Since the start of the new year, Nichs and I had been living in the manor.


    Daniel''s study had a much sterner atmosphere than Nichs''s. The dark, wooden interior made the


    person sitting in the main seat appear all the more imposing and oppresshN?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Nichs had lost quite a bit of weight, and his cheeks were sunken in as he furrowed his brow. The cigarette, which he hadn''t touched in ages, was unlit and hung awkwardly from his lips.


    He looked at me and gave a faint smile.


    "You''ve funneled every penny of avable funds from Jones Corporation to Pete under the guise of a partnership. Do you even realize that, if this gets out, I won''t even have to lift a finger? You''ll be the one in trouble first." Nichs never quite understood how to create a family of his own.


    At first, he thought having udia was enough. He doted on her endlessly, hoping to fill the void of the family he never had through her. But things didn''t turn out as he expected.


    After getting married, the idea of family started shing in his mind. Should he prioritize his sister or his wife and child?


    In the early days of his marriage, his bond with udia was undeniably stronger. He almost lost her because of the wedding. He med everything on me.


    Luckily, I yed my part well. I molded myself into the right" shape, slipping into the gap between Nichs and his version of "family", creating a fragile equilibrium.


    Nichs was content with that for a few years. Butst year, I began to change. I started pulling away, a shift Nichs couldn''t ept. My departure shattered his illusion of family.


    He began to feel dissatisfied. I was forcing him to choose between her and udia. It was a nearly impossible dilemma for him.


    But at the end of the day, udia was just his sister. She had her own life to live; her own rtionships to build. She would eventually marry and move on.


    Nichs realized he wanted a normal marriage, a wife, and children. He wanted a real,plete family. He believed he had fallen in love with me and gave me everything he had to offer.


    But now, it was all slipping further and further away. His mother was gone. His father was gone. The child he never got to meet was gone.


    My thoughts were always on another man. He was left constantly guarding against this man for fear of losing more.


    He couldn''t understand it. Was he not deserving of a family?


    He pounded his temples in pain. When he opened his eyes again, they were reddened.


    "I''m your husband, I just lost my dad. Do you feel even the slightest bit of sympathy for me?"


    I looked at Nichs''s defeated form, feeling nothing but calm inside.


    "Adults can''t expect others to feel their pain," I replied coldly. "I''ve lost my parents too. They can''t stay with


    you forever. There''s always a day when they''ll leave."


    He was a grown man. Shouldn''t he be stronger than me? I felt no sympathy for him.


    Who was there to sympathize with


    me?


    Wabout my child?<


    Where one


    could I vent the


    that had built up inside belongs to


    "You''ve always had incredible self-control," I continued.


    "I''m sure this will pass soon enough."


    I slowly walked over to him and ced the documents had prepared in front of him.


    "Daniel has passed away. Since you have some time, let''s talk about us. Let''s get divorce, alright?"


    I had lost track of how many drafts


    of the divorce agreement had been written But now, as I ced it in front of Nichs again, I felt utterly calm. .


    Nichs couldn''t believe what was happening now. He rubbed his eyes, picked up the papers, and read them over and over. It seemed impossible to him that I would bring up divorce at a time like this."


    "You''re leaving me too?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.