“If you don’t apologize to Brandon today, I’ll never forgive you!”
Nina stood unwavering behind him, her posture fierce, her expression unyielding.
Beside her, Brandon lifted his chin, arrogance radiating off him in waves. Her support had become his armor—each glance she threw his way only made his smirk more intolerable.
I looked at her—this woman who once meant the world to me. Strong, sharp, distant. A stranger.
Maybe she’d always been this way. Maybe I just refused to see it.
Things began unraveling the moment Brandon joined the company as her assistant. The warmth in her eyes when she looked at me disappeared overnight. The soft touches, the lingering glances—gone. Every ounce of affection she once gave me now belonged to him.
And what was left for me?
Coldness.
Disdain.
Impatience.
Still, I tried. I bent until I nearly broke—swallowed my pride, endured her moods, convinced myself she was just going through a phase. That maybe she’d remember the love we once shared.
But nothing changed.
Nina knew I loved her. Knew I’d do anything for her. She thought that meant I’d stay, no matter what.
But love is not a leash. And I’m done.
Done with the humiliation.
Done pretending this marriage is something it hasn’t been in a long time.
Done fighting for someone who never planned to stay.
The rare gold-tipped fish were the final straw.
Ten priceless rare gold-tipped fish. Released without hesitation. A legacy thrown away for a man who didn’t even flinch.
I took a breath, steady and sure, and pulled out the divorce agreement. I laid it on the desk between us.
"Sign it." My voice was quiet. Flat.
She stared at me as if I’d struck her. Shock flickered across her face, quickly drowned by fury.
"Say that again, Michael!"
I met her eyes. "I want a divorce."
Gasps echoed from the hallway. The staff who had been quietly listening couldn’t hide their reactions any longer.
Her face flushed with rage. She slammed her palm on the desk.
"Over some rare gold-tipped fish? Are you insane?"
"You’re acting like a child. Grow up."
Before I could answer, Brandon stepped forward, voice thick with rehearsed guilt.
"Mr. Sterling, we only released the rare gold-tipped fish to pray for my parents’ health. If it means that much to you, I can go to the market and replace them."
He sniffled. Eyes glistening. "You’ve always had something against me. You’re only doing this to force Ms. Su to fire me."
"Don’t worry—I’ll resign today. I won’t come between you two again."
It was laughable. A grown man playing the wounded martyr.
But it worked.
Nina turned to me, her expression ice-cold.
"You think threatening me with divorce will make me cave?"
Her voice sharpened, venom-laced. "Where do you think you’ll go without me, Michael? You’ll regret this. I’ll be waiting when you come crawling back."
Without waiting for my reply, she snatched up the divorce papers and flipped through them with practiced indifference.
Then she signed.
"The cooling-off period is one month. I’ll see you at the County Clerk’s Office. Don’t be a coward and back out."
She threw the papers back at me. Her eyes were full of disdain.
"And after the divorce, you leave with nothing."
"My father’s heirloom? You’re not keeping it. Return it. It belongs to me."
I said nothing. Just looked past her—at the empty tank that once held so much more than she could ever understand.
She had no idea.
The heirloom she wanted back wasn’t jewelry. It wasn’t property.
It was the rare gold-tipped fish.
Ten rare gold-tipped fish, entrusted to me by her father before he passed. He had pulled me aside that day, voice low and grave.
"Don’t ever tell her what they’re worth," he had said. "She won’t understand. She’ll ruin them."
He had known his daughter far too well.
And now, what he feared had come to pass.
She had destroyed the very thing she was trying to reclaim—without ever realizing it.
