The Hundredth Departure

I slept soundly that night.

Arthur, however, spent the entire night on the couch for the first time ever.

The next day, I was two hours late for work because I was packing my bags.

When I arrived at the law firm, I noticed that everyone was looking at me strangely.

Valeria, in particular, seemed like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

“What’s going on?” I asked with a smile.

She could not bring herself to explain, so the receptionist spoke up instead.

“The boss’s lover is here. She demands to see you for marriage counseling.

“She wants strategies to deal with a… homewrecker.”

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Everyone knew who the real homewrecker was.

They also knew that Camila and Arthur’s marriage was nothing more than a joke.

But the law did not recognize jokes.

Everyone understood this, except Arthur.

Camila noticed me and walked over smugly. Her smile was provocative.

“Ah, Ms. Xander! I was wondering when you’d get here. Are you available to take my case?”

I looked at her and nodded calmly.

“Yes.”

I remained composed, but my colleagues assumed I was heartbroken.

They glanced at me in sympathy.

A few of them even teared up.

Camila, however, was utterly delighted. Her high heels clicked sharply on the floor. Every part of her radiated the arrogance of a victor.

Just as I prepared to take her to the consultation room, Arthur finished his meeting and walked into the office.

He frowned instinctively when he saw Camila.

“What’re you doing here?”

Camila immediately lunged toward him and grabbed his arm. She said in a sickeningly sweet voice, “I’m here to see Serena on some business.”

Arthur nodded without paying much attention to it.

“What sort of business?”

Camila giggled and pulled the marriage license from her pocket.

“Marriage counseling, of course! I’ve heard that Serena is quite the expert in this area. I’m sure she can—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Arthur’s expression darkened. She instantly stopped talking.

“No. Don’t be ridiculous!”

Camila froze. She was unable to believe what was happening.

This was the first time Arthur had treated her so icily.

She quickly recomposed herself and wrapped her arms around his neck and whined playfully.

I found the display distasteful and stepped in to defuse the situation.

“It’s just marriage counseling. I have time.”

Arthur was stunned.

Meanwhile, Camila acted as though she had won the jackpot. She looked proudly at Arthur and sought his validation.

“See? Even Serena says it’s okay.”

Arthur remained silent. He clenched his fist instinctively until his knuckles turned white.

He then let out a heavy, cold snort in my direction. He grabbed Camila’s hand and strode away.

As I watched him leave, I could sense his faint sense of panic and defeat.

But none of that mattered to me anymore.

I printed out my resignation letter and placed it in Arthur’s office.

As I was leaving, I accidentally brushed against the computer, and it opened an unfamiliar memo on the screen.

The most recent entry was a schedule Arthur had recently updated.

[Fifteen hours until I marry Serena.]

There was a short note below.

[She didn’t like the diamond ring. Note to self to purchase another before tomorrow’s registration.]

I felt a prickle of sadness.

I closed the memo, restored the computer to its original state, and pretended like I had not seen anything.

The next day, I finished packing my luggage and headed to the airport.

Arthur, on the other hand, put on the suit I liked the most and arrived at the entrance of the city hall.

This time, he texted me first.

[100th time’s the charm. I’m here. I didn’t stand you up this time. Let’s get married!]

He sent the text along with a photo of him standing at the city hall with flowers in his hands.

In the picture, he looked nervous and excited at the same time.

I promptly sent a reply with a picture of my boarding pass.

[Arthur, I don’t want to marry you anymore. Goodbye.]