"We didn't bother with a marriage license, there's no property to fight over, and I'll make sure my assistant hands over your parents' business to you."
"Just go, Jane. And let's not go through this again."
She froze, the gravity of my words sinking in.
She hadn't expected the man who once clung to her side to now push her away so decisively.
It dawned on her that walking out this time might mean never coming back.
A trace of desperation flickered in Jane's eyes, her instincts battling her pride, yet her words still rang with condescension.
"Mike, I've told you time and again, that Winston and I are just friends. I'm looking after him because he's sick."
"Really? Getting jealous over nothing? Why do you always think the worst of me, never trust me?"
Normally, such blatant gaslighting would've set me off.
But this time, I felt absolutely nothing.
She was still lying, even now.
I closed my eyes, suddenly unsure why I'd ever fallen for her.
This love lasted thirty years.
Thirty years is a lifetime of fidelity on my part, managing our businesses, and playing the fool whenever she stepped out.
I never demanded much, just some semblance of respect, to be seen as a man rather than a fool.