Waking up in the middle of the night, Gu Jin'an tightly held my hand when I opened my eyes.

His eyes were tired, and there was a stubble of blue beard on his lips.

"It's okay, Xiaoxiao, we can still have children again," he kissed my hand, comforting me softly.

I looked at him indifferently, "Gu Jin'an, let's get a divorce."

He looked stunned for a second, then rubbed my hair, "Don't be silly, Xiaoxiao, I won't contact Shen Nianxiao anymore. Nothing happened between us, do you believe me?"

I turned away, "Gu Jin'an, I don't want you anymore, this time I don't want you anymore."

He kissed my forehead, "You rest first, I'll go get you some porridge. It's made by your mother."

He thought I was just throwing a tantrum, and he could easily pacify me.

Soon after, my mother called.

As soon as she connected, she started yelling at me.

"Lu Chuxiao, you've grown up, and you dare to mention divorce to Jin'an!"

"What can you do after the divorce? Jin'an will always protect you!"

I knew she would always stand on Gu Jin'an's side, stubbornly believing that he was the only one who could protect me.

"Jin'an is no longer the person who would protect me, all the hurt now is because of him."

"How dare you not listen to me! You stubborn girl, why are you so defiant!"

"I've been listening to you for 28 years, now I want to live for myself for once."

"You hate Lu Pingsheng, but what have I done wrong? It's been fifteen years, is your hatred still not extinguished?"

She gradually became hysterical, her voice filled with tears.

"Yes! You're here to collect your debt! I hate you! You're just like that man! Both of you are here to hurt me!"

"But this time, I don't want to listen to you anymore."

"I am an independent individual, not anyone's appendage, and as for redemption, fifteen years is enough."

After saying that, I hung up the phone. It was the first time I had defied her, and I inexplicably felt free.

From small things like what to wear to the choice of college major, she decided everything. She didn't allow me to have my own thoughts, my own personality, and she didn't care if I was hurt or not. I was just an accessory to her.

I called Jiang Yan and asked if he would come or not.

Thankfully, he arrived at the hospital ten minutes later.

"Can you take me away first?" I asked him.

He came over, wrapped his coat around me, and helped me leave.

Gu Jin'an came in with a lunchbox, his face full of smiles, but there was a frightening darkness in his eyes when our eyes met.

"Xiaoxiao, where are you going?" he gazed into my eyes.

"Can't you see? The divorce agreement will be sent to your company tomorrow."

"Lu Chuxiao, don't play this kind of joke with me," the smile on his face completely disappeared and his voice became heavy.

"Gu Jin'an, I told you, this time, I don't want you anymore."

He turned his attention to Jiang Yan, saying word by word, "This is my wife, let go of her."

Jiang Yan remained calm and composed, "Hello, Mr. Gu, I am Miss Lu's appointed lawyer, Jiang Yan."

Gu Jin'an's lips tightened, unable to say a word before we left the ward.

The next day, I sent the divorce agreement to Gu Jin'an, and he asked to meet, but I refused.

With Jiang Yan's help, I found a new place and decided not to keep any of the old items.

Jiang Yan was thoughtful enough to find a nanny for me during the confinement month, but most of the time, he took care of everything.

Leaving behind the people and things that made me unhappy, my body quickly recovered.

That day's incident reappeared in the hot search once again, Gu Jin'an and Shen Nianxiao were condemned by tens of thousands of people, and their reputation was ruined.

I heard that after being fired, Shen Nianxiao couldn't find another job and was harassed by creditors every day, living a difficult life.

Gu Jin'an's negative news even caused the company's stock to drop.

I started looking for a job, and in terms of ability, I was not lacking. After all, I had attended the same university as Gu Jin'an.

Gu Jin'an still refused to sign the divorce agreement, and his messages often came late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

"Xiaoxiao, I was wrong, please come back home."

"Lu Chuxiao, how long are you going to keep this up?"

"I fired Shen Nianxiao, took back everything I gave her, you can come back, and we can do whatever you want."

"Lu Chuxiao, I love you so much, please don't leave."

"Xiaoxiao, come back, we can have another child immediately."

Seeing these seemingly loving words, my heart finally felt no more ripples.

Peacefully, I deleted these messages.

Those days of waiting for his messages all night long will never happen again, and those days of uncertainty will never return.

On the eve of Christmas, I received another video from his friend. At this point, I hadn't seen Gu Jin'an for three months.

In the video, Gu Jin'an was disheveled, with messy hair, and a half-empty bottle of alcohol in his hand.

There was a mess around him, obviously, it was our bedroom.

They asked me to pity Gu Jin'an, saying that he got drunk every day and hadn't been to the company for a long time, asking for forgiveness this time.

As I watched the message, I smiled. I pitied him, but who would pity me? I had exposed my bleeding wounds in front of him, but he chose to rub salt in the wounds. Why didn't anyone ask him to pity me at that time?