Chapter 3
After grabbing a late-night snack, I bought a bottle of beer and drank it by the river until almost midnight before heading home.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to find Kai sitting in the living room. Lately, he often had "urgent matters" related to Adrianna that kept him busy until the early hours, sometimes not coming home at all. Our dual-medical careers meant we already didn’t see each other much as it was.
When we first got married, Kai had just taken over the clinic. He was either working overtime or attending business dinners every day. All I could do was prepare various healthy meals for him whenever I had free time. But instead of appreciating it, Kai compared me to a housekeeper, constantly nagging, which drove him up the wall.
Once the clinic stabilized, Adrianna entered the picture. His busy schedule shifted from clinic work to Adrianna-related concerns. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, and looked up to meet Kai’s cold stare.
"Soleil, you've been drinking? You know I can’t stand the smell of alcohol," he said with disdain.
I blinked but remained silent. I knew all of his dislikes and hates were selective. When Adrianna drank too much, Kai would look after her with care. But for me, it was his "most hated smell." Favoritism was his specialty, and it seemed it was better that we no longer lived together.
Kai seemed taken aback by my silence. In the past, if he ditched me for Adrianna, I would have confronted him, demanding an explanation. As I thought about heading for a shower, Kai unexpectedly asked if I knew what day it was today.
I glanced at my phone’s date and realized yesterday was my birthday. I say yesterday because it was already past midnight. In previous years, I’d subtly remind Kai a week before my birthday. If he was in a good mood, he’d get me a gift; if not, he’d dismissively say birthdays were pointless.
This was the first time since our marriage that he brought up my birthday voluntarily. Feeling slightly buzzed, I yawned and lazily replied, "It's just a birthday, not a big deal..."
Before I could finish, Kai impatiently tossed a gift box at me, his tone somewhat remorseful, "I specifically got this for you, see if you like it."
If I was surprised Kai remembered my birthday, I was even more shocked he got me a gift. It was like the sun rising in the west. In the past, I’d have thanked him profusely, taking pictures of the gift from every angle to post on social media.
I picked up the gift box from the floor and placed it casually on the dining table, saying offhandedly, "Thanks, you shouldn't have. I really like it."
My indifference baffled Kai, and he started to get flustered. "I was wrong to miss today, but I've apologized! Adrianna’s brother entrusted her to me on his deathbed, so I have to take responsibility."
With my head down, replying to messages, I retorted, "Yeah, I know you're responsible, especially when you two spent a lovely five days alone in the UK."
My words made Kai's face briefly show guilt, but then he furrowed his brow, his whole expression darkening.
It was entirely his fault, so he just stared at me coldly. In the past, seeing his expression, I’d have hurried to make amends and admit fault. Over time, Kai believed that as long as he kept a grim face, I would comply without question.
But this time, I focused on replying to the lawyer's messages. Divorce was my top priority now. Kai, noticing my silence, came over and asked what I was looking at.
I turned off my phone and casually replied, "Just consulting someone about a few things."
"I drank, so I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."
With that, I ignored Kai's expression and shut the guest room door behind me.
I slept dreamlessly through the night.
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