarettes and pulled out a lighter. I frowned. “Go outside if you’re going to smoke. I hate the smell.” His hand paused. He unbuckled his seatbelt, pulled open the car door, and stepped out. It was pouring rain outside. Julian didn’t come back right away, instead standing in the downpour for a good while. When he finally got back in, he was soaked to the bone, a damp, bent cigarette still clutched between his fingers, unlit. He brought a chill and wetness with him, and I shifted further away. Julian froze, then tossed the ruined cigarette onto the center console without a word, and restarted the car. **Three** After that unpleasant night, Julian seemed to change his ways. He started coming home every day. The house was joint marital property, so I had no reason to refuse him. I simply let him move back in. I had a habit of reading after dinner. One evening, I opened the study door and saw him sitting behind the desk, his eyes on the screen, fingers flying across the keyboard. Sensing his subtle gaze, I paused, then casually closed the study door and went to the home gym. A little while later, Julian walked in again. He stood in front of my treadmill, silently watching me for a long time before finally speaking. “The printer’s out of paper. I looked in the storage, but couldn’t find any. Where is it?” I pressed stop on the treadmill, picked up the towel from my neck, and wiped the sweat from my forehead. “If it’s not there, it’s not there. I don’t use those things, so Mrs. Davis didn’t buy any. If you need some, tell Mrs. Davis to get them now.” He shook his head. “Never mind.” Then he looked at me with a complex expression, opening his mouth as if to speak but stopping himself. I pretended not to notice. I had no interest in interacting with him at all. I got off the treadmill and walked past him directly into the shower. The next morning, when I woke up and went for breakfast, Julian was already sitting at the table. Mrs. Davis brought out two bowls of noodle soup. The moment he saw it, he frowned. I loved hearty, saucy breakfast dishes like this. Julian had spent a long time abroad years ago and never ate this kind of food. Since he’d been cheating, he hadn’t been home, so Mrs. Davis, being new, had no idea what his eating habits were. Noticing Mrs. Davis’s nervous glance, I finally cleared my throat. “Mrs. Davis, he doesn’t like these. Please take them away.” Mrs. Davis quickly moved to take Julian’s bowl, but he suddenly reached out and stopped her. “No, this is fine.” He said, picking up a handful of noodles with his fork and putting them in his mouth. Just then, his phone on the table rang. My curious gaze fell on it, just in time to see him fumble to hang up the call. After finishing my last bite of noodles, I pulled out a tissue and wiped my mouth. Seeing Julian still struggling to eat his bowl, I said casually, “Julian, what’s the point? Forcing yourself to adapt to a life you’re not used to… there’s no need, right?” I didn’t need to say it; he must have already realized how out of place he was in this home. Why bother doing something so meaningless? Julian paused, then without another word, he rolled a large portion of noodles onto his fork, shoved them into his mouth, chewed briefly, swallowed, and only then said, “I don’t feel uncomfortable.” I snorted and returned to my room. Less than two minutes later, Julian burst into my room, his face flushed with irritation. He was clutching my phone, demanding, “Audrey, are you still in contact with those questionable people outside?” The screen showed an unknown number, already disconnected. I didn’t even look at him. “Julian, what the hell is wrong with you, first thing in the morning?” A vein throbbed in Julian’s temple. He suppressed his anger and said, “What’s wrong with *me*? You tell me, why is a man calling you this early?” I let out an exasperated “Tsk.” “Are you *sure* you want to discuss this? You know perfectly well who called *you* just now, don’t you?”
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