Love Grows Slowly

My best friend and I got married at the same time.

She married her childhood friend, now a domineering CEO, while I married my lifelong sweetheart, a professor.

Coincidentally, these two men are brothers, so my best friend and I became sisters-in-law. I thought marrying my childhood love would bring happiness, but our married life turned out to be far from ideal.

Her husband was often rumored to be involved with his secretary, while my professor husband was known to be quite the ladies' man.

One day, we met up and came to the same conclusion.

"I'm getting a divorce!"

"Me too!"

We left our divorce papers behind and went on an international trip together, accompanied by several incredibly fit male models.

However, just as I was about to spend the night with one of these models, I was caught red-handed.

My husband gritted his teeth and said, "You have me, yet you're still interested in others?"

——

When I tried to find Simon Foster (my husband), I was blocked and humiliated by his business partner, who said I wasn't good enough for Simon and couldn't help his work at all.

Meanwhile, my friend Bella Key tried to see Cyrus Foster (her husband) but was stopped at the door by his secretary, who accused her of lacking ambition and only caring about love, thus interfering with the CEO's management of the company.

These brothers wouldn't answer our calls and would read our messages without replying.

This wasn't the first time it had happened.

People in our social circle often said that childhood sweethearts often end up in business marriages. They claimed the Foster brothers were clever, keeping up appearances at home while having affairs outside.

Supposedly, they both had someone else in mind but couldn't marry them due to social status, so they married us as a cover.

Whenever these rumors reached the brothers, they never denied them – which was as good as admitting it.

Their cold attitude towards us after marriage seemed to confirm this.

After meeting at the Foster home, Bella and I had the same thought.

We discussed it and both decided, "Divorce!"

We were both daddy's girls who had never been so insulted before.

The way people around our husbands treated us reflected how our husbands viewed us.

We figured, "One hole in the ground is as good as another. We can live without them."

Although we were angry, we didn't lose our heads.

I quietly contacted a lawyer, while my friend researched travel routes.

For the time being, we kept our plans to ourselves.

That evening, Simon came home with my favorite pastries.

He was affectionate as usual, complaining about his tiring day at the lab and how annoying the old scholars were.

Then he buried his big head in my lap, nuzzling me.

His voice and expression seemed normal, but what he didn't know was that I knew him too well.

Whenever he felt guilty, his ears would twitch slightly.

He was trying to gauge if I was angry.

If he had just explained himself directly, I might not have been so upset.

But he insisted on this charade.

Indeed, people change as they grow up.

No exceptions.

For the first time, I lay beside him in bed but couldn't sleep.

Listening to his breathing and looking at the night sky outside the window, my heart felt heavy and painful.

Simon and I had grown up together.

Our families were equally influential.

In school, he was always first, and I was second.

We were always the kids other parents bragged about.

When we finally got together and married, everyone said it was a perfect match.

I thought so too.

But after marriage, I realized I was wrong.

Besides me, he was always surrounded by many women – Ms. Sue today, Ms. Yates yesterday, Ms. Lewis the day before...

Although there was nothing substantial, he treated them as close female friends, which was enough to make me sick.

I've confronted him about this many times, but each time he brushed it off.

"They're just work relationships."

"Don't overthink it..."

"You're the only one in my heart..."

"Be good, Yara. Don't make a fuss. I'm tired."

He never truly addressed the issue.

It's rather sad, isn't it?

What else is there to hold onto?