After making some chicken soup for myself, I went back to the bedroom to rest.Being weak meant needing more sleep, and I slept straight through until evening.After freshening up, my ordered meal prep delivery arrived.As luck would have it, James came home at the same time.I ignored him, quietly setting out my food and pouring myself a bowl of soup.James headed straight to the kitchen to warm up his milk, but paused when he saw the soup, putting the milk back in the fridge.His tone was unusually gentle. "Thanks for making soup for me."I frowned. "It's for me. Don't touch it."James's outstretched hand froze mid-air.He looked shocked, then his face darkened. "Rachel! You know about my acid reflux!"I replied calmly. "Yes, I know about your stomach issues. That's why I used to leave work early every day. I taught myself to cook from scratch, spent hours grocery shopping after long days at work, studied recipes, took notes - all to help your digestion."But what did you
At the company, being technically the boss's wife meant my resignation was approved smoothly the very next day.By the time the paperwork reached James's desk, I had already started at my new company.I ended up working a bit late that day.When I got home, I was surprised to see James, who was supposed to be on a beach vacation with Sophie.I only knew this not because I was keeping tabs on him.Sophie was a popular streamer, and several guys at my new workplace were her fans. During lunch breaks, they'd constantly check her updates, making it hard to miss.I put down my bag and changed my shoes while James followed me, scowling."Don't you have anything to say?"I looked at him blankly. "About what?"James's voice was dark with anger. "Is the company not paying you enough? Why resign? Or is this another threat, like the divorce?"I met his eyes silently, then emphasized. "The divorce isn't a threat, and neither is my resignation. From now on, I won't interfere with anything
My company assigned me a new project, but the partner was James's firm.Amy, my former colleague, met me at their office entrance with surprise."Rachel, it's you!"I nodded, carrying my files as I followed her to the waiting room.After having coffee for a while, Amy returned apologetically. "Sorry Rachel, Mr. Lawson wants to see you in his office."A knock on the office door."Rachel, you're here?"James looked up, his eyes brightening when he saw me.He guided me to the couch. "Have a seat, I'll make you some coffee."I opened the proposal to review key points when the office door opened.I thought it was James, but suddenly the document was snatched from my hands.Sophie angrily threw the proposal aside, glaring at me. "Why are you here? Didn't you quit?"Her entitled attitude made her seem like she owned the place.Seeing my silence, she smirked. "Don't tell me you heard about me and James, and you're here to make a scene?""But let me tell you, you've lost your chan
When I got home, James was surprisingly in the kitchen wearing an apron.He rushed out when he saw me, nervously fidgeting with the apron. "You're back? I made dinner, perfect timing."I noticed his left hand wrapped in several Band-Aids, his thumb red and raw.In all our years together, I'd never let James cook a single meal. At most, he'd wash vegetables when we first got married.Whenever he wanted something special, I'd learn to make it. Through cut fingers and burnt skin, I never complained, just wanting to serve him what he craved.But how did he describe it?Called it pathetic, beneath me, self-inflicted suffering.Seeing his cautious demeanor now, I smiled mockingly. "James, who are you trying to impress with this act?"He hid his hands behind his back, lowering his eyes to hide his disappointment, his forced smile bitter as he spoke hoarsely."Rachel, I just want to apologize. Nothing happened with Sophie, she acted on her own today, I..."His phone interrupted him.
My phone was flooded again with messages and DMs.People rushed to apologize, advising me to move on, saying it's okay to be blind to red flags temporarily but not to waste your life on a cheater.Nina called, excited, with Alex trying to calm her in the background."While Sophie was livestreaming about her future plans, James suddenly burst into her place, screaming at her on camera. He even got physical! Viewers called the police while watching the drama unfold. Both got taken to the station - it's hilarious!"As a company executive attacking one of their streamers live, James quickly started trending.Tags like "affair," "homewrecker," and "assault" spread like wildfire.For James's company, this was a major crisis. The negative publicity skyrocketed, destroying their image. Their recently listed stock crashed.After making bail, James was overwhelmed dealing with the fallout. When I next saw him, I'd been in my new place for a month.He'd lost a lot of weight, his cheeks ho
After four years of marriage, James Lawson, who had never posted anything on social media, unexpectedly updated his status: "What an adorable little foodie!" The attached photo showed a young woman wearing pink cat ears, eating at a Korean BBQ restaurant. Her cheeks were flushed red from the spicy food as she stuck out her tongue. It was Sophie Jones, a new content creator at his company. Within a minute, our mutual friend commented: "Dude, you forgot to switch accounts!" Just like that, James's new post disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, only to show up moments later on Sophie's feed. Then James's name lit up my phone screen. In the past, I would have already taken screenshots and called him first to confront him. It would have inevitably ended in a heated argument. But this time, I calmly watched his call go to voicemail without answering.—When James got home, I was nearly asleep on the couch.He took off his coat and bent down to change his shoes."Why didn'
When James suggested we go to work together, perhaps feeling guilty about buying the same gift twice.I didn't refuse since I wasn't feeling up to driving.James stood in front of his car, his brows deeply furrowed.At some point, he'd developed a strong aversion to me riding in his car, especially in the passenger seat, and had pressured me into buying my own car.Probably because I'd acted crazy fighting with him over the right to sit in his passenger seat, until he got fed up.But now, his car was filled with cat plushies and cute stickers, all for Sophie.Even the passenger seat had been specially redesigned to make it comfortable for petite Sophie.Still, seeing me waiting, he finally opened the door and started moving the plushies to the back seat.Watching him go back and forth, I spoke up with a frown, "Never mind, I'll go to work by myself."James tossed the last cat plush into the back seat. "Let's go together. Sophie just likes decorating things - she's playful that
Honestly, nobody walks to work anymore these days.When the light turned green, a delivery guy on his scooter, not expecting anyone at the crosswalk, turned and crashed right into me.I ended up with scrapes all over my hands, feet, and forehead.The nurse cleaned my wounds and applied a bandage to my forehead. "Keep it dry for a few days," she advised. "No baths, and make sure to apply the medication as directed."After leaving the hospital, I grabbed an Uber to work.The driver had two phones mounted on his dashboard - one for GPS, the other streaming Sophie's live feed.The chat was flooded with worried messages."Aww, thanks for caring everyone~ This little kitty is fine, James came right on time~ No hospital needed!""No way~ Haven't told him how I feel yet~ Stop spreading rumors, guys. James is right here watching, and yes, he's absolutely wonderful."I checked my phone to find two angry texts: "My assistant says you missed the project planning meeting. Where the hell ar
My phone was flooded again with messages and DMs.People rushed to apologize, advising me to move on, saying it's okay to be blind to red flags temporarily but not to waste your life on a cheater.Nina called, excited, with Alex trying to calm her in the background."While Sophie was livestreaming about her future plans, James suddenly burst into her place, screaming at her on camera. He even got physical! Viewers called the police while watching the drama unfold. Both got taken to the station - it's hilarious!"As a company executive attacking one of their streamers live, James quickly started trending.Tags like "affair," "homewrecker," and "assault" spread like wildfire.For James's company, this was a major crisis. The negative publicity skyrocketed, destroying their image. Their recently listed stock crashed.After making bail, James was overwhelmed dealing with the fallout. When I next saw him, I'd been in my new place for a month.He'd lost a lot of weight, his cheeks ho
When I got home, James was surprisingly in the kitchen wearing an apron.He rushed out when he saw me, nervously fidgeting with the apron. "You're back? I made dinner, perfect timing."I noticed his left hand wrapped in several Band-Aids, his thumb red and raw.In all our years together, I'd never let James cook a single meal. At most, he'd wash vegetables when we first got married.Whenever he wanted something special, I'd learn to make it. Through cut fingers and burnt skin, I never complained, just wanting to serve him what he craved.But how did he describe it?Called it pathetic, beneath me, self-inflicted suffering.Seeing his cautious demeanor now, I smiled mockingly. "James, who are you trying to impress with this act?"He hid his hands behind his back, lowering his eyes to hide his disappointment, his forced smile bitter as he spoke hoarsely."Rachel, I just want to apologize. Nothing happened with Sophie, she acted on her own today, I..."His phone interrupted him.
My company assigned me a new project, but the partner was James's firm.Amy, my former colleague, met me at their office entrance with surprise."Rachel, it's you!"I nodded, carrying my files as I followed her to the waiting room.After having coffee for a while, Amy returned apologetically. "Sorry Rachel, Mr. Lawson wants to see you in his office."A knock on the office door."Rachel, you're here?"James looked up, his eyes brightening when he saw me.He guided me to the couch. "Have a seat, I'll make you some coffee."I opened the proposal to review key points when the office door opened.I thought it was James, but suddenly the document was snatched from my hands.Sophie angrily threw the proposal aside, glaring at me. "Why are you here? Didn't you quit?"Her entitled attitude made her seem like she owned the place.Seeing my silence, she smirked. "Don't tell me you heard about me and James, and you're here to make a scene?""But let me tell you, you've lost your chan
At the company, being technically the boss's wife meant my resignation was approved smoothly the very next day.By the time the paperwork reached James's desk, I had already started at my new company.I ended up working a bit late that day.When I got home, I was surprised to see James, who was supposed to be on a beach vacation with Sophie.I only knew this not because I was keeping tabs on him.Sophie was a popular streamer, and several guys at my new workplace were her fans. During lunch breaks, they'd constantly check her updates, making it hard to miss.I put down my bag and changed my shoes while James followed me, scowling."Don't you have anything to say?"I looked at him blankly. "About what?"James's voice was dark with anger. "Is the company not paying you enough? Why resign? Or is this another threat, like the divorce?"I met his eyes silently, then emphasized. "The divorce isn't a threat, and neither is my resignation. From now on, I won't interfere with anything
After making some chicken soup for myself, I went back to the bedroom to rest.Being weak meant needing more sleep, and I slept straight through until evening.After freshening up, my ordered meal prep delivery arrived.As luck would have it, James came home at the same time.I ignored him, quietly setting out my food and pouring myself a bowl of soup.James headed straight to the kitchen to warm up his milk, but paused when he saw the soup, putting the milk back in the fridge.His tone was unusually gentle. "Thanks for making soup for me."I frowned. "It's for me. Don't touch it."James's outstretched hand froze mid-air.He looked shocked, then his face darkened. "Rachel! You know about my acid reflux!"I replied calmly. "Yes, I know about your stomach issues. That's why I used to leave work early every day. I taught myself to cook from scratch, spent hours grocery shopping after long days at work, studied recipes, took notes - all to help your digestion."But what did you
After the blood tests and ultrasound, the doctor delivered his diagnosis.Miscarriage - there was no heartbeat anymore.After the D&C procedure, Nina brought me a bouquet of white lilies."I don't even know what to say. You've lost the baby and now you're giving up on your marriage. Are you really sure about leaving James?"Still woozy from the anesthesia, my face was pale and I could barely manage a weak smile.A baby? I'd given up on that idea after losing faith in James. He didn't deserve to have a child with me.As for our marriage..."He checked out long ago.""Well, if you've made up your mind, I'm sure our hotshot lawyer will help you come out on top, right, Alex?"Alex Miller nodded. "Drawing up divorce papers is straightforward, but in your case, I'd prepare for a court battle."I gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks for everything."Both for the hotel incident and the divorce.Alex caught my meaning and gave me a gentle smile. "No problem."I took three days of med
Asking for a divorce hit harder than I expected.James stormed out that night and didn't come home for a week.This was his typical response when I made him angry, proving how little he cared about what I'd said.In the past, his emotional abuse would have kept me up all night, desperately calling him over and over to apologize, begging for forgiveness.But now I was busy job hunting, with no time to worry about him. After all, I couldn't keep working at his company after the divorce.One day after work, James called.Him reaching out first was his way of offering an olive branch. Refusing would make me the difficult one."The department hit its targets for the first half. There's a cocktail party tonight. I'll pick you up."I waited outside the office for nearly twenty minutes before James finally showed up with Sophie."Hey Rach, I get car sick, so James said I could sit in front," Sophie chirped sweetly. "You don't mind, right?"James gripped the steering wheel tightly, wa
Honestly, nobody walks to work anymore these days.When the light turned green, a delivery guy on his scooter, not expecting anyone at the crosswalk, turned and crashed right into me.I ended up with scrapes all over my hands, feet, and forehead.The nurse cleaned my wounds and applied a bandage to my forehead. "Keep it dry for a few days," she advised. "No baths, and make sure to apply the medication as directed."After leaving the hospital, I grabbed an Uber to work.The driver had two phones mounted on his dashboard - one for GPS, the other streaming Sophie's live feed.The chat was flooded with worried messages."Aww, thanks for caring everyone~ This little kitty is fine, James came right on time~ No hospital needed!""No way~ Haven't told him how I feel yet~ Stop spreading rumors, guys. James is right here watching, and yes, he's absolutely wonderful."I checked my phone to find two angry texts: "My assistant says you missed the project planning meeting. Where the hell ar
When James suggested we go to work together, perhaps feeling guilty about buying the same gift twice.I didn't refuse since I wasn't feeling up to driving.James stood in front of his car, his brows deeply furrowed.At some point, he'd developed a strong aversion to me riding in his car, especially in the passenger seat, and had pressured me into buying my own car.Probably because I'd acted crazy fighting with him over the right to sit in his passenger seat, until he got fed up.But now, his car was filled with cat plushies and cute stickers, all for Sophie.Even the passenger seat had been specially redesigned to make it comfortable for petite Sophie.Still, seeing me waiting, he finally opened the door and started moving the plushies to the back seat.Watching him go back and forth, I spoke up with a frown, "Never mind, I'll go to work by myself."James tossed the last cat plush into the back seat. "Let's go together. Sophie just likes decorating things - she's playful that