Regretting the Divorce? Too Late

"Ruby, I think Wilbur's a good guy. He's young, energetic, and sensible. Why don't you try dating him for a while?"

I recognized that voice immediately. It belonged to my mother-in-law, Cordelia Smith.

"His parents are both gone, so you won't have to worry about dealing with in-laws in the future. On top of that, he has a healthy lifestyle. He doesn't smoke or drink, and he's good-looking. If you two have kids someday, they will definitely be beautiful.

"At the very least, he's better than that useless Francis. You've been married for years and still don't have a child. Is he incapable or something?"

My steps halted right outside the door. Through the crack, I saw Ruby fall silent.

After about two seconds, she bit her lip and said, "I've been married to Francis for so many years. I can't just get a divorce now."

She didn't explain to Cordelia that the reason we didn't have any kids was that she said she didn't want them. She also failed to mention that when we first got together, I kept to a regular schedule and never smoked or drank either.

I only learned to drink later on for the sake of the company's development. And because of the pressure from work, I picked up the habit of smoking.

Before I even had time to process my hurt feelings, there came the frosty voice of my father-in-law, Asher Irving.

"Why can't you divorce him?" he asked. "Plenty of people get divorced these days. With your current status, you can easily find someone better than Francis anywhere you go."

Cordelia nodded eagerly. "Francis hasn't achieved anything on his own. He's living off the salary you give him. It's embarrassing for me to even bring it up."

As she spoke, she even covered her mouth dramatically in sorrow.

Asher sneered, "If you ask me, it's all your fault. I didn't agree with their marriage in the first place. You were the one who insisted on it and even accepted Francis' money. What was the point of having Ruby get married so early?"

"Oh, now you're blaming me?" Cordelia shot back angrily. "Why didn't you say that when you were drunk and sang praises about what a good son-in-law he was?"

Seeing that the two of them were about to start bickering again, Ruby frowned and said, "If all you're going to do is argue, get out of my house."

Only then did they quiet down.

I let out a derisive laugh. As expected, the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Back then, I had invested money and effort to help Ruby start her business. Whenever I visited them on holidays, I had also bought them precious jewelry and expensive wine.

Ruby's parents had held my hands and praised me for being a good man with a strong sense of responsibility. They had said they felt absolutely at ease entrusting Ruby to me.

A few years had passed since then. Now that Ruby's net worth had shot up and the company was thriving, they thought I was no longer good enough for her.

I didn't linger outside any longer. I pushed the door open and walked in.

The sound drew their attention. All three of them turned to look at me at the same time.

Asher and Cordelia froze. Ruby's expression stiffened, and a fleeting look of panic passed her features.

Then, she snapped out of it and frowned as she asked, "Francis, why are you here? It's working hours right now! Did you skip work again?"

Upon hearing that, it was my turn to be stunned for a moment. Then, I couldn't help but laugh.

Did she not know that I had already resigned? Just how little attention did she pay to me?

Whenever Wilbur encountered even the smallest problem at work, Ruby would notice it within an hour and help him resolve it. I had already been gone from the company for two days, and she had personally approved my resignation. But then, she seemed genuinely clueless about it.

"I've already resigned," I said frankly.

"Resigned?" Ruby's frown deepened.

But Asher seemed to suddenly realize something. He glared at me angrily and scolded, "Have you lost your mind, Francis? How can you resign now and leave Ruby to handle the company alone? Are you even a man?"