Chapter 4

Melissa: "I'm not deleting them unless you come keep me company."

Garrett: "I'll be there in an hour. If those photos of Claire are still online when I arrive, you'll regret it."

Melissa: "Regret? Regret not draining you dry in bed?"

Garrett: "That mouth of yours-I'll come shut it up properly..."

Seeing these obscene exchanges, I laughed.

Now I finally believed that he married me out of guilt.

In three years of marriage, he'd always been perfunctory with me physically.

I'd always thought he was being gentle, that he couldn't bear to hurt me.

Turns out I just never appealed to him at all.

Garrett carefully led me to the bedroom and laid me down.

"Claire, there's a problem at the lab. I need to go. I won't be back tonight."

I suddenly gripped his sleeve tightly.

"Don't go. Stay with me tonight."

At that moment, I could see his phone vibrating nonstop.

Garrett, who will you choose-me or Melissa?

My palms were sweating as I held onto his sleeve.

Perhaps because I rarely made such requests, Garrett froze.

Just as I was about to let go of his sleeve...

He turned off his phone and slipped under the covers, holding me tight.

My heart pounded violently. I couldn't believe he would abandon Melissa for me. I heard him whisper in my ear. "Alright, I won't go then. I'll stay and keep you company."

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by rustling sounds.

Soon after, I heard Garrett by the door, making a quiet phone call.

"Didn't I come? Claire's in a bad mood. I need to spend more time with her."

"Yes, I don't love her."

"But she's still my wife. I have to care for her."

"If I could choose, I wish her father hadn't saved me. Then I wouldn't have had to repay this debt by throwing away my entire life."

The door closed carefully.

I lay in bed with my eyes open.

Recalling how many times over the years he'd been "called away" in the middle of the night.

In three years, he'd never even spent one birthday with me.

More and more details surfaced.

I realized I truly was blind.

I couldn't even see whether the man beside me loved me or not.

If that's the case, then let's stop torturing each other, Garrett.

At dawn, I sat at the desk, eyes red, finishing the divorce papers.

Just as I set down the pen, the door opened carefully.

Garrett looked startled seeing me sitting at the desk.

He walked over worriedly, checking my body for injuries.

"Why did you get up by yourself? Did you bump into anything?"

Seeing no wounds on me, he sighed with relief and held up a blueberry cake.

"Are you hungry? You were sleeping so peacefully, so I went to South Street to get this for you."

He clearly remembered.

Blueberry cake was my favorite.

But he forgot that South Street stopped selling blueberry cake long ago...

I didn't take the cake that had already gone cold. I handed him the divorce papers instead.

"Garrett, sign this..."

The next second, his phone rang.

His expression changed dramatically.

"What? I'll be right there!"

He threw the blueberry cake on the floor and turned to leave.

I grabbed him and shoved the divorce papers into his arms.

"Sign this first!"

Garrett rarely got angry with me, but now he snapped.

"Melissa suddenly had a rare disease flare-up. I need to save her! Can you stop being so petty!"

"What is it this time-another guarantee letter or apology? I don't have time to play your games!"

I remained unmoved, just clutching his sleeve tightly.

Left with no choice, Garrett snatched the divorce papers and signed without even reading them.

He signed while gritting his teeth.

"Claire Morgan, I really misjudged you."

He threw down those harsh words and left in a hurry, stepping on the blueberry cake and crushing it.

Then my phone rang. It was Rachel.

"Claire, your mother's condition is critical!"