Chapter 5

"Kylie, since you think I'm not as important as him, let's get a divorce."

"What did you say?" Her voice was filled with disbelief, laced with a mocking laugh.

"Sign the papers. Let's divorce. Since you feel so free with Robertson, you can finally be with him legally."

I pulled out the divorce papers I had drafted while lying in the hospital bed.

"Howard, stop playing games. Robertson could never replace you!"

Seeing that I wasn't backing down, she let out a cold sneer.

"Do you really think you can just divorce me, Howard? Have you forgotten what your father told you?"

She actually had the nerve to bring up my father!

Five years ago, if my father's company hadn't been targeted by a massive corporate rival, Kylie would have never received his $5 million seed funding.

Without that money, Kylie’s startup would have crashed and burned. She would never have achieved the success she has today.

Back then, with her status, she would have never been able to marry into my family.

My father had made Kylie promise to take me away from our hometown to protect me, telling me not to come back unless the storm cleared.

So for five years, no matter how hard things got, I never went back.

I stayed quietly by Kylie’s side, playing the role of a perfect, obedient husband.

She knew exactly why I was staying, and she used it to walk all over me.

Seeing that I didn't respond, Kylie smirked, feeling victorious.

"Besides, even if you don't care about yourself, think about your dad. He's getting old. Can his heart take the stress of you running back like a failure?"

With a slow, deliberate movement, she tore my divorce papers into shreds.

"So, forget about a divorce. Just be a good husband and keep quiet, okay?"

"Sure," I said quietly, looking past her at Robertson.

Robertson’s face was incredibly sour. He had realized that Kylie was refusing to divorce me, which meant he was still just the sidepiece.

He immediately threw another silent tantrum, and Kylie quickly left my side to comfort him.

I silently swept up the torn pieces of paper and threw them into the trash.

I knew Kylie too well. She would never willingly sign those papers.

So, I stopped arguing with her.

She thought I had finally submitted to her will, and she lowered her guard.

A few days later, while she was away on a business trip, I held my phone for a long time before finally dialing my father's number.

"Dad... I want to come home."

In that single moment, all the pain and exhaustion I had bottled up for years finally overflowed.

I didn't tell him what happened. He was silent for a few seconds, then said softly, "I'll have a car waiting for you at the airport."

I took one last look at the city I had lived in for five years, and walked through the boarding gate.