Grandma's Grave, His Final Betrayal

It was nearing dawn when I felt a pair of hands around my waist, accompanied by a strong scent of alcohol. Reese buried his head in the crook of my neck, his tone tender and lingering.

"Sweetheart, are you upset? Why did you hang up on me? I tried calling back, but you didn't pick up."

The scent of his cologne made me queasy, and when I turned my head, the sight of lipstick marks on his neck filled me with disgust. I pushed him away and shifted to the side, turning my back to him in silence.

Reese seemed momentarily taken aback, then sat up, frowning at me with a sigh as he reached out toward me again.

"Come on, let's not fight anymore, okay? There were so many people around; if I had called you then, it would've been awkward."

I couldn't help but let out a cynical laugh, glaring coldly at him.

"You know why I'm upset."

Avoiding his touch, he looked at me with impatience before getting out of bed. Shortly after, he tossed a tube of ointment onto the bed, his expression clouded with irritation.

"You’re still hung up on that fire incident, aren’t you? I went out of my way to get burn ointment for you. Stop holding grudges."

"Besides, it’s not like anyone else made you do it. Who would've thought you'd take such nonsense seriously?"

I gripped the blanket tightly, glaring at him through my tears of anger.

"Reese! I ran into that fire because of you!"

He crossed his arms with an exasperated click of his tongue, glancing at me before speaking dismissively.

"Fine, fine, blame me if it makes you feel better. Let me put the ointment on for you."

Before I could say anything, he was already by my side, squeezing out the ointment and lifting my shirt. When he saw the large burn scars on my back, his hand stopped mid-air. In the silence that followed, I saw undisguised revulsion in his eyes.

He threw the ointment to the foot of the bed and said coldly, "You handle it yourself. I gave you the ointment, so I don't owe you anything."

He walked out heavily, as if trying to rid himself of something distasteful. My whole body trembled uncontrollably, my heart aching to the point of suffocation. When I caught a glimpse of the burn scar on the back of my hand, I finally broke down in tears.

There was a time when Reese was different. I had accidentally burned my hand while cooking for him. It was just a small scar on my thumb, but he had held me close, tears in his eyes, and bought ointments, apologizing repeatedly, saying it was his fault for not protecting me.

He called doctors everywhere, asking how to remove the burn scars. From then on, Reese didn't let me back into the kitchen. He took care of all the household chores himself, saying he couldn't bear to see me hurt, as it would break his heart.

But now, after running into the fire for him and being left with extensive burns on my back, all he could say was a disdainful, "How disgusting."

From that day on, Reese didn't come home or show up at the office. I called his assistant twice, each time receiving vague responses that Mr. Lynch was busy. As for what he was busy with, that was easy enough to find out from Lilith Castillo's social media posts.

Reese took her to a drone light show over the Alps. He held her close while they went skydiving, his arms wrapped around her waist, planting a kiss on her forehead mid-air. These were promises he made to me. Now they were all fulfilled with Lilith Castillo.

His loving gaze reminded me of when Lilith first joined the company, and Reese hadn't hesitated to lose his temper with her. Once, he even told her to pack her bags and leave in front of all the employees. I had intervened, knowing Lilith was fresh out of school and came from a modest background, convincing her to stay.

I told her Reese wasn't really that harsh. After I persuaded her, she started asking about Reese's preferences to avoid upsetting him again. I told her everything, hoping to make her job easier. I even spoke on her behalf to Reese, hoping he'd treat her better.

I laughed bitterly at myself. My goodwill unintentionally played matchmaker for them. A lawyer friend had prepared the electronic divorce agreement and sent it to me. After thanking him, I signed it and forwarded it to Reese, leaving just four words:

[Sign the divorce papers.]