Cephalosporin and Alcohol on New Year's Eve

"You want to divorce me?"

To my surprise, Jennifer didn’t erupt in anger upon hearing those words. Instead, she furrowed her brows, her expression carrying a faint trace of confusion.

"Lee, you have no reason to divorce me. All I’ve done is look after Henry, and I’ve always treated him like a younger brother. Other than that, I can only assume you no longer love me and have no feelings for me anymore."

"Think what you want. The divorce is happening," I replied.

I didn’t even spare her a glance. At this point, arguing was pointless.

My attitude seemed to unsettle her slightly, and her expression shifted. She must have realized this wasn’t one of my so-called “dramatic acts” like before. This time, I was serious.

She instinctively stepped forward and grabbed my arm.

"Lee, stop this nonsense. Let’s talk properly—"

I yanked my arm free, a strong wave of disgust flashing across my face.

"Don’t touch me!"

With that, I turned and walked away. The force of my movement caused Jennifer to stumble slightly.

Anger flared in her, and she shouted after me, "Lee! Where do you think you’ll go without me? Back to your family? Don’t forget—you’ve already severed ties with them! Come back here! I haven’t agreed to the divorce yet!"

I ignored her completely. I walked out, got in my car, and drove straight to the office. Once there, I packed up my desk and submitted my resignation to HR.

"Are you sure about this, Lee?" The HR staff member, Diane, looked at me, trying to gauge my expression, already suspecting something from my stony demeanor. She hesitated as she held the resignation form.

"Yes," I replied firmly.

I understood her confusion. Everyone in the company knew I was Jennifer’s husband. While she had always kept business and personal matters separate, it hadn’t stopped private gossip.

As expected, she looked a bit troubled.

"I can’t approve this myself. Maybe we should wait until the CEO comes back?"

"No need. My position doesn’t require her signature. Just follow the process," I said.

Five years ago, when Jennifer founded this company, I was one of its earliest employees. Back then, the company had only a handful of staff. I was simultaneously a tech worker and a business runner, juggling countless tasks. I was incredibly busy for a long time.

But in the last couple of years, as the company began to thrive, Jennifer kept me in a low-level position. I was earning a basic salary—less, even, than Henry, who was just a personal assistant.

Diane sighed. Technically, my resignation didn’t need approval from someone at Jennifer’s level, but her worry was evident. She signed the form, likely dreading Jennifer’s wrath later.

I returned to my desk, grabbed my things in a cardboard box, and prepared to leave. On my way out, I caught glimpses of my colleagues’ sympathetic gazes and overheard their whispered conversations.

"He’s really leaving?"

"I liked Lee. He was the one who patiently taught me how to run business deals when I first joined."

"Well, it’s because of Ms. Robinson’s new assistant... She’s really been a bit too..."

I walked past without a single change in expression.

The moment I stepped out of the company’s office building, I saw Jennifer arriving with Henry.

When she noticed the box in my arms, her anger erupted immediately.

"Lee! When will this stop? Do you really want to leave me that badly? You’re even resigning from the company?"

"Lee, calm down. I heard you’ve been here for years. Don’t make any rash decisions," Henry chimed in, his voice dripping with mock concern, clearly enjoying the chaos.

I didn’t respond or even glance at him. Jennifer, seeing my attitude, took several deep breaths to suppress her rage.

"Fine. Fine! You’re determined to divorce me, aren’t you? Then let’s do it! I’ll sign the divorce papers right now! But, Lee, don’t you dare regret this!"

Her words made me stop in my tracks. For the first time, I showed a slight reaction.

"If you’re signing the papers, let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau this afternoon."

That afternoon, we finalized the divorce without a hitch. Jennifer was clearly still fuming as she stormed off with Henry right after the paperwork was done.

I didn’t bother speaking to her again, relieved that the process had been so swift.

Standing outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number I hadn’t called more than a handful of times in the past three years.

The line rang twice before a familiar voice, firm and slightly stern, answered with a hint of surprise. "Hello? Lee?"

I pursed my lips briefly before speaking, my voice hoarse.

"Dad, Mom, I want to come home."