Chapter 1

My husband, Ethan Whitmore, was obsessed with "fishing trips" with his female coworker.

We fought about it every single day.

By the fourth year, I was too exhausted to fight anymore.

So I picked up my own fishing rod and tackle box and started leaving early and coming home late, just like him.

At first, Ethan didn't care.

Until one night when he came home at midnight and found I still wasn't back.

That's when he panicked.

He begged me, promising he'd never go fishing again and would stay home with me like a proper husband.

But I wasn't interested anymore.

After all, the catch I'd reeled in was the city's newly arrived eligible bachelor—the golden single man everyone was talking about.

Adrian Castellan, the wealthiest man in town.

I'm a lazy person. Because I was too lazy to look for a boyfriend, I married my childhood friend Ethan Whitmore.

After the wedding, we got along pretty well.

Until his parents arranged a job for him.

There was a girl in his department named Sarah Smith who always invited him out.

At first it was dinners and drinks at bars. Then somehow they got obsessed with late-night fishing, even staying out all night.

Night after night I slept alone in an empty bed. How was I supposed to handle that?

I fought with Ethan about it. He said I was being dramatic.

His coworker Sarah even fanned the flames from the sidelines: "Seriously, Ethan, just go home. Looks like she can't survive without a man for five minutes."

A few single male coworkers stood nearby, laughing mockingly.

I couldn't be bothered with these people. I grabbed Ethan's arm, trying to get him to come home.

He shook me off so hard I nearly fell to the ground.

"Are you done yet? Can't I have a single hobby of my own?"

"I work myself to death all day to earn money. I even help you with housework."

"I've been nothing but accommodating to you. The only thing I ask is a little personal space to enjoy myself. Why do you have to pick a fight with me over it?"

I felt inexplicably hurt. "You call this 'a little while'? You haven't been home for a whole week."

His expression turned cold. "What do you mean I haven't been home? I come back to sleep every night."

"That's at three in the morning! And you leave for work the next day. On weekends you go out with them too. We haven't even had a proper conversation."

"That's because you don't have any friends. That's not my problem."

His face was stern, clearly annoyed.

"Jenna Ashford, let me tell you something—we're married, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to everything you say."

Ethan had always been gentle since childhood and had never lost his temper with me.

That's why I felt safe marrying him.

But it had only been—what, how long since the wedding?—and he'd already learned to fight with me.

Furious, I turned and left.

From that point on, our interactions became tense and hostile.

We ended up sleeping in separate rooms and wouldn't speak when we saw each other.

The spacious house felt like an ice cellar.

My heart felt blocked and heavy, so I had no motivation to take care of myself.

Over three years, I gained a lot of weight and my face constantly wore an expression of infinite resentment.

Until one day my longtime friend Bella, who was in town on a business trip, met me for dinner and got a terrible shock when she saw me.

"Jenna, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?"

Me: "Like what?"

"See for yourself!"

She pulled out a compact mirror.

In it, I saw a bitter woman with a sallow complexion and lifeless eyes.

I was so startled I threw the mirror down on the table with a clatter.

"Shit, how did I get so ugly?"

I immediately told Bella everything about Ethan.

She pressed her lips together and looked at me for a long time, as if she didn't know what to say.

I was anxious and kept poking her.

"Say something! What's with the silent treatment?"

Bella sighed. "I just feel like... after you got married, it's like your brain got kicked by a donkey."

She began analyzing: "Look, that Sarah is obviously trying to seduce your husband! And your husband has probably already cheated on you."

Bella continued: "If that's the case, you might as well find yourself another man."

I clenched my fists in anger. "Right! I can find a new boyfriend too!"

She sighed again. "Look, I'm not telling you this to encourage you to cheat. I just want you to understand that you need to love yourself, no matter what."