“Don’t worry, it’s all in the past,” I said with a faint smile. “Didn’t you once say it was all just a misunderstanding? I’m not that unreasonable.”
“You two keep chatting. I’ll wait for you at home.”
She let out a quiet sigh of relief and personally walked me to the car.
On the way, my colleagues at the bureau gave me looks filled with pity.
I ignored them, got into the car, and pulled out my phone. I started editing the divorce agreement.
When I got home, I began burning everything Caroline had given me over the past five years. Every letter, every trinket, every trace of what we once had.
When the final flame flickered out, I heard a knock on the door—the courier had arrived.
The sender was Caroline.
The recipient was Karl.
I signed for it anyway.
Curious, I opened the package.
Inside were premium maternity and baby products from all the top brands.
Then came her message, almost too quickly.
“Victor, I accidentally had a courier sent to the wrong address. It’s just office stuff. Please don’t open it. I’ll take it to the bureau when I’m back.”
I replied with a simple emoji.
Then resealed the box.
I had already made up my mind to leave.
Her lies weren’t even worth the effort of exposing anymore.
That night, she didn’t come home—said she was busy with a case.
Karl posted a status update for the first time in forever.
It was tagged at a luxury hotel in the city.
The photo was blurry but unmistakable. A woman in uniform, her shoulder epaulettes clearly visible.
Her wedding ring was gone, but the tan line it left behind lingered.
In the reflection of a wine glass, she smiled sweetly, and he looked at her like she was his whole world.
I gave it a like. Just as he would’ve wanted.
Then I quietly packed my bags.
The next afternoon, Caroline finally messaged me.
She asked me to come to the Baker Family’s old house.
The moment I stepped inside, her parents’ faces dropped when they noticed I came empty-handed.
“Caroline works day and night at the bureau. As her husband, can’t you at least bring something to show respect to us?” her father snapped. “What are you trying to prove by walking in here like that?”
The relatives sitting around cast me looks of thinly veiled contempt.
“You’ve been married five years and still think you’re the young master of the Crow Family?” someone scoffed. “The Crow Family’s been bankrupt for ages. If it weren’t for Caroline using all her savings to pay off your debts, you’d still be out there selling your pride to survive.”
“They’re your in-laws,” someone else chimed in. “Your own parents are long gone. Can’t you show some manners? From the way you act, it’s like Caroline forced you to marry her!”
Just then, Karl arrived at the door, carrying a full load of expensive health products.
The mood instantly changed.
“Karl, you’re here!” Caroline’s mother beamed, rushing over to greet him. “You must be tired from the flight. I’ll have your brother-in-law cook something special for you. Go rest upstairs, okay?”
“And why do you always bring so many things?” her father added with a chuckle. “We’re getting old—we can’t use all this. You two should just save your money for yourselves.”
I stood there in silence, invisible in my own marriage.
“Karl really knows how to behave—unlike someone who walks in like a debt collector,” Carol’s mother sneered. My parents have been dead for five years, and they still bring it up every time. It’s bad luck just hearing it!
Despite claiming she didn’t need the gifts, she didn’t hesitate to accept them, her hands busily tucking each item away.
Karl smiled proudly and slipped his arm around her in a familiar gesture.
“Mom, don’t say that. It’s been five years and they still haven’t caught the culprit behind the Crow Family case. It’s only natural that my brother-in-law is still grieving. He’s already carrying enough pain—let’s not rub salt in the wound. We’re all family, after all. You can’t write two Baker characters with one stroke.”
He chuckled lightly, then added, “By the way, Mom, Doreen is pregnant, and I heard my sister is starting to prepare too. Double blessings for the Baker Family!”
“And please, don’t make my brother-in-law cook—if my sister comes home to that, she’ll scold you for sure.”
At the mention of Caroline, her mother’s smile faltered for a split second before she recovered.
“A married daughter is like water thrown out,” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else. “That’s what being someone’s wife means.”
