Beyond Love and Longing

James stayed at a hotel for several consecutive days.

From the moment Sean stepped into the home he shared with Wendy, James no longer wanted to return to that house.

At dawn, he instructed his driver to take him to the law firm.

While waiting at a traffic light, he opened Sean’s livestream.

During the livestream, Sean accidentally revealed the kiss marks on his neck.

“I’m about to have a wedding with my wife. I’ll stream it live for everyone when the time comes,” he announced, his face flushed with excitement as he shared the good news with his fans.

‘His wife... If Wendy’s his wife, then who is my wife?’ wondered James.

James turned his head to look at the rain streaks drifting past the car window.

Jelaston was a city of frequent rain.

It had also been raining on the day he and Wendy registered their marriage.

Carl Jackson had served as the Bundred family’s lawyer for a lifetime and had practically watched James and Wendy grow up.

“James, are you sure you want to divorce Wendy? I’ve vaguely heard about what she’s been up to outside, but divorce is a serious matter…” Carl sighed and asked.

“Is it really necessary to go this far? The Bundred family has treated you well since you were a child, and Wendy has always been good to you too. You two had such a good relationship when you were young.

"Mr. Bundred raised you personally to groom you. He brought you under his wing, taught you himself, and you excelled in everything—always ranking first in every subject, advancing from the University of Northela all the way to the Warden Business School. You fell in love, got married, and Mr. Bundred brought you into the Bundred Group, offering you a bright future…”

As Carl spoke about the past, James felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart.

It was true that Wendy’s father had shown him great kindness, bringing him out of a remote mountain village and transforming his life.

The love and grudges, the sweetness and pain between him and Wendy, were all intricately intertwined in his heart.

Tears slid down his cheeks.

Family ties, romantic love.

His entanglement with Wendy was too deep.

Making the decision to divorce her was like cutting out half of his soul, a pain as sharp as scraping flesh off his bones.

“Uncle Carl, she’s planning to have a child with that man. They’re even going to hold a wedding.”

Overwhelmed, he pressed his hand to his heart, unable to keep his emotions in check anymore.

“I’m a man… I can’t hold on any longer. I don’t know how to keep going…”

For years, he had clung to the hope that Wendy wasn’t serious with those men, that she would eventually come home.

It was this hope that had sustained him year after year.

But now, he was on the verge of collapse, teetering on the edge of the cliff.

“You’ve had a hard time too.” Carl sighed. “When Mr. Bundred was critically ill, those relatives of the Bundred family couldn’t wait to tear the Bundred Group apart. If it hadn’t been for you, the Bundred Group might have been in danger long ago… And now Wendy has gone this far with other men...”

James moved his lips slightly and gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile.

He placed the documents on the desk. “If Wendy is willing to sign the divorce papers, that’ll be the fastest way to settle this. If she’s unwilling, you have enough evidence of us living separately for over two years to file for divorce.”

James lowered his eyes. “Uncle Carl, please do me a favor. Please hand her the divorce papers after I’m gone.”

In the past, he had been hopelessly infatuated, ruled by his emotions.

Without the shackles of love, what influence could Wendy possibly have over him anymore?

Once the memory-erasure operation was done, he would completely let go of the past and start a new life.