Chapter 1

After my husband Liam cheated on me, I threatened him countless times:

"I'm going to find a lover too!"

But he didn't even bother to look up, just mocked me:

"Tara, you've said that a hundred times already, but you haven't found a single man. I don't have time for your drama—I need to take my sweetheart on a trip."

He had no idea that this time, I meant it.

A month later, Liam came back.

Looking at me curled up on the couch, he shook his head with a laugh:

"Tara, after what happened in high school, you developed severe mysophobia. You can't stand any man touching you except me."

My phone buzzed. A message from my boyfriend.

An ultrasound image, followed by a line:

"Tara, our babies are twins. In three days, I'm coming to marry you."

Liam finally noticed I was distracted. He looked somewhat displeased.

"Did you hear what I said?"

I looked up at him, slightly dazed.

This man's face—I'd been looking at it for ten years.

Seven years dating, three years married.

I remembered how nervous and stuttering he was the day he proposed. I remembered him crying at our wedding, vowing to be together for all eternity.

I also remembered the first night he didn't come home. We fought. He slammed the door and left. I sat on the balcony all night.

After that came a hundred chances, a hundred threats, a hundred disappointments.

I thought this time would cut my heart like a knife, just like before.

But now, watching his lips move, I felt nothing.

My thoughts even drifted away to another man.

His cool lips, burning body, scorching hands.

I liked every part of him.

In fact, he and I were more compatible than Liam ever was.

More importantly, that man had loved me in secret for ten years.

I stood up.

I was a head shorter than him, but for the first time, I felt I could finally look him in the eye.

"Liam."

I called his name, my tone unusually calm.

"I've printed out the divorce papers and left them on the desk. Go sign them. City Hall closes soon—we need to hurry."

His expression froze instantly on his face.

I walked past him toward the door to change my shoes.

As I passed him, I caught a whiff of that perfume.

Gardenia.

My once-favorite flower. I never bought them again after that.

"Oh, by the way," I turned back and smiled at him slightly, "that pot of flowers of yours—I forgot to water it. It died."

Liam pressed his lips together tightly.

A sign he was getting angry.

But I didn't care. "After the divorce, I'll leave with nothing. Not even this house. It's all written clearly in the divorce agreement. If you don't believe me, you can read it first."

"But Coco—even though you were the one who got her, I'm the one who took care of her all these years while you were cheating. I can't bear to part with her, so I'm taking her."

"I've been busy these past couple days handling the divorce and moving, so I didn't have time to take care of her. I dropped her off at the pet boarding place yesterday."

After a long silence, I heard nothing.

I looked up. Liam had already walked up to me.

He stared at me intently.

Just when I thought he would question me, he suddenly laughed.

"Baby, who taught you this trick? You actually changed your tactics? You want to divorce me?"

I paused, then looked at him with complete seriousness. "No one taught me, Liam. I really want to divorce you."