**Chapter 1**
At six in the evening, I cooked six dishes and one soup, all to Vivian’s exact preferences.
At seven in the evening, I ran her bath, carefully placing her favorite roses and aromatherapy candles nearby.
At eight in the evening, I set out Vivian’s slippers at the entrance.
At nine in the evening, the front door was pushed open. Vivian walked in, and I stepped forward, taking her coat while placing her slippers neatly in front of her. After hanging the coat in the closet, I asked if she wanted to bathe or eat first.
“Shower first,” she said absently, her eyes glued to her phone.
The clock on the wall spun half a circle. Vivian emerged from the bathroom, toweling her hair, still in her robe. I quickly handed her pajamas, and while she changed, I hurried back to the kitchen to serve the freshly reheated meal.
Vivian was long accustomed to all this. She seemed to be in a good mood today, still absorbed in her phone, apparently chatting with someone.
As I placed the plates and cutlery, I brushed past her, catching a glimpse of her bright screen. At the very top, the name “Julian” stared back at me.
My gaze flickered away, a dull ache in my chest, and I turned back to the kitchen. My phone vibrated in my pocket.
I pulled it out; the screen displayed “Mrs. Caldwell.”
The moment I answered, Mrs. Caldwell’s voice came through.
“Liam, are you really going to divorce Vivian?”
I looked out the window. A cluster of night-blooming cereus was quietly unfurling under the wall lamp.
After a long silence, I finally spoke softly, “Mrs. Caldwell, you know that our marriage was just an arrangement. The agreement has expired, and Julian has returned home after his divorce. Vivian has been very happy lately; she doesn’t need me anymore.”
On the other end, Mrs. Caldwell sighed deeply, her voice filled with regret.
“I’m sorry for all these years, for what you’ve endured. I thought your devotion would make her fall in love with you after so long, but… never mind. Julian is back now, so I don’t have to worry about her. Five years ago, you gave up your study abroad opportunity for Vivian. If you still want to go, I can help you with the arrangements.”
I stared at the fully bloomed cereus, my eyes lost for a moment.
For five years, because of Vivian, my life had been on hold for too long. It was time to move forward.
So, I nodded, “Thank you, Mrs. Caldwell. Please arrange it for me. I want to leave as soon as possible.”
After the call ended, the cluster of cereus outside the window quietly withered, just as my five-year marriage was about to end completely.
I came from a humble background. Caldwell Industries sponsored my education, allowing me to achieve academic success and even secure the only study abroad scholarship at my university.
Before I left, I specifically went to the Caldwell mansion to express my gratitude.
I wasn’t the only one Caldwell Industries sponsored, but I was the first to show up and thank them.
This made Mrs. Caldwell, who had intended to brush me off with a few polite words, look at me twice. After hearing my intention, she remained silent for a while before speaking.
“If you truly want to repay your debt, do me a favor.”
From Mrs. Caldwell, I learned about Vivian and Julian’s story.
Vivian and Julian were both successful, born into prominent, affluent families. They had grown up together.
Everyone could see Vivian was deeply in love with Julian, but because Julian once said he wanted a slow, lasting love, she had always protected him silently.
Finally, when they graduated from college, Vivian felt the time was right and prepared to confess her feelings. But Julian suddenly got a girlfriend and went abroad with her.
Disbelieving, Vivian chased him to the airport that very night but got into a car accident on the way.
And by the time she woke up after surgery, Julian had already impulsively married that woman abroad.
After that, Vivian stayed home all day, binge-drinking, a successful woman reduced to a wreck.
It was then that I came knocking, and Mrs. Caldwell decided to have me help her move past that relationship.
So, to repay my debt, I gave up my chance to study abroad for a master’s degree and signed a five-year agreement with Mrs. Caldwell.
At a party, I deliberately “accidentally” met Vivian, feigning love at first sight, and began to pursue her relentlessly.
From then on, everyone in their social circle knew that Vivian had a man who loved her madly.
Vivian gradually grew accustomed to my kindness but never took that final step with me.
Until one night, she and her friends made a bet during a yacht party: whoever’s date could jump into the ocean to find a lost ring would get that valuable property development downtown.
I knew she hadn’t slept for nights, desperate to secure that property.
While everyone else hesitated, frightened by the raging waves, I jumped into the sea without a second thought.
That was the first time Vivian lost her composure over me. She hugged me tightly when I was pulled out, her voice trembling with fear.
“Liam Xu, let’s get married. I’ll try to love you.”
But later, I found out she agreed to marry me that night only because Julian had posted a photo on Ins of him passionately kissing his wife under the aurora borealis.
Even so, to fulfill the agreement and remove Julian from her heart, I desperately tried to be good to Vivian.
I cooked for her, diligently managed the household. When I learned her childhood wish was to see a meteor shower, but her parents were too busy with work to ever take her, I spent six months finding the perfect mountaintop for stargazing.
But that night, I waited all night, and Vivian never showed up.
Later, I found out she had gone to Julian.
Julian’s marriage was already on the rocks then. From that day on, she went abroad once a week, each time preparing all sorts of novel and interesting gifts, delivering them to Julian’s doorstep to cheer him up, but without letting him know.
The day Julian returned to the US, she got into a car accident while driving recklessly, desperate to see him first.
I stayed by her side for three sleepless nights, but in her unconscious state, she whispered Julian’s name countless times from her hospital bed.
In that moment, I finally understood that the task Mrs. Caldwell gave me was impossible to complete.
Luckily, the agreement was expiring, and Julian had divorced and returned home.
Vivian had realized her wish and had the man she loved back, and it was my time to leave.
From now on, both of us could start new lives.
**Chapter 2**
“Who were you talking to on the phone?”
Seeing me take so long, Vivian got up and came to the kitchen, finding me staring blankly at my phone.
I snapped out of it, saying calmly, “No one.”
Late at night, listening to Vivian’s soft breathing beside me, I stared at the ceiling with wide-open eyes, unable to sleep.
The next morning, Vivian frowned at the Western-style breakfast before her.
“You know I don’t like Western food. Why did you make this today?”
I lowered my gaze, speared a piece of steak with my fork, and chewed slowly.
“This is all that was left in the fridge.”
It wasn’t true. I was preparing for studying abroad, so I thought I’d start getting used to the taste.
Fortunately, the woman opposite me didn’t dwell on it. She placed her phone on the table, her eyes constantly checking it, as if waiting for a message from someone.
Without asking, I knew who she was waiting for.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated, and she quickly picked it up.
Julian must have sent something, making her beam with joy, her usually cool lips curving slightly upwards.
I watched her for a moment before taking out the divorce papers I had already prepared.
From the moment I signed that agreement, I had been preparing for this day. Now, I was finally free.
“Vivian Caldwell, let’s get divorced.”
I spoke calmly, my tone as flat as if discussing the weather.
Vivian was completely engrossed in her chat with Julian, barely hearing what I said, and simply gave a perfunctory, “Mm-hmm.”
I wasn’t surprised in the slightest. For five years, she had always been this way with me, keeping me at arm’s length.
Now that Julian was back, she had withdrawn the last bit of attention she had for me.
I flipped the agreement to the last page, handing it to her along with a pen, pointing to the signature line. “Sign here.”
“Mm-hmm.”
She was too busy chatting to even look up. With one hand, she took the pen and signed her name where my finger pointed, while her other hand continued typing on her phone.
I put away the signed agreement and continued, “Vivian, in a month, once the divorce is finalized, I’m leaving.”
Vivian still just hummed in response, then put down her knife and fork and started to get up.
Watching her walk away, I finally couldn’t help but call out to her.
“Vivian Caldwell, do you know what I just said?”
She paused, turning back to look at me, confused.
“Isn’t it about sending supplies to the orphanage? And the contract you just made me sign, wasn’t that for it? You mentioned it a few days ago. What’s wrong?”
I chuckled mockingly to myself. I had already had her sign the supply contract last month.
She truly didn’t care about me, and she truly hadn’t listened to my words. But it didn’t matter anymore.
Let it be.
Vivian, just like this, live well with Julian from now on.
So I smiled. “Nothing.”
In the afternoon, I drove, following the delivery truck to St. Jude’s Orphanage.
After finishing up, I went to Director Jenkins’ office to say goodbye.
“Director Jenkins, I’m going abroad for my master’s degree.”
Director Jenkins was delighted for me. I had always been a talented art student, and she had regretted for a long time that I had given up my study abroad opportunity back then.
“Liam, that’s truly wonderful!” Director Jenkins clasped my hand, beaming. Then, as if remembering something, a worried look crossed her face. “But if you go abroad, won’t you and Vivian be in a long-distance relationship? Those are so hard.”
I looked at the children playing and running in the distance and shook my head.
“It’s not long-distance. Vivian and I are divorcing.”
Director Jenkins paused, then sighed.
“Indeed, I was right all along. Your marriage wouldn’t last. If she truly loved you, why would she never have come back here with you all these years? It’s better this way, you’re better off.”
I patted her hand gently, comforting her.
I hugged Director Jenkins back, smiling. Yes, it was truly better this way.
**Chapter 3**
After returning from the orphanage, I went straight upstairs, into the walk-in closet, and began to pack my belongings.
It was only then that I realized how few clothes I owned.
Just a few suits Mrs. Caldwell had given me when I first married. My wife of five years had never once thought to buy me a single item of clothing.
After packing my clothes, I gathered all the gifts I had given Vivian over the years and sold them for scrap.
All these years, to win her affection, I had meticulously prepared countless birthday gifts for her. She had never even glanced at them.
Those gifts had been thrown aside, accumulating a thick layer of dust.
Watching the recycling truck drive away, I was about to head back into the mansion when a car horn blared behind me.
I turned to see a Maybach parked in front of me.
A woman in a red dress stepped out of the car. It was my sister-in-law, Tiffany.
Tiffany scoffed, watching the recycling truck disappear, then turned and looked me up and down.
“Still scrambling for every penny, aren’t we? Just what you’d expect from someone with a modest background.”
I ignored her, turning to leave.
Tiffany’s mocking smile vanished. She lunged forward, trying to grab me.
“Liam Xu!”
Ever since I entered the Caldwell family, I had always humble-heartedly tried to please them, never once showing them a cold shoulder.
Now, facing such dismissiveness, a surge of anger flared in Tiffany’s chest.
“Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me talking to you?”
I turned, pulling her hand away, a flicker of irritation in my eyes.
Tiffany had always disliked me, believing someone of my background was completely unworthy of marrying into the Caldwell family.
So, for five years after we married, she constantly targeted me, either dumping the breakfast I made or dirtying the clothes I had just washed.
Now that I was finally about to be free, I had no desire to humble myself and please her anymore.
Tiffany was about to erupt further, but then, as if remembering something, she looked at me with a smirk.
“It’s good that someone like you is selling used boxes. You don’t know, do you? My sister’s beloved is back. You, the intruder, are finally getting out.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a man in a white shirt stepped out from behind her.
This was the first time I had ever seen Julian.
He had captivating, slightly upturned eyes, a gentle charm about him. His dark, tousled hair fell casually, and his skin was porcelain white. He wore a simple white shirt with no accessories, yet he exuded a mysterious, almost ethereal aura.
Five years of a turbulent marriage had left no trace on him.
No wonder Vivian had been so obsessed with him for so many years.
Hearing Tiffany’s words, Julian stepped forward and gently tugged her arm, his voice soft. “Tiffany, don’t talk about Mr. Xu like that. He’s still your brother-in-law.”
“Brother-in-law? Julian, I told you in the car, my sister has always loved you, and she’s been obsessed with you all these years. She went abroad once a week to find you, and all those gifts were from her. Can’t you see how much she cares for you?”
Tiffany finished, then commanded me, “What are you standing there for? Go get Julian’s luggage. My sister already agreed to let Julian stay here.”
I glanced at the luggage, ignored her completely, and walked straight into the mansion.
Tiffany stomped her foot in anger behind me.
In the end, it was the driver who carried the luggage inside. Tiffany was about to angrily continue her tirade when Vivian rushed in from outside.
Her gaze fell on Julian, who was comfortably seated on the sofa, and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Then, she spoke to me, on the other side of the room.
“Julian’s apartment hasn’t been lived in for years and needs renovations, so he’ll be staying with us for a few days.”
I said nothing.
In the tense silence, Julian stood up, looking crestfallen, his face filled with unease. “Vivian, maybe I should just leave. This is your marital home, and Mr. Xu seems a little unhappy…”
Vivian immediately reached out to stop him. “Don’t go. He’s always very understanding; he won’t get upset over something so minor.”
Quietly watching the scene, I finally spoke, a faint smile on my lips.
“I certainly won’t get upset over something so minor, Mr. Julian. Please, make yourself at home.”
After all, this house would belong to Julian sooner or later.
**Chapter 4**
As if afraid Julian might still leave, Vivian immediately instructed the housekeeper to move his luggage into the largest guest room.
Tiffany instantly turned to me, her face smug. “What are you still standing around for? Go make dinner. Oh, and Julian can’t eat spicy food, so make it bland.”
In this household, even with housekeepers, I was always the one who cooked.
Simply because Vivian had high standards and was a picky eater; she wouldn’t even touch what Michelin-starred chefs made, finding only my cooking barely palatable.
Yet, no matter how much effort I put in, Vivian would only eat a few bites casually. Occasionally, Tiffany would join us, but she would always complain while eating.
Now, I calmly shook my head, uttering four words that surprised everyone.
“I can’t cook.”
Hearing my refusal, Vivian instinctively looked at me.
In her memory, I had never defied anyone in her family; this was my first refusal.
She was about to speak when Julian’s captivating eyes suddenly reddened.
“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have moved in. After all, I’m just an outsider; it’s not right to make Mr. Xu cook for me.”
With that, he made to turn and go upstairs to pack his bags, but Vivian quickly grabbed his arm from behind.
“It has nothing to do with you.”
Then she looked at me, her tone slightly colder. “Didn’t you say you weren’t upset? What is the meaning of this now?”
I calmly raised my hand, my index and ring fingers adorned with bandages.
“I’m injured. I can’t get my hands wet for a while.”
In truth, I wasn’t injured at all. The agreement was over, and I didn’t want to waste any more thought on Vivian, so I deliberately put on a few bandages, using my “injury” as an excuse to refuse cooking.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
In the past, I alone handled the household chores, so the housekeepers in the villa would leave by a certain time.
Now, besides me, no one in the house knew how to cook.
Even if we were to call the housekeepers back, it was too late.
Tiffany frowned in displeasure, her voice full of complaint. “Why didn’t you say you were injured sooner? Are you deliberately trying to starve us?”
She was about to go on, but Julian quickly pulled her back.
“Tiffany, don’t be like that.”
Julian looked at Vivian. “Vivian, I’ve been abroad for so long, and I’ve been thinking about that Italian restaurant near our high school. Remember how we used to go there after evening classes? How about we go for Italian tonight?”
Vivian, of course, wouldn’t refuse Julian’s request. Her voice softened. “Okay, I’ll take you.”
As they left, they also brought me along.
Throughout the drive, Vivian chatted casually with the two in the backseat.
They reminisced about their high school days. Julian grew more and more cheerful, and Tiffany occasionally chimed in.
At a particularly funny moment, all three burst into laughter.
Mid-laugh, Julian suddenly seemed to remember something, and he smiled at me in the passenger seat. “Mr. Xu, I’m sorry, we’re not deliberately ignoring you, it’s just that you weren’t a part of those memories.”
Not just those memories, but I wouldn’t be a part of their future either.
I simply hummed in response, quietly closing my eyes.
Vivian spared me a rare glance.
After parking, I excused myself to the restroom.
Splashing cold water on my face, I looked up at my reflection in the mirror.
My features were delicate, my skin fair, but the weariness in my brows was undeniable.
Both of us had been in a five-year marriage. Julian’s eyes were full of youthful vigor, while mine were etched with exhaustion.
Just a little longer, and I would be completely free.
I told myself.
When I returned to the private dining room, the three of them had already ordered.
“Julian doesn’t eat meat, so bring more vegetables, excluding cilantro.”
Vivian instructed the waiter while looking at the menu.
Even after all these years, she remembered Julian’s preferences so clearly.
“Liam, do you have any dietary restrictions?”
Five years. This was the first time she had ever asked about my preferences. I sat on the other side, pulling a napkin to wipe my plate and cutlery.
“Anything is fine, except seafood.”
Throughout the dinner, Vivian only paid attention to Julian beside her. She barely ate herself, instead constantly refilling his plate.
Halfway through the meal, an argument suddenly broke out at the next table. It grew increasingly heated, eventually escalating to physical blows.
Other diners rushed forward, trying to intervene.
But unexpectedly, one of the hot-headed individuals suddenly grabbed a pot of boiling soup and threw it at the other person.
The target quickly dodged.
Due to the unfortunate angle, the soup splattered directly towards our table!
Amidst a chorus of screams, Vivian instinctively turned sideways, pulling Julian into her arms to shield him.
I couldn’t react in time, watching helplessly as a large pot of boiling Italian soup base cascaded towards me.
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