Purr Ever After

About a year ago, I had already consulted a lawyer about getting a divorce. However, to be honest, I could not let go.

Lucian and I had known each other since the eighth grade, and I had pursued him for a long time. It took a whole year before he finally agreed to date me. It had been 11 years, and he had occupied my entire youth.

During those 11 years, he had liked other women and had his share of flings, too. The problem was that his parents disapproved of them. Hence, under their pressure, he eventually married me instead.

Yet, even after all this time, even after we were already married, I still never got him to love me.

I could pretty much guess who the woman he was talking to on the phone was. It had to be Esme Barrett, his first love. The first time I had seriously considered divorce was also because of her.

Back then, we had just gotten married, and we went to my mom's place for dinner. She knew he loved seafood, so she would always get up early to go to the fish market and prepare all kinds of ingredients. Then, she would come home to cook him a huge spread.

Even though we could never finish everything, she would still make tons of food every time. She was terrified of letting her precious son-in-law go hungry.

As usual, my mom had prepared a table full of seafood that day, and Lucian was cracking a crab when his phone rang.

I glanced over and saw the contact name was just two letters.

[E.B.]

Lucian did not even bother wiping his hands and frantically answered the call. "Don't worry. It's fine. I'm not busy. I'll come over right away."

After hanging up, he threw on his jacket and said that one of his army buddies was having some trouble and needed him to help sort it out. Before my mom could even ask any questions, he was already out the door.

My gut told me it definitely was not an army buddy; it had to be Esme.

As it turned out, my instincts were right. I saw a photo on one of his friends' social media, and even though it was taken in a dimly lit bar, I could recognize Lucian. He was in a tracksuit, pressing close to a woman and grinning from ear to ear. He had even styled his hair with gel.

That woman was Esme.

Lucian came home very late that night. He was in an excellent mood, even whistling while he showered.

Meanwhile, I lay in the darkness feeling like I was trapped in an ice-cold hell.

At first, he probably had not crossed too many lines since it was still early in the marriage. Moreover, they only contacted each other occasionally.

Even so, how could I not notice that he had fallen for someone else?

I had looked at him the exact same way when I was in love with him, eyes sparkling.

Before long, Lucian started coming home later and later. He was always clutching his phone with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, like a teenager experiencing his first love.

No matter how much I cried or made a scene, he always responded with the same dismissive reply. "You're too old to be this dramatic. If you really don't trust me, then let's get divorced."

He knew me too well and exactly where my weak spots were, so he always used that threat to shut me up. Of course, I fell for it every single time because I was terrified of leaving him.

Looking back now, what always made me back down was not Lucian himself, but my love for him. I had loved him for 11 years, and I was too unwilling to let go.

Nonetheless, I was not planning on loving him anymore.

I wanted to love myself instead.

Getting divorced over a bracelet probably sounded ridiculous to anyone who heard it. However, this was simply the final straw.