Chapter 2
This Mercedes was Olivia’s gift to Lucas for his promotion.
She had always been generous with Lucas, sparing no expense, while being incredibly stingy with me.
My old Honda was falling apart, with peeling paint and tires that had been patched up multiple times. It often stalled on me.
When I mentioned wanting to get a new car, Olivia told me not to be so materialistic and to learn to be content with what I had.
On my birthdays, she would only give me a brief verbal congratulation, sometimes a handwritten card.
While I tried not to mind, I couldn’t help feeling envious when I saw other people’s social media posts about the lavish gifts their partners gave them.
So, on my 35th birthday, I finally worked up the courage to ask Olivia for a proper gift.
She got annoyed. “Jack, we’ve been married for so long. Do we really need to fuss over these trivial things?”
If I had truly fussed over every little thing, we would have separated long ago.
Over the years, I had given up promising career opportunities and high-paying jobs to stay and work by Olivia’s side.
My base salary was the bare minimum, while my workload was the heaviest.
Olivia always found reasons to dock my pay. If I entered the hospital with my left foot first, she’d claim it affected the feng shui and deduct money. When Lucas threatened to quit, she’d somehow twist it to be my fault and use my bonus to placate him.
Looking back, I realize all that money she held back from me went to spoiling Lucas.
The reason Olivia treated me so dismissively was simply that she thought I would never leave her.
But this time, I was truly exhausted. It was time to end this miserable marriage.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I drove to a law firm to draft divorce papers.
Afterwards, I went home to pack a few things before heading to my apartment.
I had originally planned to add Olivia’s name to the apartment deed. But when I bought it, I had a sudden change of heart and got it notarized as pre-marital property, as a sort of insurance policy.
Now, I’m grateful I made that decision. Otherwise, I’d have nowhere to go after moving out.
Arriving at the apartment, I entered the passcode to open the door.
To my surprise, the lock flashed red and emitted a harsh beeping sound.
The password was wrong!
I tried several more times, but none worked.
A sense of unease grew in my chest.
I quickly called a locksmith to force the door open.
When the door swung open, I was completely stunned.
The sharp smell of cigarettes hit me, and the floor was littered with cigarette butts and scattered clothes.
My beloved minimalist Italian decor had been replaced with a moody blue color scheme.
The walls, once covered with photos of Olivia and me, were now plastered with pictures of her and Lucas.
Then I remembered—Olivia knew the apartment’s passcode too.
Since getting together with Olivia, I had kept nothing from her.
But while I gave her my whole heart, she had been using this place as a love nest with Lucas behind my back.
Looking at the apartment filled with traces of their life together, I felt sick to my stomach.
There was no way I could live here anymore.
Using what little savings I had left, I rented a small studio to stay in temporarily. Then I immediately listed the apartment for sale at a low price.
Soon, someone contacted me wanting to rent the place.
After signing the contract, I sent them the passcode.
The new tenant moved in quickly.
Just as I finished dealing with all this and was about to rest, my phone rang.
I answered, and Olivia’s voice came through. She feigned innocence: “Jack, did you change the apartment passcode? And why is someone saying you sold the place to them?”
I didn’t bother hiding it. “Yes, I sold it.”
There was a pause on the other end, then Olivia’s voice came back shocked and angry. “You sold it? How could you make such a big decision without consulting me?”
I coldly retorted, “The apartment was mine. I had every right to sell it.”
“Besides, why are you so worked up about me selling my own apartment?”
Olivia was at a loss for words.
In the past, I never would have confronted her like this.
I always said that what was mine was hers, and she had gotten used to taking advantage of that, claiming everything of mine as her own.
Thinking we were family, I didn’t mind. I never expected my sincerity would be met with such entitlement.
She never treated me like a husband, so why should I treat her like a wife?
Hearing my uncharacteristically harsh tone, Olivia thought I was still upset about her breaking promises. Her voice softened a bit. “Jack, I know you’re still angry that I stood you up, but there were reasons for that.”
“I promise, once things settle down, I’ll step back from work and give you a son. Wouldn’t that make you happy?”
“But first, you need to get the apartment back from the tenant.”
“I forgot to tell you, when Lucas first came to me, he had nothing. I felt bad for him, so I let him stay at your apartment since it was empty anyway. I didn’t expect you’d sell it.”
“Now because of you, Lucas has nowhere to live. Jack, stop being difficult and get the apartment back. I’ll keep my promise to you eventually…”
There she went again. Whenever Olivia couldn’t argue her way out, she’d make empty promises to try and get me to give in.
But after all these years, I was tired of her false promises.
Thinking of this, I coldly said, “Fine, I’ll get it back. But Lucas needs to pay rent first.”
Olivia angrily berated me. “Money, money, money. Is that all you care about?”
“Lucas came to the big city alone with nothing. They say an older sister is like a mother, and as his mentor, I’m practically his mother. It’s only right that I look after him.”
“And you? Not only do you refuse to help, but you’re kicking him while he’s down. When did you become so cold-hearted?”
I laughed bitterly to myself. Olivia certainly had taken good care of Lucas—she even “took care” of having his child.
Besides, Lucas was the one freeloading. How had this become my fault?
Seeing my silence, Olivia thought she had me cornered and pressed on, “Jack, if you don’t agree, I’m really going to get angry!”
In the past, whenever Olivia got angry, I would immediately apologize and sweet-talk her, even if I had to go against my conscience.
But now, I was so done with her that I couldn’t care less if she got upset.
Thinking this, I enunciated each word clearly: “Olivia, Lucas’s difficulties are not my doing. I have no obligation to pay for his problems.”
With that, I hung up the phone.
After settling into my new place, I took the divorce papers and drove back to Olivia’s and my home, intending to have her sign them.
As I approached the front door, I heard laughter coming from inside.