Adrian stood in the living room for a long time.

The divorce papers remained untouched on the table.

I could see the questions forming in his eyes.

Since when?

Since when had I stopped waiting?

Since when had I started planning a life without him?

But he didn’t ask those questions.

Because maybe the answers scared him.

Finally, he picked up the folder.

His fingers stopped when he saw my signature.

Complete.

Calm.

Without hesitation.

“You really signed it.”

His voice was low.

I looked back at the television.

“Yes.”

“Claire.”

I turned my head.

“What?”

He looked at me like he was trying to find the woman who used to cry whenever he mentioned divorce.

The woman who held onto his arm.

The woman who begged him not to give up on their marriage.

But that woman was gone.

“I thought you would wait.”

I stared at him.

“Wait for what?”

He didn’t answer.

Because he knew.

He expected me to wait for him to change.

To wait for him to choose me.

To wait until Olivia Lu was no longer in his life.

But a marriage should never be a waiting room.

“You always said divorce when you were angry,” I said quietly.

His expression changed.

“I never meant it.”

“That’s the problem.”

I looked at him.

“You used the one thing that could destroy us as a way to win arguments.”

Silence.

“Every time you said it, you knew I was afraid.”

He lowered his eyes.

“But this time…”

I smiled slightly.

“This time I believed you.”

Those words seemed to hurt him more than anger would have.

Adrian sat down across from me.

For several minutes, neither of us spoke.

Then he asked:

“Is there someone else?”

I almost laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because after everything…

that was his first thought.

“No.”

“Then why?”

I looked at him.

“Because I finally understood that loving someone doesn’t mean losing yourself.”

His hands tightened.

“Claire, I never asked you to do that.”

I nodded.

“No.”

“You didn’t ask.”

“You just accepted it.”

His face became pale.

I continued.

“When I was sick, I told myself you were busy.”

“When you missed important days, I told myself you had responsibilities.”

“When everyone talked about Olivia, I told myself I trusted you.”

“But every time, I was the only person trying to protect this marriage.”

Adrian looked away.

The room became quiet.

Then his phone rang.

The screen lit up.

Olivia Lu.

I saw it.

So did he.

For a second, he didn’t move.

A strange emotion appeared on his face.

Guilt.

I stood up.

“You should answer.”

His eyes moved toward me.

“No.”

I smiled.

“You always answered before.”

He froze.

Because I was right.

Before, whenever Olivia called, everything stopped.

Meetings.

Meals.

Conversations.

Even our anniversary dinner once.

He always had a reason.

“She needs help.”

“She’s my responsibility.”

“She’s just a friend.”

But somehow, I was always the person who understood.

Until I stopped.

The phone continued ringing.

Finally, Adrian rejected the call.

I was surprised.

But only for a moment.

Then he said:

“I’ll tell her.”

“Tell her what?”

“That I’m getting divorced.”

I looked at him.

“Adrian.”

“What?”

“You don’t need to explain your choices to me anymore.”

That sentence made him go silent.

Because he realized something.

The divorce wasn’t a threat anymore.

It was a reality.

The next morning, I moved the last box from the master bedroom.

Adrian watched from the doorway.

“You’re really leaving.”

I placed the box down.

“Yes.”

“Where will you go?”

I looked at him.

“My apartment.”

His eyebrows tightened.

“You already rented one?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“The day after you asked for divorce.”

He looked shocked.

“You were that sure?”

I smiled.

“No.”

“I was that tired.”

Those words stayed with him.

Later that afternoon, Adrian went to his office.

But he couldn’t focus.

The employees noticed.

The man who could negotiate billion-dollar deals was staring at the same document for thirty minutes.

His assistant finally asked:

“President Ji, are you okay?”

He answered without looking up.

“Did Claire ever complain?”

The assistant was confused.

“Mrs. Ji?”

“Yes.”

“About what?”

Adrian was silent.

Because suddenly he realized something terrifying.

He couldn’t remember.

Not because I never complained.

Because I stopped complaining when I realized nobody was listening.

That evening, Adrian came home earlier than usual.

The house was dark.

For the first time in four years, nobody was waiting for him.

No dinner on the table.

No lights turned on.

No voice asking if he had eaten.

The silence was unbearable.

He walked into the bedroom.

The room was almost empty.

My perfume was gone.

My clothes were gone.

The books beside my bed were gone.

Only one thing remained.

A small photo frame.

Our wedding picture.

He picked it up.

And for the first time, he remembered.

That day, I had cried because I was happy.

He had promised:

“I will always protect you.”

Adrian sat on the edge of the bed.

Then his phone rang.

His mother.

He answered.

“Adrian.”

Her voice sounded worried.

“Did Claire really leave?”

“Yes.”

A pause.

Then his mother said:

“You should bring her back.”

He closed his eyes.

“Why?”

“Because you don’t realize what you lost.”

He looked at the empty room.

For once, he agreed.

But before he could respond, another message arrived.

From his assistant.

Attached was a document.

The title made his entire expression change.

“Olivia Lu Investigation Report.”

He opened it.

And after reading the first page…

his face turned completely cold.

Because the woman he had protected for months…

had not accidentally entered his life again.

She had planned it.

And the person who helped her get close to him…

was someone Adrian trusted more than anyone.

Someone inside his own family.