Chapter 1

After finishing with Julian, Elara lay against his chest, trying to steady her breathing, when his casual voice suddenly drifted into her ears.

“Elara, actually, I posted the video of us to the internet.”

Elara stiffened, sitting up abruptly.

“Are you joking?”

Julian directly displayed his phone screen to her.

The video was of the last time they had been together.

That time, Julian had suddenly suggested a bit of roleplay, putting a rabbit mask on her while he wore a wolf mask.

Throughout the entire time, he had been unusually focused and excited.

It turned out it was because he had been secretly filming.

Elara stared intently at the video on the screen and the string of filthy comments beneath it.

Her whole body trembled, her head buzzing, and she looked at him with a pale face.

“Why?”

The moment she spoke, Julian suddenly laughed, and from his phone came the sound of a woman squealing.

“Oh my, oh my, Mr. Julian, how could this happen? I lost again!”

Her tone was filled with a mixture of annoyance and complaint.

“Mrs. Julian, you really are too useless. When something like this happens, you should be slapping him across the face first. Why would you be asking 'why'?”

“I promised Mr. Julian that if I lost this time, I’d have to go to the office tomorrow wearing lace panties. How hateful.”

The young girl's delicate, flirtatious voice echoed through the bedroom.

Amusement rose in Julian’s voice.

“Chloe, a bet is a bet. That’s what you said.”

“I’ll be watching your performance at the office tomorrow.”

After Julian finished speaking, he hung up and tossed the phone aside.

He looked at the pale-faced Elara and offered a perfunctory comfort.

“Alright, stop looking so gloomy. It was just a joke.”

“The girl and I were betting. I said that if you found out our video was online, you’d definitely slap me immediately. I told her you wouldn’t have the heart to do it, that you’d at most just stand there, pale-faced, and ask me why.”

A touch of smugness entered Julian’s smile as he reached out to pinch her cheek, praising her.

“Not bad, you didn’t embarrass your husband.”

Elara’s gaze silently traced his features, the pain and despair chilling her to the bone.

She and Julian had been childhood sweethearts, growing up amidst constant bickering.

When she was eighteen, some street punks had followed her and tried to film under her skirt.

Julian had run into them and gotten into a fierce fight on her behalf.

Because they were outnumbered, he’d had three ribs broken and spent half a month in the hospital.

Looking at his bruised and swollen face, she had wept with heartache.

But he had just joked with her, his face a mess.

“It’s only half a month in bed, is that really worth dropping your little pearls? If you’re really that moved, isn’t there an old saying? A life-saving grace cannot be repaid, so one can only offer oneself in return.”

“Elara, are you willing to offer yourself as my girlfriend? I’ll protect you for the rest of your life!”

Back then, his expression had been playful, but his eyes had been filled with sincerity and nerves.

Back then, Elara had nodded without hesitation.

“Okay.”

The year they graduated, he couldn’t wait to drag her off to get their marriage license.

In the years since they married, he hadn’t wanted her to go out and work hard, so he’d had her stay home as a full-time housewife.

To give her a sense of security, every bit of income he earned and every piece of property was registered in her name.

No matter how busy or tired he was, or how many temptations he faced, he had always steadfastly chosen her.

She had truly, genuinely believed she would be happy like this for a lifetime.

But ever since Chloe became his intern secretary, everything had changed.

The first time she heard Chloe’s name, it was Julian complaining to her that the young girl didn’t understand anything and was clumsy.

Gradually, it became him unconsciously mentioning her, praising Chloe as “simple and cute.”

Later, it was him finding Chloe interesting, often betting and joking around with her.

And now…

He had even descended into such absurdity that, because of a bet with Chloe, he had secretly filmed their private moments and posted them online.

Absurd to the point that, while they were doing the most intimate of things, he remained on the phone with another woman the entire time.

Absurd to the point that he would pay attention to whether another woman was wearing lace panties to work.

He was no longer the Julian who had been willing to give his everything for her.

Elara closed her eyes in pain, large tears falling silently.

When she opened them again, only indifference remained.

“Julian, let’s get a divorce.”

Chapter 2

The smile on Julian’s face froze, then he frowned, explaining impatiently.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

“It’s just a video. We were both wearing masks; no one knows who’s in it.”

“Didn’t you see the comments below? They’re all praising your figure and how good you sound.”

Elara simply stood up, silently putting on her clothes piece by piece.

Julian looked at the icy resolve between her brows, and a surge of irritation flared in his chest.

“Elara, don’t forget, I’ve been the one supporting you all these years!”

“If you divorce me, you’ll be nothing. You won’t have such a good life anymore!”

Elara clenched her palms, looking at him calmly.

“Are you free now?”

Julian’s lips parted, and finally, biting his teeth, he acted out of spite.

“Fine, divorce. I’m free whenever!”

With a look of displeasure, he stood up, threw on some clothes, and strode out.

The two of them went all the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

When the staff asked for the reason for the divorce, Julian looked at Elara with sarcasm.

“How do I put this? Are you going to tell them you’re getting a divorce because you can’t take a joke?”

Elara looked at the staff member and said softly:

“Irreconcilable differences.”

Julian’s expression turned utterly hideous.

He let out a sneer, then signed his name with a few quick strokes.

Dropping the pen, he looked down at her from his height.

“When you’ve calmed down and drained the water out of your brain, come back and cancel the divorce application yourself.”

“I don’t have time to keep playing along with your tantrums!”

With that, he turned and strode away hurriedly.

The staff member frowned, looking at Elara with sympathy.

Elara only lowered her eyes, writing her name stroke by stroke, and then handed the form to the staff.

“Sorry for the trouble.”

She walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau with her bag, the figure of Julian long gone from the entrance.

In a daze, she remembered the first time they’d quarreled after being together.

He had been young and hot-tempered, running out in a heavy downpour to sulk.

When she chased after him to find him, she had tripped and left a long cut on her leg.

In truth, Julian had regretted it the moment he ran out, and had even bought her favorite little cake.

After seeing the wound on her leg, he had been so full of regret and guilt that his eyes had turned red, and he’d sworn never to leave her behind again.

At this moment, looking at the empty space in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Elara curled the corners of her lips. Some promises, perhaps, are only taken seriously by the person who hears them.

Julian did not return home after leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau.

No messages, no calls; life went on as usual, as if they hadn’t quarreled at all.

As time passed, once her emotions subsided, the incident would be lightly brushed aside.

This had become the method Julian used with increasing skill to deal with Elara ever since Chloe appeared.

If it were in the past, Elara would certainly have been worried, unable to bear the thought of him being stifled by their arguments on top of his exhausting work, and she would have played along as if she were oblivious.

Perhaps it was because she had always been too softhearted towards him, retreating time and again, that he felt she had no boundaries left and could be trampled upon at will.

This time, she didn’t want to retreat anymore.

It wasn’t until three days later that Julian returned home, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Unfortunately, even his apology was perfunctory; he had brought red roses, the kind Chloe liked.

He had also brought Chloe along.

Chloe nudged Julian with her elbow, signaling to him with a wink.

Julian walked forward somewhat reluctantly.

“Alright, the joke went a bit too far this time. I brought Chloe here to apologize to you.”

Chloe chimed in from the side, quickly.