Sitting on the plane, I couldn't help but look back at the five years I had spent married to Julian.

When I had surgery for kidney stones and needed a family member by my side, I was alone.

When I was harassed and bullied by a student’s parents at school, I was alone.

Even when my car got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and my phone died, leaving me stranded and helpless—I was alone.

From lightbulbs to leaking pipes, I was the one who fixed everything in that house.

If that was the case, why did I even get married in the first place?

I stared at the white clouds outside the window and slid off the wedding ring I had worn for five years.

Ten hours later, the plane finally touched down at the capital airport. I turned on my phone to find only one message from Julian.

[We’ll talk about everything when I get back.]

I didn't reply. Instead, I dropped the wedding ring into an airport trash can.

When I arrived home, my parents-in-law were already waiting at the gate. They knew I was returning from the UK and had personally cooked a lavish feast.

The moment he saw me, my father-in-law took my luggage. My mother-in-law held my hand, peering anxiously behind me. "Clara, why are you alone? Where’s Julian?"

I didn't intend to hide the truth. "Mom, Dad, I want a divorce."

Their expressions instantly shifted to utter disbelief. My mother-in-law gripped my hand tighter. "Why? Did Julian do something to you?"

Facing their concerned gazes, I told them everything that had happened abroad, including Julian’s decision to settle in the UK.

They were beyond furious. After comforting me and insisting I eat something, they retreated to their room. I had no appetite. Sitting alone on the living room sofa, I could hear my mother-in-law on the phone with Julian.

"...Clara has been part of this family for five years! She worried about your long hours as a doctor, so she took care of your father and me with everything she had. Your father has diabetes—she’s the one who ran back and forth to get his medicine, accompanied him to every check-up, and cooked separate meals for him every single day!"

"When I broke my leg last year, she was the one who helped me bathe, change, and go to the bathroom. The doctor said it would take a hundred days to heal, and she cared for me without a single complaint. By the time my cast came off, she had lost so much weight from the exhaustion!"

Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper.

"Don't think I don't know about you and Seraphina. She abandoned you for her career back then, and you crawled after her to the UK only to find she’d already married someone else. And now you want to move there for her? Have you no shame?"

"Julian, don't lose your soul. If you still care about us at all, get back here immediately, or you can come home to our funerals!"

That very night, Julian boarded a flight back home. By the time he reached the house, it was early the next morning.

The three of us sat in the living room. The silence was heavy and suffocating. After a night of reflection, my parents-in-law had come to terms with it. They knew Julian didn't love me, and their eyes were filled with guilt as they held my hand.

"Clara, our family has wasted five years of your life. We can't let him waste the rest of it."

"We agree to the divorce. Don't worry, the house and the car—Julian will give them to you. It’s the least he can do to compensate you..."

Then, they looked at Julian. "Go talk to Clara."

Julian and I walked out to the small courtyard. The dim yellow streetlights stretched our shadows long against the ground.

"Seraphina’s ex-husband is a violent alcoholic," he began slowly. "I was only worried about her safety; that’s why I wanted to stay in the UK."

"As for the wallpaper, I’ve used it forever. I never thought to change it. If it bothers you, I can change it to a photo of you."

Listening to his dismissive, deflective answers, I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. He made it seem like he was compromising for me, while in reality, he thought I was making a scene over nothing. But a marriage ends because of a thousand "nothing" moments that finally add up.

I lowered my eyes. "Don't bother. I don't need it."

I looked up at his face. "In five years of marriage, if you ever had even a shred of feeling for me, accompany me to the Family Court as soon as the sun comes up."

Julian seemed to hesitate.

Just then, Seraphina’s voice drifted out from his car parked nearby. "Julian! Are you two done talking?"

I looked over. Seraphina was stepping out of the car. There was a bandage on her forehead and visible bruises on her face.

Julian turned to me quickly to explain. "Seraphina’s ex was released on bail yesterday and beat her again. I couldn't leave her alone in the UK, so I brought her back with me."

Looking at Seraphina in the car and Julian in front of me, I suddenly understood everything.

I looked Julian in the eye. "9:00 AM. See you at the Family Court."

I never imagined that my divorce from Julian would be witnessed and accompanied by Seraphina.

"Are you sure about this? If we do this, we’ll have no connection left," Julian asked with an air of casual indifference as we stood before the counter at the Family Court.

He must have been certain that I wasn't serious about leaving. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been this calm, this utterly fearless. Having loved him for six years, I knew exactly what was going on in his mind with just one look at his expression.

With a serious gaze, I gave him a one-word answer: "Yes."

Then, I swiftly signed my name—Clara.

Julian froze for a second. Without further hesitation, he also signed the divorce papers.

The entire process took only an hour. As I walked out of the Family Court holding that thin, light divorce certificate, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

Suddenly, Julian asked, "Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride."

Before I could answer, Seraphina walked straight up to us. "Julian, I’m feeling a bit unwell. Let’s head back."

Julian hesitated and looked at me.

I spoke plainly: "Take her back. I’ll just call a cab."

Throughout five years of marriage, I had always walked alone. Now that we were divorced, I had even less need for his company.

Just as I was about to leave, Julian instinctively grabbed my hand.

"Is there something else?" I asked.

Julian stunned for a moment. "Take care of yourself."

I nodded. As he let go of my hand, his eyes suddenly fell upon my empty ring finger. He froze on the spot.

I had worn that wedding ring since our engagement; I hadn't even taken it off to shower. He looked like he wanted to ask something, but Seraphina stepped forward.

"Ms. Clara, thank you for being so understanding," she said to me. "Julian and I will be returning to the UK soon, and we’ll be taking his parents with us. It’s probably best if we don't stay in touch from now on."

Hearing this, I smiled at her. "Don't worry. I’m not like you."

"I don't go back to what I’ve already discarded."

Leaving her with a look of stunned silence, I got into a taxi without looking back. I didn't spare Julian another glance.

An hour later, I reached home. The first thing I did was delete every bit of Julian’s contact information. The second was burning our wedding photos. The third was throwing away all of his clothes, shoes, and daily necessities.

Soon, every trace of him was gone from the house. Looking at the now much emptier space, I suddenly felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

I used to be so afraid of losing Julian. But now that he was truly gone, I realized there was no difference in my world whether he was in it or not. He simply wasn't that important.

My daily life continued as usual. On workdays, I moved between the school and home. I taught classes during the day, had dinner in the cafeteria with colleagues or ordered takeout at home with my best friend at night. Since I no longer had to care for Julian’s parents, I could go back to my own home on weekends to have tea with my father and play mahjong with my mother.

I realized clearly that without the identity of being Julian’s wife, I had become much freer. I could go wherever I wanted and stay out as late as I pleased. I deleted the Edinburgh weather from my phone and stopped checking it constantly, no longer afraid of missing a message from him.

I was no longer plagued by insecurity or bitter over the pathetic amount of affection Julian gave me. I no longer suffered from insomnia or dreamed of being abandoned by him. It was as if all the unhappiness in my life had vanished along with Julian.

Occasionally, I would hear about Julian and Seraphina in the UK through mutual friends or my former in-laws. When I learned they weren't actually together, my heart didn't even skip a beat.

Over the past six months, I published several papers and was promoted to a Senior Teacher. Soon, winter break arrived.

As I walked out of the school gates, I turned on my phone, which had been off for a faculty meeting. Instantly, over 99 notifications flooded my screen. The latest one was from an unknown number—it contained only two words:

[It’s me.]

I looked up and saw Julian standing across the street. I hadn't seen him in six months.