Chapter 1 Got Rid of Him

• My name is Robyn Landon. Today, I found myself sitting in the audience of my husband's beauty pageant competition. Yes, you heard it right. I had to watch my husband pick the winner and couldn't even feel a hint of jealousy.
• The event took place at the Monreso Exhibition Center. To be honest, I hadn't planned on coming, but when I heard that my husband, Ian, would be presenting the awards, I couldn't resist being part of the audience. Ian was the President of Winter Medical Group, a family-owned business with a chain of plastic surgery and general hospitals.
• During the award ceremony, he appeared on stage with the hostess, waving to the crowd. He was dressed in a sharp black suit and even wore the tie I personally picked and gifted him on his birthday. He had a tall, well-built physique and handsome facial features. He also exuded elegance and charm. He was always the center of attention, no matter where he went.
• As soon as he stepped into the spotlight, the girls next to me started screaming his name in shrill and ecstatic voices.
• "Let's give a big round of applause to Eileen for winning this year's beauty pageant!"
• The audience erupted in applause.
• I couldn't help but look at Eileen's overly artificial appearance, which left me unimpressed. Deep down, I knew that this beauty pageant was sponsored by the Winter Group to promote their plastic surgery hospitals. So, Eileen became their poster girl.
• Yet, my husband, Ian, would rather choose someone who had undergone numerous plastic surgeries than spare a single glance at his seemingly ugly wife, who had not undergone any of those. Truth be told, apart from the slap-sized purple birthmark on my face, my features were still quite refined. Other people might feel sympathetic upon seeing it, but Ian found it utterly repulsive.
• Eileen gave her acceptance speech on stage.
• "First and foremost, I want to thank Mr. Winter for presenting me with this award, and I'm incredibly grateful to all my friends who supported me..."
• Her tearful appearance made it seem as if she had gone through tremendous hardships to achieve this victory.
• After her speech, I couldn't help but watch as she willingly embraced Ian, almost as if she wanted to bury her head in his arms. As someone in the audience, scenes like this had become all too familiar to me, and it didn't faze me at all.
• Once the award ceremony ended, I didn't return home. Instead, I parked the Porsche my in-laws had given me in a discreet spot at the parking lot and waited quietly inside the car. After about half an hour, I saw Eileen and Ian walking arm-in-arm toward the parking lot. They were chatting and laughing, and Ian even displayed a rare form of affection—something I never received from him.
• They got into a black car with tinted windows right in front of me, and it was impossible to see inside. Nonetheless, the car started shaking within a few minutes, and the motion grew more intense. I couldn't resist disrupting their moment and called Ian upon seeing that.
• As expected, the car stopped rocking as soon as his phone rang.
• "Are you done with work?" I spoke calmly; there was no need to hide my emotions.
• On the other hand, he sounded exhausted. "I'm still busy. Don't wait for me tonight; I have an important client meeting."
• "Really? Sounds exhausting. From the sound of it, I assume your meeting is at the gym?"
• "The gym?" He hesitated for a moment before responding with anger, "I don't know what you mean!"
• "Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to let you know that we‘re getting a divorce!" My voice remained steady, with a sense of indifference in it.
• He couldn't believe what I just said as he questioned me sharply, "Divorce?! Did I hear that right?"
• "You heard me loud and clear," I firmly replied.
• Ian snapped back at me with disdain, "Do you even have the right to bring up divorce?"
• "Oh, so now I need to pass some kind of exam to ask for a divorce?" I retorted sarcastically. I had no intention of putting up with his annoying behavior. His condescending attitude may work for other women. Unfortunately for him, he held no sway or intimidation toward me. Ian's biggest pet peeve was being challenged, especially so by a woman he never took seriously. I could practically feel him grinding his teeth, wishing he could rip me apart right there and then.
• As he had no other outlet for his frustration, he used Eileen as an object to vent, causing the car to rock even more violently. I could hear her moans that would make anyone blush over the phone.
• "Let me show you how I love other women," he said, attempting to disgust me, not realizing that I couldn't care less.
• "This is why this marriage should end. End of story," I declared firmly.
• Ian was completely infuriated and shouted, "Fine! Let's get a divorce! But don't expect to get a single penny from me!”
• I could only force a wry smile. I never had any intention of gaining anything from him. If it weren't for the entangled history between our families, I would have never wanted to marry him. I spent my days in an empty house, pretending not to know about his affairs with other women.
• "Sure, the divorce agreement is in your study. Don't forget to sign it." I had prepared the divorce agreement a few months ago but never found the right opportunity to tell him.
• He was possessive, you know? He could kick women out of his life without a second thought, but he couldn't stand the idea of being kicked out by a woman. I feared his retaliation, so I didn't bring up the divorce until now.
• "Get lost, you ugly woman! Your face is just plain repulsive," he insulted me and hung up the phone hastily.
• The more he acted all high and mighty, the more I wanted to disgust him. I had no intention of indulging him, especially with his nasty attitude toward other women. Moreover, to avoid any future denials from him, I recorded our conversation as evidence.
• After the mention of divorce, I didn't return to that house. I had everything packed when I left. I drove aimlessly through the streets. Although I was surrounded by bustling lights and sounds, I had nowhere to call home. The house I spent a year and a half in had several servants, but it felt cold and empty. Naturally, I wouldn't linger there even if there was even a bit of warmth left in that dreadfully lifeless building. I also didn't want to return to the house and deal with the gossip that came with it.
• I spent the night in the car. The next morning, I went to the used car market in Monreso and negotiated with several car dealers. Eventually, I settled on a reliable dealership. The Porsche was a gift from my in-laws for marrying into the Winters, and the car was under my name. Right now, my top priority was getting some cash, and my other plans would eventually be dealt with.
• After we agreed on the car's price, we completed the transfer at the dealership that same day. Due to my mediocre driving skills. It naturally caused quite several scratches on the car. Therefore, the price was heavily discounted—I received around 120 thousand. Thankfully, I wouldn't starve or freeze in the short term with that lump sum of money. Later, I rented a temporary apartment, not for emotional healing, but to plan for my future.
• Before I married Ian, I was just a regular surgeon, with average experience, doing mundane work at the hospital. Life became rather routine for over a year, and my only social activity was liking posts on social media and envying the lives that other people led.
• On this particular day, I was lounging on the couch as usual, engrossed in my phone.
• I opened my social media feed and came across a post from Jude, an old colleague from my medical training days at the hospital. In a moment of impulsiveness, I decided to reach out to him.
• 'Hey, are you there?' I messaged him.
• 'I'm here. Finally decided to contact me, huh?' he replied promptly as per usual. It seemed like he was subtly expressing his displeasure that I hadn't reached out to him in over a year. To be honest, he had a point; I didn't even invite him to my wedding when I married Ian. I felt a twinge of guilt for bothering him out of the blue after all this time. Regardless, we quickly caught up as old friends, and I shared some details about my current situation.
• 'What are your plans for the future?' he responded.
• 'I remember you mentioning that you have connections and that you can easily arrange for someone to study abroad.'