Chapter 1 Chapter 1

That message left me devastated, and my emotions were all over the place. My first love was my ex, and I came clean to my husband, Jake Payton, about it before we got married. Back then, Jake said he did not mind. He hugged me and said meaningfully, "Your future is with me, Mindy. I'll always be by your side." After glancing at the chat, I realized he was averse to my 'impurity'—a fact I made perfectly clear before we even dated. Although he could look past it then, he must have begun to loathe me at some point during our marriage. I clenched my fists and shelved the doctor's report. "Mindy, I have a headache. Did you make any soup for my hangover?" I got up as soon as I heard his mumbling and fed him some soup. I placed my hand on his forehead, and he clung tightly to me as if desperate for the warmth of my palm. "Thank you for taking care of me, Mindy." I felt relieved when I saw that he did not forget about me even when he was drunk, but I ventured with a question. "Are you disgusted with me? Why won't you have a baby with me?" Jake sighed and laughed. "Mindy! You're a good woman, but I… I'm not interested in having a baby with you! I get sick to my stomach when I think about how many times you slept with your ex!" Seeing the hurtful message that he sent to his friend was nothing compared to the sinking pain that I felt when I heard his words with my own ears. I took a deep breath, helped him onto the bed, and went to the guest room. As I lay in bed, I wondered whether I should just leave him. If he could harbor such prejudice against me then, I dreaded to think of how much worse he would treat me once I was old and ugly. I was not going to put up with that for the rest of my life. It must have been hard for Jake to endure three years of marriage to me. My character was always firm and direct. It would go against my principles to force someone to accept something they clearly could not. The next morning, I had already prepared the divorce papers. Jake received a phone call and left quickly, explaining, "A client requested to meet. Looks like I'll have a packed day today!" My mind went blank momentarily, but I answered immediately, "You can go ahead and settle that first, but make some time for me at noon. There's something I want to talk to you about." I was unsure if he heard me since he was already rushing out when I spoke. I decided to send him a message just to be safe. Jake did not reply. I looked through my chat history with him, realizing that—at some point—our conversation had been rather one-sided. From saying 'good morning' to checking in with each other during lunch, I was always the one starting the conversation. His standard excuse was that he had too much work to do. He had a hectic professional life as a lawyer, but he always remembered to send me gifts on holidays and anniversaries. The gifts were never really sincere. After some thought, I tidied things up at home and made a reservation at a restaurant. With the location sent to Jake, I arrived there ten minutes before noon. Jake eventually showed up—with another woman. She had striking good looks and even took the initiative to greet me when she saw me. "Hello, Ms. Bridgerton. My name is Sonia Selby, Jake's assistant. Sorry for being an uninvited guest, but I hope you don't mind me joining today!" Jake smiled faintly and asked, "Why did you tag along if you knew you'd be an uninvited guest?""Well, you've been talking about your wife so much that I'm curious to meet her in person!" Sonia had a playful demeanor. She had a habit of sticking out her tongue while talking. If anyone were to do the same, they would look rather disgusting. However, that habit was somehow lively and endearing on her. I noticed how Jake gazed at her and immediately knew that he liked Sonia. More accurately, he liked her innocence and youthful beauty. That was not my first time seeing Sonia. Her social media profile was public, so I occasionally encountered her posts when she tagged a location I was searching for. Jake occasionally appeared in the frame, and their closeness with each other left many netizens gushing for them. His face lit up on the rare occasion he mentioned her to me, but he probably never even noticed. I nodded with a smile and ordered some food. Without being prompted, Sonia told me, "Jake's been feeling under the weather recently, so he should avoid anything spicy. You should order something with less spice, Ms. Bridgerton!" First, she called him Jake and addressed me as Ms. Bridgerton. She even reminded me that Jake was unwell. Those who did not know better might be under the impression that Sonia was his wife!

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

I ordered the food calmly and told Jake, "You do need to go easy on the spices after drinking too much last night. If you're still unwell, you should probably take some medicine instead of being too picky with your food." I took out some pills and handed it over to him. "Take this after lunch." Jake's expression softened when he saw the medicine. "My wife is such a darling!" A flash of resentment appeared in Sonia's eyes, and her gaze turned sharp as she looked into my eyes. Sonia was being rather hasty in letting her intentions known, given that we had just met for the first time. "That's considerate of you, but have you ever thought about lightening Jake's load in terms of supporting the family?" She suggested that I was a homebody who never worked a day in my life. I glanced at Jake and smiled. "I can't help it. Jake doesn't want me out in public because he's worried that I might get kidnapped or something. After we got married, he insisted that I don't work." Jake displayed a rare touch of pride when he heard that. "Mindy used to be a top student at AEA University—a rising star in the design field! Her handiwork commands the highest of prices!" All of a sudden, Sonia said in a high-pitched voice, "Really?! You're amazing! I wish I wasn't such a dunderhead." I looked at her calmly and replied, "You wouldn't have been employed as his assistant if you were a dunderhead. You're just being modest." She had to do better than that if she wanted to feign humility. Professional workplaces were exceedingly harsh for women, and a dumb young lady who knew nothing could never be qualified to become Jake's assistant. As soon as I talked back, her expression soured to the extreme. At long last, that made her shut up. Jake nodded and said, "Hear that? You should still strive to improve yourself!" Sonia looked at him, somewhat peeved. "Okay, okay! Your wife is obviously more talented than I am.""That she is!" I forced a smile while watching them bicker. I was sure that Jake did not notice the doting look in his eyes when he looked at Sonia. Lunch was fast becoming a chore, but Jake soon remembered that there was a reason I asked to meet him for lunch. "By the way, you said you had something to say to me, right? What is it about?""It's personal. Just between the two of us," I replied. Sonia wiped her mouth and asked, "What could that be?" I looked at her as she leaned closer. "I don't think it's very appropriate for you to listen in, but I suppose you're welcome to do so if you want." Her face lit up in joy and she immediately sat still. I proceeded to serve Jake the divorce papers. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, frowning. "It should be obvious enough already. Please sign it if you're satisfied with the conditions." Jake was displeased. "Don't throw a tantrum on me, Mindy." When Sonia spotted the divorce papers, she covered her mouth in apparent shock, but the subtle flash of delight in her eyes belied her joy. I smiled at them. "You already have a confidante, so why do you still need me?""This has to be a misunderstanding, Ms. Bridgerton. There's nothing going on between Jake and I. In any case, you can't be demanding half his net worth with the divorce. How will his company tide through this?" I slammed my hand on the table and looked into Jake's eyes. "Do you have a problem with those conditions? These are all considered to be joint property after our marriage, Jake. Is it not within the law to demand half?" Jake stood up while clenching his fists and immediately dragged me out. Sonia wanted to come along, but he turned around and said, "You can head back to the company." Jake got into the car after shoving me in and sped off in an instant. "What is going on, Mindy?! If this is about Sonia, then there's absolutely no need for you to kick up a fuss! She's just my assistant! If you don't like her, I can always terminate her employment." I stared at him and declared. "I want a divorce. Plain and simple." Jake took a bend on the junction ahead and turned the steering wheel abruptly. "Not a chance! Why are you making a mountain out of a molehill when there's nothing wrong in the first place?"

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm not. I just don't want you to feel disgusted by me." Jake was speechless, as if a thought had suddenly crossed his mind. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I've never gotten an abortion before," I added. Jake was completely flabbergasted. His face paled as he mustered meekly, "I..." I unbuckled my seatbelt and reminded him, "Return this to me after signing it. Don't make me wait too long." That was the last thing I said to him before getting out of the car. Once I returned home, I packed up all my belongings. Half the closet was empty as a result. I opened the drawers and found a box hidden at the bottom containing a pair of children's clothes. When we first got married, Jake and I lived a simple and happy life together. Even so, I yearned to have a child, but Jake somehow persuaded me that the timing was not right. "Mindy, we'll be tied down with more responsibilities if we have a child. The economy doesn't look very promising, and we simply cannot afford to raise a child now. Let's hold off that thought for a few years and have children once we've settled down." I compromised. Eventually, three years had passed. He treated me well during that period and took great care of me. We became financially stable, and it was about time to have a child. Jake, however, still seemed to be reveling in our extended honeymoon. It remained that way until I saw the message he sent to his friend. He did not lie when he told me he loved me, yet it was also true that he was averse both to my supposed impurity and the thought of having children with me. I sighed and threw the box into the trash can. After packing all my stuff, I waited until nightfall for Jake to return home. The door clicked open, and I looked up to see Sonia. When she saw me sitting on the living room sofa, she frowned at me and said, "Ms. Bridgerton! Could you please prepare some soup for Jake? He had a little too much to drink. He's not a fan of ginger, so do remove them before serving it to him. Oh, and—""Why do you have the key to my house, Sonia?" I interrupted her in irritation. Sonia was briefly startled but soon snapped back to her senses. "Jake gave it to me because I'm his assistant." 'That's rather convenient', I thought. I nodded, got up, and headed to the bedroom. Sonia hurriedly asked, "Aren't you going to check up on Jake?""Isn't that your job now? While you're at it, why don't you prepare the soup for him?""Mindy!" Jake lashed out angrily. He got up and stared at me with reddened eyes. "Why are you being so harsh?" I cocked an eyebrow and pointed at Sonia. "I don't see how my presence will be useful now that you've brought another woman here." I added, "You once claimed that this was a safe haven meant for just the two of us. Now that she's in the picture, I'm more than happy to step aside. Don't try to persuade me otherwise, Jake. "I'm tired of your nonsense. I prefer to end this on a slightly less terrible note. I wouldn't dare to think of what I might do if this gets any worse than it already is." Jake's chat history was just the tip of the iceberg, and my patience was fast wearing thin when he allowed Sonia to come onto him. Jake protested, "Sonia is my assistant! Why are you so bothered by her? I wasn't even bothered when you lived with your ex for a year!" Unable to control myself any longer, I reached out and slapped him. One of Jake's cheeks turned red. "Why did you slap him?!" Sonia exclaimed. She turned to Jake and asked, "Are you okay, Jake?" She seemed so distressed that she took Jake's arm and tiptoed to get a better look at his face. "Would it kill you to be more considerate, Ms. Bridgerton? Jake's been giving it his all at work! You're the one whoring yourself out before you met him, and Jake accepted you even though you're not a virgin! Where did you get the nerve to play victim with him?!" No sooner had she finished speaking that I raised my hand and slapped her. Sonia fell to the ground, nearly crying. I reached for the cup of water on the coffee table and splashed it onto her. Jake went ballistic. "You're acting like a mad woman, Mindy! You wanted a divorce, right? Well, let's get the divorce!" He dragged Sonia out and said to her, "We're leaving this place!" The door was slammed shut. I was shaking from anger, and before I knew it, my vision went black. I had fainted.