Chapter 1 Let's Get Divorced

I watched my husband, Clarence Kirk, toss the glass I had just used into the trash. I saw it clearly, yet I felt nothing.

We'd been married for three years, and he still couldn't bring himself to share a single glass with me.

Even when I accidentally drank from his cup, he wouldn't hesitate to throw it away. It didn't matter if it was a rare, limited-edition one, he'd still discard it without a second thought.

At that moment, it felt like something broke inside me, just like the glass.

I sighed as images from a video I had received earlier flashed through my mind.

If Ivana Todd hadn't sent me that video, I probably never would've known that Clarence's obsession with cleanliness wasn't as serious as he claimed. He could drink from the same bottle as someone else, after all.

In the video, Ivana held up her phone, filming a vlog.

"Hey, everyone! Welcome to Kirk Group's company gathering. This is our CEO, Mr. Kirk. Isn't he handsome? Yeah, I think so too.

"Here's a little secret. He's actually my senior, and that makes me his junior. So, I guess my career will be smooth sailing from here."

The scene then shifted to her taking a few sips from a bottle of water. Moments later, Clarence entered the frame.

"Ivana, that's mine," he said.

"Oh! Sorry, Mr. Kirk. I thought it was mine."

Clarence shook his head in response, yet tenderness shone in his eyes. Even through the screen, I could feel it.

What surprised me most was what he did next. He twisted open the cap and took a sip from the very same bottle Ivana had just used.

He didn't throw it away. Instead, he drank straight from it, his lips touching the very spot hers had. I couldn't even begin to explain how heartbroken I felt in that moment.

It turned out Clarence wasn't really obsessed with cleanliness. Or maybe he was, but only with me.

That day, I was supposed to visit his mother at the Kirk residence on his behalf. But after watching that video, I just wasn't in the mood to deal with her. So, I didn't go.

Less than half an hour later, Clarence called, demanding to know why I hadn't shown up.

"I wasn't feeling well. I didn't want to go," I answered simply.

He shot back, "Janelle Sawyer, I know exactly what you're up to. Do you think this little stunt will make me change my mind? Let me be clear. I'm not having children with you."

His harsh words pierced through the phone and into my heart. Right then and there, I realized there was no point in continuing this relationship.

I hummed softly, then said, "Come home. We need to talk."

…

And just like that, Clarence came home.

I took a sip from his glass right in front of him. He couldn't stand it, not even for a second.

His reflex to throw the glass only made me more determined to divorce him.

I glanced at the glass, a faint smile tugging at my lips. Then, I slid a document across the table and said, "Take a look. If you have no objections, just sign it."

"What are you trying to pull now?" Clarence snapped. "Haven't you caused enough trouble already? You've sabotaged multiple projects just to pressure me into having a child. Do you even understand what you've done?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

Did he really think I ruined his projects on purpose? How much must he have hated me to see me as someone so low?

The truth was, the projects failed simply because the other party's price was too low. He wanted to push ahead anyway, but senior management thought it wasn't worth it at such a low price.

When they couldn't talk sense into him, they turned to me. I managed to stop him from going through with the deal.

Even though the project fell through, the company's cash flow was intact.

I couldn't believe Clarence held a grudge against me ever since.

But it didn't matter anymore. We were getting divorced, so I no longer cared what he thought of me.

"This is the divorce agreement. Take a look. I'm not asking for anything that's yours. That small apartment in the south of the city is my premarital property. Everything else is yours," I stated.

"What did you just say?"

Clarence had just tossed the document on the table. But the moment he heard the word "divorce", he shot to his feet, confusion flickering across his face.

His expression darkened further when he picked it up again and saw what it really was. "Janelle, are you threatening me with divorce just to get me to have children with you?"

"It's not a threat. I truly want a divorce," I replied. "I've already signed it, so you'd better hurry up and do the same. Let's not waste time."

As I spoke, I pointed to the signature line, my face devoid of emotion.

"Why?" he asked with a frown.

It took me a second to realize he was asking why I wanted the divorce. So, I played him the video Ivana had sent me.

Clarence looked even more baffled after watching it. "You're doing this just because of a video Ivana made?"

"She drank your water," I said while staring blankly at him.

He let out an exasperated chuckle and shot back, "So, now no one's allowed to drink my water?"

"It's not just that she drank it. You drank from the same bottle. Don't push me, Clarence. Have you forgotten what you did earlier? Or have you lost your damn memory?"

I'd had enough. For three years, I shouldered the burden of the debt my family owed to his family. I humbled myself before the Kirks, but it was never appreciated.

My family played a major role in Kirk Group's success, yet I was treated like I didn't matter.

Even when his mother, Barbara Clark, pressured us to have kids, I had to beg Clarence just to be intimate with me. And still, he acted as if it were a favor, deciding when and how to acknowledge me.

"I won't have children with you," he repeated. "And you want a divorce because Ivana drank from my water bottle?"

His tone had softened slightly, but I had no desire to keep this going. After all, I was the only one trying in our marriage.

I once believed that, given time, Clarence would come to see the good in me. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

How could someone so heartless ever recognize another's worth?

"We've been married for three years, and you wouldn't even let me drink from your glass. But with her, you shared a bottle." I hit back at him.

That was when something finally seemed to register with him.

"I—" Clarence began.

I cut him off. "That's enough. I don't need your explanations anymore. I've suffered enough for three years. Let's get divorced."

I pointed once more to the signature line.

My steady tone made him falter. Whatever softness he had shown earlier vanished, replaced by his usual sharpness.

"Fine. Just remember you're the one who wanted this. Don't regret it."

"I won't," I said firmly.

Three years had passed, and all my disappointments had turned to resentment.

Back then, all I ever wanted was to marry Clarence. I had even spent half of my family's fortune to make it happen. Despite that, I never felt sorry for myself.

Even when he treated me coldly after the wedding, I told myself, "Give it time. Sooner or later, he'll be won over by your sincerity."

Alas, reality had proven me wrong.

Chapter 2 No Free Riders

Reality slapped me hard. It turned out that not every heart could be softened, no matter how hard you tried.

In the end, Clarence didn't sign the papers. He stormed out, seething, and I didn't stop him. Even if he didn't sign now, it wouldn't change my mind about divorcing him.

…

By the time I finished packing, it was well past midnight. After some thought, I decided to wait for Clarence. I'd leave once he came back.

I didn't sleep a wink that night. Yet, by morning, he still hadn't returned.

It wasn't until I called his office that I found out Clarence had left on a business trip.

I didn't know what got into me, but I opened Ivana's Instagram after hearing he was away. And sure enough, the two of them were together.

She had posted a photo of Clarence working during their early morning flight, taken from the side. Her caption read, "On a trip with my handsome boss. Feeling fabulous!"

The comments were flooded with messages from our university schoolmates.

Ivana had always been the campus darling, and Clarence was the heartthrob. Now that the golden boy from the class of '18 and the pretty junior from the class of '20 were working together, the teasing was inevitable.

One wrote, "Ivana, are you going after our campus crush?"

Another commented, "Queen and king of campus—talk about a perfect match!"

Amid all the teasing and blessings, only one of my former classmates said, "Ivana, don't even think about it. He's Janelle's man."

It was rare to see someone still remember that I was Clarence's wife. However, his reply silenced the entire thread.

"I'm my own man. I don't belong to anyone."

Could he have made it any clearer?

Clarence wanted nothing to do with me. If that was the case, why not just end it?

In the next second, I typed out a comment. "Exactly. The divorce is happening soon. He'll be free to be with Ivana then."

With that, I turned off my phone.

…

I was woken by loud pounding at the door.

Still half-asleep, I opened it. Barbara stood there, her face twisted with rage. "Janelle Sawyer, what the hell is this?"

She held out her phone as she spoke. It was a screenshot of Ivana's Instagram post, with my comment circled.

I had no idea what was going through her mind when she confronted me. In truth, she had lost all respect for me a long time ago. She even hoped Clarence would divorce me.

Ever since my family lost everything trying to keep the Kirks afloat, Barbara had treated me like I was no longer worthy of her son.

She kept going on about our families' revenues, always following it up with the same question. "So, how's your family doing these days?"

But she knew exactly what our situation was like.

When I married Clarence, I handed over half of my family's assets. Later, when the Kirks ran into trouble, I gave them the rest.

Now, my family was barely holding on, like someone gasping for air in their final moments.

Whenever I didn't respond to Barbara's digs, she'd act like something just clicked. "Oh, right! Silly me. I forgot your family's basically gone now.

"Janelle, I'm just saying. If you were really capable, your family wouldn't have collapsed like that."

She wasn't wrong. If I had been even a little selfish when it came to Clarence, I wouldn't be in this sorry state.

My parents knew how much I loved him, and they supported me unconditionally. They used to say, "Our daughter has good taste. Whoever she chooses must be the best."

But after giving everything to the Kirk family, I didn't even get a sliver of love from Clarence in return.

Maybe I was always meant to be a failure.

"Cat got your tongue?" Barbara snapped.

I shot back, "You saw everything, didn't you? So why ask? You read Clarence's comment. Since he's not mine, I should let him go. Isn't that the divorce you've always wanted?"

I was divorcing Clarence. Thus, I had no reason to tiptoe around Barbara anymore.

Maybe she wasn't used to me pushing back, because she froze, stunned. It took her a moment to react. "You've lost your mind, Janelle. Do you still think your family's some kind of big deal around here?"

"So what if we're not?" I said coolly.

"You…"

Barbara was utterly stumped for words.

"Anything else, Mrs. Kirk?" I asked, a sneer curling at my lips.

"Fine! If you're that ungrateful, Clarence has no reason to stay tied down to someone like you."

With that, Barbara stormed out, and the house felt still again.

Upon knowing that Clarence wasn't coming back, I grabbed my suitcase and left without hesitation.

…

After dropping off my things at the small apartment on the south side of the city, I headed straight home.

My parents, Michael Sawyer and Heather Powell, didn't look the least bit surprised to see me. If anything, it felt like they had been waiting for me.

My mother studied me anxiously before asking, "Jan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Why?"

Even so, she fixed her gaze on me, scanning my face. I'd have to be blind not to see that something was bothering her.

She looked somewhat awkward and then brushed it off with a smile. "It's nothing. I just—"

"That's enough. I'll do the talking," my dad cut in.

He was much more impatient than my mom. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Are you really divorcing Clarence?"

"Can't I?"

My eyes darted around nervously as I spoke. I wouldn't have blamed them if they didn't understand. They knew how much I'd once loved Clarence, after all. From where they stood, divorce probably seemed unthinkable.

But then my dad slapped his thigh, beaming. "Of course you can! Jan, have you really made up your mind?"

I was stunned. Judging by his reaction, it seemed like he had been hoping for this all along.

Then, I glanced at my mom. She looked even more thrilled than he did, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

I stood frozen to the spot. Without waiting for my response, they pulled me onto the couch.

"Are you sure about this?" they asked in unison.

I nodded. In an instant, they embraced each other as tears of joy streamed down their cheeks.

That was when I realized they had been waiting for this moment all along. Moreover, they had made preparations of their own.

When they laid out the documents on the coffee table, I couldn't help but laugh. My parents were always ten steps ahead.

All this time, I had believed I'd emptied our family's fortune for Clarence's sake. Turns out, I had barely scratched the surface.

A wave of quiet admiration rose inside me, and I gave them a thumbs-up.

Right then, the butler rushed in. "Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer, the Kirks are here."

After hearing that Barbara and Clarence had arrived, a smile tugged at my lips. Clearly, they couldn't wait any longer.

My parents didn't rise to greet them. So, the Kirks strode straight into the living room.

Barbara immediately put on airs, as if she owned the place. She snapped, "What took you so long? What were you doing?"

She then tossed her handbag at the housekeeper without so much as a glance.

Clarence trailed in behind her, impatience etched across his face. The moment his eyes landed on me, he shot me a glare.

Before my parents could get a word in, Barbara said sharply, "Since the divorce is happening, let's get everything settled. Our family has no intention of supporting a freeloader."

Chapter 3 Final Decision

Barbara just said the Kirks had no intention of supporting a freeloader. Was she talking about me? What a joke.

Clarence, on the other hand, acted as if he hadn't just watched his mother put on a performance. Was that really enough to wipe away everything I had done for their family?

I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

Clarence's expression darkened further upon hearing that. He furrowed his brow and turned to me. "Janelle, stop giving me that look. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have dropped everything and come here."

When I saw the blame all over his face, I felt relieved. After three years together, it seemed whatever love I'd once had for him had worn away.

But that was for the best. A clean break would hurt less than being let down bit by bit.

I finally spoke. "I didn't make you drop everything. I gave you the divorce papers yesterday. You just refused to sign."

"Are you trying to shirk responsibility now?" Barbara cut in sharply. "If you hadn't thrown a tantrum, Clarence would never have even considered divorcing you."

My voice was cold as I shot back, "Well, he doesn't want kids, and he won't divorce me either. Why keep me in limbo?"

In the past, I had always been polite and friendly with her, and I had even tried to meet all her demands.

Clarence, though, was all about his career. The whole Kirk family depended on him.

I used to be a rising star in finance myself. Like him, I was one of the top students at university. However, I had been blinded by love. After graduation, I gave everything—my family's fortune and myself—to him.

Slowly, people started to see me as just a housewife. They had forgotten that my family's influence once rivaled the Kirks'. Even Barbara had dismissed all I'd done, treating me like nothing more than their errand girl.

"Janelle, don't you understand why Clarence doesn't want to have kids with you? It's because you live off him. If you had a child, how would you support them?" She challenged me.

I was about to respond when my mom, clearly fed up, stepped in.

From the moment the Kirks walked in, I had seen the change in my parents' expressions. If I hadn't subtly signaled them, they probably would've kicked them out on the spot.

My mom slammed her hand on the table. Barbara flinched but quickly recovered.

"Heather," she called out with a frown. "I understand that if Janelle and Clarence divorce, you'll be losing a good son-in-law. But he has to live his own life."

I never thought Barbara could be so shameless.

My dad rolled his eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck. Before Barbara could say more, my parents exchanged a glance, and he said firmly, "Mrs. Kirk, if that's how it is, then let's get the divorce done quickly."

Barbara went still at his words. She seemed to believe Clarence was some kind of prize we had to cling to no matter what.

However, I was ready to let go. And my parents weren't about to argue.

Clarence's gaze flicked between me and my parents, his eyes full of contempt. It felt like he was saying we were only acting calm on the surface.

I didn't bother explaining further. Instead, I calmly asked, "Have you looked over the divorce agreement?"

"This is the draft I had the lawyer prepare. Take a look."

Clarence casually tossed the papers onto the table.

I wasn't in the mood to argue. So, I picked up the agreement and scanned it. It was almost the same as the one I had given him, except for one clause.

It read, "From now on, no matter how the Sawyers or the Kirks fare, neither family is to interfere with the other."

Clearly, Clarence feared that after leaving the Kirks, my family might fall on hard times and try to use their name to bounce back.

He didn't realize that this suited my parents just fine.