Outgrowing Love

After I had helped our law firm win nine hundred and ninety-nine cases in a row, my husband, who had kept our marriage hidden for years, finally agreed to hold a wedding and make our relationship public. However, I waited until nightfall, and he never showed up. Instead, I saw a photo of him and his female assistant kissing in front of everyone at their wedding on Instagram. Her caption read, [I was just being mocked by my coworkers for being a bachelorette no one wants, and then my lawyer hero came to save me. From now on, I’ll be his perfect employee during the day, and he’ll be my loving husband at night.] In the photo, the wedding rings on their ring fingers were impossible to ignore. For a moment, everyone expected me to break down and make a scene. However, I simply smiled and left a comment under the post. [When are you two having a few kids? I’ll be sure to send over a big gift.] The very next second, my husband, who had been unreachable all day, finally called me. “Brit got pregnant out of wedlock, and the man who did it abandoned her,” he said coldly. “Her parents are extremely traditional. If this gets out, they’ll kill both her and the baby. As a lawyer, don’t you have any compassion for her at all? “Delete that comment right now. Apologize to her personally,” he continued. “Once she gives birth to the child and everything settles, I’ll hold another wedding with you.” I looked down at the divorce papers in my hand. Then, I let out a soft snicker. “No need,” I said. “Mr. Larson, just wait to receive our divorce case.” Chapter 1 As soon as I said that, there was a brief silence on the other end of the call. Then, my husband, Sean Larson, spoke again, his tone edged with impatience. “Andrea, can you be a little more rational? I told you, the wedding with Brit is just for show. Besides, I promised I’d make it up to you later and hold another wedding. Can’t you be patient? Can’t you wait a little longer? “Do you really want to force things into the open? If people find out Brit got pregnant before marriage and was abandoned by some man, they’ll mock her and call her a tramp. Am I supposed to stand and watch as her parents kill both her and the baby?” Listening to his self-righteous rant, I stood at the court entrance and let out a sarcastic laugh. Sean and I had registered our marriage seven years ago, but we never held a wedding and never made it public. Back then, he had just poured everything he had into starting his law firm. He couldn’t afford a house or a car, and he couldn’t give me a real wedding. All he gave me was a promise of a future filled with happiness. So, we got married in secret, like thieves, hiding it from both our families. For seven years, I waited for him to make a name for himself and finally give me the wedding he promised. And he did indeed throw himself into his career. Eventually, his client base grew, and his reputation grew. Meanwhile, I had picked out the venue, the dress… everything. All it would take was one word from him, and we could have the wedding anytime. However, every time I brought it up, Sean always had another excuse and another speech, telling me to give him a little more time, wait for the law firm to stabilize, or wait for him to train the new recruits. Just like that, I waited for seven years until last week. I worked day and night, barely sleeping, organizing case files and winning the law firm its nine hundred and ninety-ninth lawsuit. This time, he had no more excuses. He finally agreed to hold the wedding with me as a reward. That entire week, I slept less than four hours a day, personally handling every detail of the wedding. The night before, I was too excited to sleep at all. However, on the day of the wedding, I waited until the sky turned dark and the guests had all left, yet he never showed up. All I saw were the pitiful looks people gave me. If I hadn’t happened to see Brittany Donovan’s post, I might still be in the dark. And he still had the nerve to say I wasn’t patient? At the end of the day, he just didn’t want to have a wedding with me. He didn’t want to admit to the world that I was his wife. Snapping back to the present, I didn’t back down like I used to. Instead, I let out a cold laugh and shot back, “You’re right. A wedding is just for show. But tell me, why is it that Brittany sheds a few tears, and you rush to her side immediately, while I waited seven years, and you couldn’t even spare a single day for me? You didn’t even bother to come up with an excuse. You just turned off your phone and disappeared. “If we can’t even pretend to care anymore, then what’s the point of continuing this marriage?” On the other end of the line, Sean fell silent. It was clear he hadn’t expected me to push back like this and tear off the facade we had maintained for seven years. After a moment, he sighed, sounding helpless. “Andy, can you stop bringing up divorce every time something happens? I’m busy with the law firm and dealing with Brittany’s parents, and now I have to explain everything to you again and again. I’m exhausted. You’re part of the firm, too. You know how much we invested in training talents like Brittany. I’m doing all this to build a better future for you and for our future children. Is that wrong?” There it was again, the endless lecture and the righteous justifications. For the past seven years, Sean had always been like this. He had acted as if he was always right and everything he did was for my sake, using love as an excuse to make me compromise. However, no matter how he dressed it up, he couldn’t hide the fact that Brittany was incompetent. As the assistant he had personally chosen, her professional ability was practically nonexistent. She couldn’t even grasp basic legal knowledge, and she had angered several clients. If it were anyone else, they would’ve been fired long ago. Even a minor punctuation mistake or a vague legal phrase would have been enough for him to dismiss a newcomer. Yet, when it came to Brittany, no matter how many mistakes she made, he never punished her. He spoke to her gently, never once raising his voice. He always said she was just a fresh graduate still adjusting to work, but he seemed to have forgotten that this was already her second year at the law firm. She was no longer a newcomer. His favoritism toward her had long crossed the line of a normal mentor-mentee relationship. So, when she posted publicly about her wedding to Sean, no one was surprised. In fact, people joked in the comments, saying they had seen this coming all along, congratulating them on finally going public. At the thought, my voice turned cold. “You’re right. You’re not the one at fault. I am.” Thinking I had once again been persuaded, Sean nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it. Andy, as long as you realize your mistake, then I–” Before he could finish, I cut him off. “Sean, do you know what my biggest mistake was? It was me not listening to my family and secretly marrying you seven years ago. And by the way, my divorce lawsuit has been accepted. I’ll see you in court tomorrow.” I didn’t give him a chance to respond and hung up immediately. Right after, I tried to send him the digital copy of the court hearing notice, but a red exclamation mark popped up on my screen. It meant he had deleted my contact. I wasn’t surprised. Over the past seven years, every time I refused to obey him, he would cut off communication like that, change the door password, freeze my bank cards, and then emotionally abuse me to submit. However, this time, I wasn’t playing along. I didn’t want to continue this meaningless game anymore, and I didn’t want to continue this marriage. Just as I was about to turn off my phone, Brittany suddenly tagged me in the firm’s client group chat and sent a message. The next second, the previously quiet chat exploded, and messages flooded in nonstop. Chapter 2 [Andrea, I know Sean is an outstanding guy. You’ve worked with him at the firm for years, and if you accidentally fell in love with him, I don’t blame you. But I just found out I’m pregnant, and you’re already messaging my husband, forcing him to leave me and divorce me in court. What am I supposed to do? What about the child in my womb? If you care this much, I can leave the firm. I’m only begging you to spare my unborn child and me. Please don’t take my husband away, okay? @Andrea] The moment Brittany sent those messages, the usually quiet client group chat exploded. Messages flooded the screen in seconds. [I feel so bad for Ms. Donovan. She just started a family with Mr. Larson, and now some jealous older woman is trying to ruin it.] [You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Ms. Brown always seemed kind and reliable. I never thought she would be so vicious. Targeting someone’s marriage while they’re pregnant? How disgusting.] [@Andrea, stop playing dead and show yourself. You call yourself a lawyer? You should be ashamed of yourself!] [@Mr. Larson, if you don’t kick this kind of scum out of the firm, I’m canceling my contract and reconsidering which firm to trust with my case.] In an instant, the group chat of hundreds of clients was filled with insults and accusations, every single one directed at me. Meanwhile, Brittany, the one who started it all, disappeared right after spreading her lies, hiding safely behind her screen. I was so exasperated by her shamelessness that I burst out laughing. She stole my wedding, destroyed my marriage, and now she was twisting the story, accusing me of seducing Sean while she was pregnant? What surprised me even more was Sean himself. He had always been a silent observer in the group chat, never speaking since the day it was created. Yet now, he suddenly stepped forward and responded publicly. [What my wife said is true. I apologize for disturbing everyone. Please rest assured that there is no emotional or inappropriate relationship between Andrea and me. For the sake of the firm’s reputation, starting today, I will immediately begin the process of removing Andrea from the firm.] Seeing his confidence in lying, as if it were second nature, I felt nothing but irony. Maybe even Sean himself had forgotten that once upon a time, he had been a lawyer who despised lies and betrayal above all else. Back when the law firm had just been established, a client once offered him an outrageous fee of three million dollars to win a divorce case. However, after investigating, Sean discovered that the client was hiding his true intentions. In reality, he wanted to transfer his assets and run away overseas with his mistress. Without hesitation, Sean dropped the case immediately, fully aware that he would offend the client and risk being blacklisted. It was because when he was young, his father had abandoned him and his mother in the same way, and it had remained a thorn in his side ever since. Even so, back then, he had apologized to me with red eyes, saying that by dropping the case, he couldn’t give me a better life and that he wasn’t a good husband. Who could have imagined that in just one year since Brittany arrived, he had become the very person he once despised? Love sure was powerful. It was powerful enough to change someone who once held firm to his principles, to the point where he could turn a blind eye to Brittany slandering me. Fortunately, as the firm’s top lawyer, I wasn’t someone to be bullied. The next second, I directly uploaded the recording of my phone call with Sean into the group chat. [Andrea, I told you, the wedding with Brit is just for show… Do you really want to force things into the open? If people find out Brit got pregnant before marriage and was abandoned by some man, they’ll mock her and call her a sl*t. Am I supposed to stand and watch as her parents kill both her and the baby?] Almost instantly, the once chaotic group chat fell silent. Not a single message appeared. Sean probably never expected that I had recorded our call. After a brief silence, the mood in the group chat flipped. Many clients began tagging Sean and Brittany, demanding an explanation. I simply chuckled and exited the group chat. They could clean up their own mess for all I cared. The next day, I arrived at the court on time, as scheduled, waiting for the divorce hearing. Sean, the defendant, however, never showed up. The court staff called him several times, but no one answered. Just as the court was about to rule against him for his absence, Sean suddenly called. Chapter 3 As soon as I connected the call as instructed by the staff, Sean’s furious voice exploded from the other end. “Andrea, have you had enough?” he snapped. “You leaked the call recording in the group chat, and now Brit is being cyberbullied so badly that she’s hospitalized. She almost lost the baby. Is that not enough for you? “And now you’ve hired someone to pose as a court staff, saying you want to file for divorce? Do you have any idea how Brit feels? When she heard about it, she felt so guilty that she almost jumped off a building to make up for it. Do you have to push her to death before you’re satisfied?” Listening to his agitated accusations, I finally understood. It wasn’t that he hadn’t received the court’s notice. He had simply assumed the divorce hearing notice was another one of my pranks. Snapping back to my senses, I immediately shot back, “Brittany deliberately spread rumors about me and framed me, and you said it was my fault. Now that public opinion is turning against her, it’s still my fault? Let me remind you one last time, the hearing is real. If you–” Before I could finish, he cut me off impatiently. “Enough! Andrea, I don’t have the time to play along with your nonsense. Brit is pregnant and emotionally unstable after all the backlash. She’s not fit to continue working right now. You shall handle her workload later, and tonight, make sure you attend the business dinners. Entertain the clients she’s in charge of. “As long as you do a good job, I can overlook the jealousy-driven mess you caused before and keep your position at the firm.” Hearing him issue the order like he was above me, I chuckled. He seemed to have forgotten that Brittany wasn’t the only one being cursed at yesterday. In this line of work, getting scolded by clients or even by the opposing side’s families was nothing unusual. Back then, I had taken on several criminal defense cases. In one of them, I successfully reduced the defendant’s sentence by two years. The moment I walked out of court after the verdict, the victim’s family poured red paint all over me. They even beat me, calling me inhuman, accusing me of colluding with the criminal. At its worst, someone exposed my personal information online. Even my parents back home were dragged into it and publicly insulted. At that time, I was so scared that I hid at home, too afraid to even turn on my phone. However, Sean acted as if it were completely normal. Not only did he offer me zero comfort, but he even blamed me for being overly sensitive. He said that since I chose to be a lawyer, I should learn to handle pressure and that emotional resilience was the bare minimum in this profession. If I couldn’t even endure that, I might as well quit and stop wasting time. What I found ironic was that I had believed his manipulation back then. I thought I just wasn’t strong enough, so I worked myself to the bone with endless overtime. I even forced myself to smile when clients or opposing families insulted me, telling myself to endure it and be strong. Brittany, on the other hand, had only been exposed in a client group chat and got a few harsh words thrown at her, yet Sean reacted as if the world was ending. Not only did he give her paid leave, but he even expected me to take over all her work. Worst of all, he clearly knew I had just undergone surgery for a stomach condition caused by overworking and was still in recovery. And yet, he still wanted me to attend drinking engagements on her behalf. There were plenty of male lawyers in the firm, but instead of assigning any of them, he picked me, the one who had just had surgery. To put it bluntly, he saw me as a convenient tool, so my health and my feelings did not matter. It seemed that when it came to love, people really did have a double standard. Coming back to my senses, I no longer let his words manipulate me like before. Instead, I refused. “Sean, I just had surgery, so I can’t drink. Besides, this is Brittany’s job. I have no obligation to take responsibility for it.” The line fell silent. It was as if he couldn’t believe that I, the obedient workhorse who had always endured everything, would one day defy him. Very quickly, his anger flared. “Andrea, I’m telling you, not negotiating with you. If I’m paying you a salary, you’re obligated to follow my orders!” This time, though, I didn’t indulge him at all. I shot back immediately. “Fine, then I quit. I’m not negotiating either. I’m just telling you.” Without giving him time to react, I hung up. After the hearing concluded, and I received the official judgment confirming the dissolution of my marriage with Sean, I immediately dialed an overseas number. “Mr. Owen,” I said, my voice steady, “I’ll join your company.” Chapter 4 “Really? Andrea, have you finally made up your mind? This is great!” On the other end of the call, Owen spoke with a noticeable Briellic accent. He sounded excited. I simply nodded, calm and composed. I had met Owen during a cross-border case I handled for an overseas client. Back then, he was the defense attorney on the opposing side. At the time, I noticed clear signs of fabrication from the evidence his client had submitted. So, I immediately requested a recess and informed him of my concerns. After hearing me out, Owen didn’t question my motives just because I was his opponent. Instead, he conducted a thorough investigation into his client’s materials and discovered that a large portion of the evidence had indeed been falsified. He immediately terminated the attorney-client relationship, protecting both his own reputation and that of his firm. Otherwise, if the truth had only come out after the verdict, his entire firm could have been blacklisted from the industry. From that moment on, Owen took a strong interest in me, both in my integrity and my sharp instincts. He invited me multiple times to work overseas, offering me a position as a partner at his firm, along with a seven-figure base salary to support my living expenses. However, back then, I was still lost in the perfect illusion Sean had carefully spun for me. All I wanted was to build a life with Sean, so I turned Owen down. Owen, though, didn’t get upset. Instead, he left me his personal number and told me that if I ever changed my mind, his firm would always welcome me. Thinking back on it now, my choice back then wasn’t worth it. For Sean, I gave up a bright future. I spent seven years of my youth exhausting myself to the point of breaking, and in the end, I didn’t even make partner at his firm, nor did I ever receive the title of a legitimate wife. At this point, it was time to start thinking about my own life and have a fresh start in a new environment. After hanging up with Owen, I immediately submitted my resignation to Sean through my phone. What surprised me was that Sean, who usually took forever to reply—sometimes even until the next day—approved my resignation instantly this time. Just as I was wondering about it, a notification of a new post from him popped up on my screen. In the photos, he and Brittany were in a private room at a karaoke bar, holding hands. They were singing together, laughing, and he was even feeding her snacks. I couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh. No wonder he approved it so quickly. It was because he was busy on a date with her. Sean had always been low-key and reserved. He barely posted on social media throughout the year. Even on our wedding anniversary or birthdays, he never shared a single photo. On the rare occasions he posted something work-related, he would carefully edit every image, making sure even the slightest corner of my clothing was cropped out as if being associated with me would embarrass him. Yet, this time, he posted a full set of nine photos in one go. In the comments, Brittany openly showed off their relationship. [I just wanted to sing to the baby in my belly, and my husband here canceled a case worth hundreds of thousands in legal fees just to keep me company and help me relax. Where can you find a husband like this?] Looking at her smug expression in the photos, I laughed. Just earlier, Sean had told me she wasn’t feeling well—that she was emotionally unstable and couldn’t work. Now, she looked perfectly fine. Besides, I vividly remember Sean hated karaoke bars. Back then, his biological father had met an escort in a karaoke bar, who later destroyed his family and ultimately led to his mother’s death. Because of that, Sean had never stepped into a karaoke bar again. Even when clients offering million-dollar legal fees invited him, he would refuse. He would turn around and leave the moment he arrived at the door, choosing to lose the business rather than go inside. And now, just to make Brittany happy, he walked in without a second thought. Love sure was powerful enough to make someone overcome even their deepest trauma. And he knew I could see all of this. Yet he still posted it, allowing Brittany to provoke me in the comments by calling herself his wife. I knew he wanted me to get jealous and to apologize. Unfortunately for him, he had miscalculated. Instead of contacting Sean, I dialed my best friend, Faye Green. “Faye, it’s my treat tonight. Would you like to see your favorite model with six packs?” Chapter 5 Late at night, inside a private room, my best friend, Faye, had been absentmindedly tracing the lines of someone’s abs, but she suddenly seemed to remember something. She quickly pulled out her phone, checked the time, and asked cautiously, “Andy, you haven’t reported your whereabouts to Sean for almost three hours now. Aren’t you afraid he’ll get angry?” Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, I couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating smile. Back when Sean and I had just started dating in university, he told me that because of his family history, he feared and hated betrayal more than anything. He wanted me to keep him updated on my whereabouts every day so he could feel at ease. I pitied him, so I chose to comply. Even if I were just stepping out of the dorm to buy daily necessities at the supermarket, I would tell him immediately. At the time, I thought that by cooperating like this, I could slowly soothe his wounded, sensitive heart. However, the truth was, his suspicion and need for control only grew worse. Especially after we got married, he demanded that I report to him every hour, no matter what I was doing. He even required me to plan out the next day in advance, of where I would go, what I would do, and how long everything would take. Once, I had an upset stomach and spent five extra minutes in the bathroom without informing him right away. He immediately became paranoid. He even pulled up the law firm’s surveillance footage to verify whether I was lying or had betrayed him. Yet, he held himself to a completely different standard. No matter where he went or what he did, he never reported anything to me. Sometimes, if I casually asked about his plans, he would fly into a rage, accusing me of trying to control his life and saying I didn’t trust him or love him enough. Looking back at it now, I found it ironic. I used to foolishly believe it was because he had been hurt too deeply, and that I simply hadn’t given him enough sense of security and trust. However, I see now that there was something wrong with him. I suddenly lifted my glass and downed the red wine in one go, completely unfazed. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” I said. “We’re divorced. In a few days, the divorce certificate will be finalized. I have no obligation to care about his feelings anymore.” Faye pinched her own cheek, wincing from the pain, and then threw her arms around me. “This is amazing, Andy! You’ve finally come to your senses! I’ve disliked that b*st*rd Sean for a long time. To celebrate your escape from him, tonight is on me. Come on, cheers! To freedom!” I clinked glasses with her. Just as the sound of our glasses faded, a cold voice came from the doorway of the private room. “Whose control are you trying to escape from?” Chapter 6 I turned around to see Sean standing at the doorway, staring at me with a dark expression. When I didn’t respond, his gaze shifted to the guy beside me. Then, he gritted his teeth and demanded, “Andrea, I’m talking to you. I told you to report your schedule to me every hour. Why didn’t you tell me where you were? Or are you feeling guilty? Too afraid to say anything because you’re sneaking around behind my back with another man, are you?” I glanced at him indifferently. “Mr. Larson, does who I see have anything to do with you? Instead of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, why don’t you go back to your wife, Brittany, and keep her company at karaoke?” That shut him up instantly. His brows furrowed as he snapped, clearly annoyed. “What’s with the sarcasm? I went to the karaoke bar with Brit as a show for her parents. We have to pretend we’re in love so they won’t suspect anything. And here I was, trying to make it up to you today. I even canceled all my work and social plans to cook your favorite chili con carne. What a waste of my effort.” As he spoke, he placed a container on the table. I glanced at the bright red minced meat in there, but seeing it made my stomach churn. Not this dish again. At the beginning, I used to think it was his way of showing he cared. I had even felt touched. However, over time, I realized it was nothing more than a lazy routine. Every time he needed me to help Brittany, he would cook that exact dish to appease me. He was even aware that I had undergone surgery for my stomach and couldn’t eat anything spicy anymore. However, he never bothered to change it. He still made it unbearably spicy, enough to sting the nose. Coming back to myself, I said coldly, “I’ve eaten. You can save that feast for Brittany.” Sean didn’t catch the displeasure in my tone. Instead, he seemed to think I had been coaxed like before and quickly got to the point. “Fine. Actually, I came to ask you something. Brit’s parents are coming over tomorrow to check whether I can take care of her and the baby. If I recall correctly, you’ve studied a lot of parenting books. I need you to help me come up with a plan on how to act like a good husband and father who can take care of a pregnant woman and a newborn. I need to make a good impression on her parents.” Watching the eagerness on his face, I felt a wave of nausea. Others might not know, but he did. The reason I had read all those books was that I, too, had once been pregnant and wanted to raise our child with him. However, after the miscarriage, it became something we never spoke of again. Now, he was asking me to teach him how to be Brittany’s husband and a good father? I shot back immediately, “Sean, I’m a lawyer, not your nanny. Ask someone else.” Sean’s eyes widened in disbelief. He clearly hadn’t expected that the same dish that used to win me over so easily would suddenly stop working. His embarrassment then turned into anger, and just as he was about to lash out, his phone rang. It was a call from Brittany. Whatever she said on the other end made him forget all about yelling at me. Without another word, he turned and hurried out of the private room. Faye and I, on the other hand, drank until well past midnight. The next morning, after I sobered up, I went home to pack my things and move out. However, the moment I stepped into the yard and saw what was in front of me, I froze. Chapter 7 This little suburban villa was a home with a yard that Sean specifically chose after the law firm started turning a profit, just to satisfy my love of growing flowers, plants, and fruit. Whenever work exhausted me, I would look at everything I had planted with my own hands. Watching them grow always made the fatigue disappear. When the fruit ripened, Sean and I would sit in the yard together, watching TV shows and eating freshly picked fruit. Those quiet, warm moments were rare. Now, the strawberries that had just ripened were ripped out by the roots, thrown aside, and trampled into the dirt. The garden beds had also been flattened and replaced with a newly installed hanging swing. The tree I planted two years ago had been cut clean in half, chopped into pieces, and hauled away. Even the orchids I used for decoration were all gone, replaced with bright, showy peonies. I rushed forward and demanded an explanation from the workers. That was when I found out it was all Sean’s order. Just to please Brittany and her parents, he had erased every trace of my past here and redecorated everything to her preferences. For that, Sean sure was ruthless. Coming back to my senses, I didn’t stop the workers anymore. I walked straight into the house, only wanting to pack my things and leave as soon as possible. However, as I searched through the cabinets, something suddenly fell to the floor. I followed the sound and saw the wedding ring Sean and I had bought when we first got married. Back then, he had just started the law firm. Just keeping it afloat had drained all his savings. He couldn’t even afford a wedding, let alone a ring. To save money, we simply registered our marriage and left it at that. Afterward, we even lived in the office. Every day was beans on toast or whatever food we could get from business dinners. By the time the holidays came around, I didn’t even have enough money to buy myself a new winter coat. He felt endlessly guilty about it, so much so that he gave up his pride to approach a former rival with whom he had once been at loggerheads. Under the influence of alcohol, he knelt before the man, hoping the man would lend him a hand and provide some resources. I could vividly remember the night he came back. He was drunk, his shirt was burned with cigarette holes, and there were still faint handprints on his face. However, he didn’t seem to care at all. He just smiled and handed me a diamond ring, saying it was his way of making it up to me before spending the entire night vomiting in the bathroom. From that day on, I believed Sean loved me with all his heart, and I made up my mind to stand by him and fight alongside him. Alas, I never once had the chance to wear the ring, one he had traded his dignity and pride for. Our relationship had long since fallen apart and was no longer what it once was. I gave the ring one last look before throwing it into the trash and continuing packing. Come to think of it, it was actually pretty funny. The bedroom was huge, and I spent ages tidying it up, but in the end I couldn’t even fill a suitcase. It was just like our marriage, which existed in name only but was empty inside. I let out a self-deprecating laugh and dragged my suitcase toward the door. As I passed the corner, the heel of my shoe suddenly snapped. I lost my balance and slammed into the cabinet. In the next second, a dark wooden box fell to the floor, and my expression changed instantly. That box was the one Sean treasured most. Inside were the belongings his late mother had left behind. All these years, he had never allowed anyone to touch it, nor had he ever opened it in front of anyone. He had even set a password lock on it. Now, the box had cracked open from the fall, its contents spilling into view. However, with just one glance, I froze where I stood. Chapter 8 There was no precious family heirloom inside the box. Nothing related to his mother, either. Instead, it was filled with photos of Sean and a woman. Some were taken at an amusement park, some were from school, and others were in shopping malls. Every single photo had his handwriting on the back. “April 10, 2012–After class placements, I met a girl. Her name is Heather. My heart is racing. Is this what falling in love feels like?” “May 6, 2012–I finally got Heather’s contact. Ahhh… I’m so nervous. How should I even start talking to her?” “July 16, 2012–It’s summer break at last. Today was my first date with Heather at the amusement park. She looked so beautiful…” “December 10, 2012–Heather hasn’t been in school. Everyone says she died in an accident, that she was hit by a car. I don’t believe it!” “December 16, 2012–Today was Heather’s funeral.” “March 21, 2013–A judgment has been ruled for the case. The murderer hired a top lawyer and was ruled not guilty. He wouldn’t have to suffer a single day in prison…” “April 5, 2013–Heather, wait for me. When I become a lawyer, I’ll reopen your case.” After reading everything, I looked back at the woman in the photos. Her face bore a slight resemblance to both Brittany and me. In that instant, everything became clear. Brittany and I were nothing more than substitutes for a woman named Heather. Sean had been searching for her shadow in both of us. Even the reason he became a lawyer in the first place was because of her. No wonder he had hidden this box for so many years, never allowing anyone to touch it. However, why should my youth and my life be used to make up for his loss? I snapped back to my senses, put the box back into the cabinet, and walked away without looking back. There was nothing left in this house worth remembering anymore. Faye insisted on having one last meal together before I left, and since my flight was in the evening, I didn’t refuse. I took a cab to the restaurant, but the moment I got out of the car, I saw Sean inside a photo studio nearby. Standing beside him were Brittany and her parents. The four of them looked like a real family, smiling warmly as the photographer guided them through poses for a wedding family portrait. How ironic. I had been married to Sean for seven years, yet we had never taken a single photo together. Even when my mother was on her deathbed, he had rejected her final wish to take one family photo before she passed. I sneered, and as I turned to leave, our eyes met. His hand, resting on Brittany’s shoulder, jerked. Brittany had also noticed me, but instead of panic, she gave me a provocative smile. Then, she walked out of the studio, putting on a look of helpless despair, and said with a pout, “Andrea, I know you hate me, but I just want to live. I just don’t want to be looked down on. There’s no need for you to follow me here or come tell my parents everything.” The moment those words left her mouth, Sean’s expression darkened. He grabbed my arm and dragged me aside, his voice sharp with anger. “Andrea, we’ve been married for seven years. How did I not realize you were so vicious? She’s just a weak woman trying to live a decent life. What did she do wrong? Do you really have to destroy her future like this?” I looked at him, the way he twisted right from wrong, and felt nothing but numb. Then, I turned to Brittany and slapped her. “I came here to meet a friend. I don’t care about your mess. But if you continue spreading lies, don’t blame me for exposing the truth.” After that, I didn’t even spare her another glance as I turned to leave. However, Sean quickly caught Brittany, his eyes filled with concern. Then he grabbed me again, his voice low and threatening. “Andrea, how dare you hit her? Get on your knees and apologize right now. Otherwise… I’ll fire you from the law firm and make sure you’re blacklisted from the legal industry. You’ll never find another job in this country.” Hearing his threat, I sneered and took out my resignation letter, throwing it straight at his face. “Sorry,” I said. “I’ve resigned. And as for blacklisting me, you can go ahead and try, Mr. Larson.”