Chapter 5: Just Sign the Divorce Agreement

Silence fell over me, broken by a cold scoff. Yvette’s voice dripped with disdain as she said, “You better not regret this.”

I remained calm. Ever since the thought of divorce entered my mind, I’d rehearsed this exact moment countless times. Every word she said was so far exactly as I had imagined. “Don’t worry, I never go back on my word. Just sign the divorce agreement, and we’ll set a date to file the papers. Today’s Wednesday, so—”

Before I could finish, she abruptly hung up.

I was speechless.

Seriously? That wretched woman! She was always hanging up on me!

I glanced at my watch. As much as I wanted to deal with the directness, there were more pressing matters to attend to right now. The divorce could wait until tomorrow.

I quickly fumbled, grabbed my keys, and hopped in my car. The engine roared as I sped quickly to my destination.

I pulled up at the side of a bustling street and scanned the tightly packed rows of shops. I waited patiently, my heart pounding with anticipation.

The scorching summer heat bore down on me relentlessly, so I stayed in a shaded area and settled in to wait. Time crawled by, but after two long hours, my patience was rewarded—a man and a woman finally appeared in my line of sight.

My eyes narrowed sharply.

Then they met again.

I stayed in place, watching as they entered a nearby café. Once they were inside, I followed at a distance. They took a seat across from each other, and I found a discreet corner where I could observe them without being noticed.

The woman wore a pink dress, her bright eyes sparkling with uninhibited charm as she laughed and chatted with the man across from her. The man exuded a quiet air of elegance, looking polite, composed, and a perfect gentleman.

If it wasn’t because I was reborn, I wouldn’t have imagined the shocking things that would happen next.

The man suddenly excused himself and headed to the restroom. The moment he disappeared, the woman’s sweet smile vanished. She took out a small vial from her pocket, occasionally looking toward the restroom.

My fist clenched tightly as I swiftly took out my phone, angling the camera toward her.

The woman unscrewed the cap and poured the colorless liquid from the vial into the man’s coffee. With practiced ease, she stirred it thoroughly. Then, she slipped the vial back into her pocket. Her expression returned to one of innocence as she waited for the man to return.

When the man returned, the woman immediately jumped up with a playful pout before picking up the coffee and handing it to him.

The man was obviously charmed by her attention and was about to take a sip of his coffee.

“You taught me that once a drink leaves your sight, you shouldn’t drink it. Have you forgotten?” I asked.

When they heard my voice, the man and woman turned toward me. As our gazes locked, the man froze for a split second, his expression instantly turned cold.

“Long time no see, Kenny.”

Kenny sneered, “Where’s your precious Yvette? Aren’t you always glued to her side?”

I looked at my best friend, Kenny Kingston.

Kenny and I grew up together. We were inseparable, like brothers. But a year ago, we had a falling out because I chose to marry Yvette. He had warned me repeatedly and called me a bootlicker, saying I was chasing someone who didn’t care about me.

He had been right all along. I had been the ultimate bootlicker for her. In my past life, I was stubborn and stupid, and I didn’t listen to him. I pushed away my best friend, who was sincere to me for the sake of a woman. Up until Kenny’s death, I never reconciled with him.

The person responsible for his death was standing right before me. It was his neighbor, Lillian Smith.

In my past life, she drugged him and had men force themselves on him, even collected his nude photos and videos to post them online and blackmailed him into paying her off every month.

Eventually, Kenny discovered that those photos and videos had been posted online from the start. Already deep in debt from loan sharks, the pressure broke him, and he jumped from a building, ending his life.

I had been wracked with guilt and regret, wishing I could undo everything and bring him back.

I shamelessly sat down next to Kenny and threw an arm over his shoulder.

“Yvette’s nothing. If I want to get out and have some fun, I will. As for you…” I glanced at Lillian and sneered, “This thing sitting opposite us is nothing but scum.”

Lillian’s once sweet demeanor was gone. “What do you mean by that? We don’t even know each other. Why are you insulting me?”

“I know exactly what you just did. Don’t you have any sense of shame? Addressing him so familiarly. You don’t deserve it.”

Lillian looked a little flustered, but managed to remain calm. “Kenny, who is this? Why is he accusing me out of nowhere?”

However, Kenny’s expression immediately changed as he glanced at me. We were best friends for so many years, and he knew I wouldn’t make baseless accusations.

I pulled out my phone and played the video I’d made earlier. Kenny’s face grew dark as he watched, his jaw clenching with anger.

When Lillian knew he had evidence, she quickly stood up in panic to flee. But before she could make it very far, Kenny grabbed her arm and held her in place.

He tipped him a hefty tip and turned to me, and dully said, “Owen , please call the police.”

After cooperating with the police investigation, Kenny and I had lunch together. His face remained grim the entire time.

“I thought she liked me. I thought she was a pure innocent girl. Luckily, you were there.”

With the weight lifted from my chest, I finally felt a sense of relief. At last, it was time to change my own fate and destiny.

We changed places and laughed.

“Has Yvette been good to you this past year?” Kenny asked.

I shook my head honestly.

He suddenly looked serious. “What happened? Did that woman treat you badly? But if it’s just a fight, I’m not taking you in. I won’t waste my breath trying to help you, only for you to go back to bootlicking. That’s my stance on the matter.”

“I don’t want to be a bootlicker anymore. I’m actually getting a divorce from Yvette.”

Kenny froze, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“What?! Are you serious?” Kenny eventually asked. “You’re actually leaving her? Didn’t you say that from her face and body alone, you could love her forever, no matter what she does?”

Chapter 5: A Doormat No More

Yvette had fair skin, long legs, a slim waist, and a generous chest.

In my past life, I was completely infatuated with her right until my bitter end.

I looked at Kenny and sighed. “Everyone goes through a wild, reckless phase. Now she has another man, and it wouldn’t be right to keep pushing for something that was never mine.”

Kenny suddenly let out a sharp, “What?! That b***h actually…!”

I shook my head and interjected, “She was already in love with someone before we got married, so technically, it’s not cheating.”

I was the idiot who realized too late. From what I knew, she didn’t cheat on me even after ten years of marriage.

Her prince charming was also in love with someone else, and even though she wanted nothing more than to make her happy, she knew where to draw the line.

Starting the third year of our marriage, our problems only grew worse. I also messed up. So, who knows what happened after that?

Kenny’s face turned red from anger. “That’s nonsense! She had other men, but still married you! And even kept you as a backup? She’s getting what she deserves!”

Kenny suddenly had a realization. “She was never a good person. You’re different, though; at least you’ve expressed your feelings.”

I chuckled and said, “You’re obviously right. From now on, I’m cutting ties with everyone and everything else, apart from the people I care about.”

The people who didn’t love me would eventually leave. The ones who did, wouldn’t.

I would always protect the things I cared about. I didn’t care about anything else.

Kenny sighed. “That’s probably for the best. But tell me, is that really the only reason you’re getting a divorce? Or is there more to it?”

Kenny stared at me, his eyes wide, and let out a surprised gasp. “Which one do you think is more believable? You saying that or me winning a ten million dollar lottery today!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, but honestly, it was the truth.

I had completely let go. After all, I did love her deeply once. But I won’t be moved by her anymore.

“What are you thinking about? You’ve known her for just a few years. How deeply can you love someone in that short time?” Kenny immediately called me out.

I paused, unable to come up with an answer. Seeing my hesitation, he didn’t push any further and just sighed.

“What matters most is that you’re leaving Yvette. I’ve been telling you to do that for so long. There are millions of women in the world, and none of them are as hard to find as a four-leaf clover, but three-leaf clovers are everywhere, right?”

“You’re good-looking, come from a good family, and you’re a good guy. You’ve got women lining up for you, but you have terrible taste. You don’t pick the good ones, but go for the trash.”

After Kenny calmed down, he switched topic. “So, what’s your plan after your divorce?”

I thought for a moment, then answered, “Get a job, build a career, live my life the way I want.”

Kenny immediately grinned when he heard my answer. “You finally thought things through, huh? You should have been focusing on your career all along!”

“You were always top of the class back in school, light years ahead of me. The teachers used to say that you were going to be an elite among the elite.”

Kenny sighed. “But you wasted it all and hung onto that rotten woman. You threw away your talent, and it’s maddening. But enough about that. I know someone who’s hiring for what you’re looking for. I’ll introduce you to him tomorrow.”

With Yvette’s money, even though she probably wouldn’t offer it once the divorce was final, I wouldn’t have any income to fall back on. I needed to find work.

We chatted for a while longer, but eventually, we had to cut the conversation short because of the meeting tomorrow. Just before we headed to our own homes, Kenny suddenly asked, “Owen, do you still keep in touch with Libby?”

At her name, my chest tightened, and a sharp ache seized my heart.

That name felt like it belonged in another lifetime.

Kenny sighed again and patted my shoulder. “If it weren’t for her, you never would’ve married Yvette and been stuck in this miserable situation. If she knew what you were doing…”

Kenny quickly realized he had delved too deeply into the subject.

I couldn’t sleep a wink. By the time I finally dozed off, I was jolted awake by the loud, jarring sound of my phone ringing.

I gritted my teeth in frustration and answered without checking the caller ID: “Who the hell is calling at this hour?!”

My blurry mind cleared a little, and I glanced at the clock. It was 5:30 am, and my annoyance flared.

Yvette’s voice was low. “I dreamt that you wanted to kill yourself and that you died. You died horribly.”

I scoffed. “You’re projecting your own dark thoughts onto me, aren’t you? Is that why you’re having these weird dreams? Then, what’s the point of calling me if it’s just that?”

I actually wanted to call her back. I needed to take care of some arrangements.

“Where did you keep the medicine? And where’s the pitcher?”

She was asking about the medicine we kept for emergencies. Maybe it was just an excuse to get my attention.

I was about to ignore her and hang up, but I heard Yvette sweetly wail, “Owen, my stomach hurts.”

Chapter 5: Doormat No More (Continued)

I instantly softened. There was genuine pain in her voice, and despite everything, I worried about her.

“The medicine is in the second drawer of the TV cabinet in the living room. The pitcher’s in the kitchen cabinet. Take two pills at a time, nothing more.”

“Okay,” she replied obediently.

I heard her rummaging around downstairs, looking for the things she needed.

Then, it hit me. What was I doing? I slapped myself on the cheek. What did any of this have to do with me?

“Listen, we’re getting divorced soon. From now on, let’s keep some distance. Don’t come to me with things like this anymore. Actually, don’t come to me about anything at all. Also, you woke me up from sleep, so you owe me for emotional damages.”

The moment I said that, I heard her gasp on the other end of the line. Then, she arrogantly said, “You want me to compensate you?”

I scoffed, “Of course! From the moment I married you, you’ve been living off me. I’ve been the one doing all the giving. You wasted the best years of my life. Shouldn’t you be compensating me?”

At that, Yvette became even angrier. “Your best years? You’re a grown man, what best years are you talking about? Sounds like you’re just obsessed with money.”

I pointedly replied, “That’s right. I care about money, and only like money. It’s a hell of a lot better than you. What do you even have? A bunch of annoying quirks, picky about food and people, rude… Oh, and you can’t even have kids.”

In my past life, I had been the dutiful, self-sacrificing husband, but what did I have to show for it in the end? Nothing—absolutely nothing.

This time around, I would at least have my dignity.

She gasped and shouted, “Owen, you…!”

I could tell she was about to say something nasty, so I hung up without hesitation. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but before I could even set my phone down, she called again.

One minute later, I hung up with a wry thought.

Before, she was always the one hanging up on me. Now, the tables had turned.

From now on, I didn’t have to tiptoe around and be apologetic to maintain our marriage. I didn’t need to worry about whether she would get tired of me or find me annoying.