Chapter 5 A Doormat No More

Yvette had smooth, fair skin, long legs, a slim waist, and a generous chest. In my past life, I was completely infatuated with her right until my bitter end. I looked at Kenny and said frankly, "Everyone goes through a wild, reckless phase. Now she has another man, and it wouldn't be right to keep pushing for something that was never there." Kenny let out a sharp gasp. "What? That wretch actually cheated?" I shook my head and explained, "She was already in love with someone before we got married. So, technically, it's not cheating." I was the one who realized too late. From what I knew, she didn't cheat on me even after two years of marriage. Her prince charming was also in love with someone else. Even though she wanted nothing more than to make him hers, she knew where to draw the line. However, starting the third year of our marriage, our problems got worse. I also fell ill. So, who knows what happened after that? Kenny's face turned red from anger. "That's even worse! She had someone she liked but still married you? And even kept you as backup? She's getting what she deserves!" I remained quiet. Kenny suddenly had a realization. "She was never a good person to start with. You're different, though. At least you're genuine with your feelings." I chuckled and nudged his shoulder lightly. "You're obviously right. From now on, I'm letting go of everyone and everything else, apart from the people I care about." The people who didn't love me would eventually leave. The ones who did would stick around and even approach me willingly. I would only protect the things I cared about. I didn't care about everything else. Kenny sighed. "That's probably for the best. But tell me, is that really the only reason you're getting a divorce? Or is there more to it?" "I don't love her anymore," I replied casually. Kenny stared at me, his eyes wide, and let out a surprised gasp. "Which one do you think is more believable? You saying that or me winning a ten million dollar lottery today?" I couldn't help but laugh. But honestly, it was the truth. "I can't say I've completely let go. After all, I did love her deeply once. But I won't be moved by her anymore." "What are you even on about? You've known her for just a few years. How deeply can you love someone in that short time?" Kenny immediately called me out. I paused, unable to come up with an answer. Seeing my hesitation, he didn't push any further and just sighed. "Well, whatever. It's a good thing you're leaving Yvette. I've been telling you to do that for so long. There are millions of women in the world, and none of them are as bad as her. It's like… four four-leaf clovers are hard to find, but three-leaf clovers are everywhere, right? "You're good-looking, come from a good family, and you're a good guy. You've got women lining up for you, but you have a terrible taste. You don't pick the good ones but go for the good ones that everyone else has rejected." After Kenny vented, he switched topics. "So, what's your plan after your divorce?" I thought for a moment, then said, "Get a job, build a career, live my life the way I want." Kenny immediately grinned when he heard my answer. "You finally thought things through, huh? You should have been focusing on your career all along. "You were always top of the class back in school, light years ahead of me. The teachers used to say that you were going to be an elite among the elite." Kenny sighed. "But you wasted it all and hung onto that rotten woman. You threw away your talents, and it's maddening! But enough about that. I know someone who's hiring for what you're good at. I'll introduce you to him tomorrow." "Sure," I replied quickly. I didn't want Yvette's money, though she probably wouldn't offer it anyway. Once the divorce was final, I wouldn't have any income to fall back on, so I needed to find work fast. We talked for a while longer, but eventually, we had to cut the conversation short because of the meeting tomorrow. Just before we headed to our own home, Kenny suddenly asked, "Owen, do you still keep in touch with Lila?" At the mention of her name, my chest tightened, and a sharp ache settled in my heart. Lila Hawthorne. That name felt like it belonged in another lifetime… Kenny sighed again and patted my shoulder. "If it weren't for her, you never would've married Yvette and been stuck in this miserable situation. If she knew you were divorcing…" He trailed off, and I didn't continue the topic either. We just fell into a heavy silence. Kenny quickly realized he had struck a nerve, so he rushed to change the subject before retreating home to sleep. Once I returned to my room, I couldn't sleep a wink. By the time I finally dozed off, I was jolted awake by the loud, jarring sound of my phone ringing. I gritted my teeth in frustration and answered without checking the caller ID. "Who the heck is calling at this hour?" "Owen, where are you?" Yvette? My groggy mind cleared a little, and I glanced at the clock. It was 5:30 am, and my annoyance surged. "Are you crazy, Yvette? What do you want at this hour?" Yvette was silent for a moment, and her voice was low. "I dreamt that you were hurting yourself. I even dreamt that you died. You died horribly." I clenched my fist, the anger flaring up. "You've got some obsession with me dying, don't you? Is that why you're having these weird dreams? Besides, what's the point of calling me if I really died? Do you think calling me would somehow save me?" In my past life, when I was in the hospital for surgery, it was true that I needed to call her. I needed her to take care of my affairs after I was gone. But now, I was alive and well, and her words were absolutely ridiculous. Yvette must have realized how absurd she sounded, so she didn't push the issue any further. "Where did you keep the medicine? And where's the pitcher?" Hah! What a wretched woman. She's treating me like a free housekeeper again. I started to doubt if she really had those dreams she claimed she had. Maybe it was just an excuse to get me to fetch things for her. I was about to ignore her and hang up, but then Yvette sweetly whined, "Owen, my stomach hurts." I instantly frowned. There was a tremor in her voice, and despite everything, I worried about her. "The meds are in the second drawer of the TV cabinet in the living room. The pitcher's in the kitchen cabinet. Take two pills at a time, nothing more." "Okay," Yvette replied obediently. I heard her moving around downstairs, rummaging for the things she needed. Then, it hit me. What was I doing? I slapped myself on the cheek. What did any of this have to do with me? "Yvette, we're going to divorce soon. From now on, let's keep some distance. Don't come to me with things like this anymore. Actually, don't come to me about anything at all. Also, you woke me up from my sleep, so you owe me for emotional damages!" The moment I said that, I heard her snort on the other end of the line. Then, she arrogantly said, "You want me to compensate you?" I scoffed. "Of course. From the moment I married you, you've been living off me. I've been the one doing all the giving. You wasted the best years of my life. Shouldn't you be compensating me?" At that, Yvette became even more sarcastic. "Your best years? You're a grown man, what best years are you talking about? Sounds like you're just obsessed with money." I proudly replied, "That's right. I care about money, and I only like money. It's a hell of a lot better than you. What do you even have? A bunch of annoying quirks, picky about food and people, OCD… Oh, and you can't even have kids." In my past life, I had been the dutiful, self-sacrificing househusband. But what did I have to show for in the end? Nothing—absolutely nothing. This time around, I would at least have money. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Owen Yates!" I could tell she was about to say something nasty, so I hung up without hesitation. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but before I could even set my phone down, she called again. Once more, I hung up without a second thought. It felt liberating. In the past, she was always the one hanging up on me. Now, the tables had turned. In this life, I didn't have to tiptoe around her feelings and try to maintain our marriage. I didn't need to worry about whether she would get tired of me or find me annoying. From now on, I wasn't going to be anyone's bootlicker ever again. I would live for myself and be happy!