When I returned, Selena was sitting on the living room couch.
She had changed into loungewear and tied her hair up with half-hearted effort. Her complexion was somewhat pale, while a cup of coffee rested on the coffee table, long cold by now.
Judging from her appearance, she hadn't slept the whole night.

The instant she saw that I was back, she stood up, a barely perceptible hint of anxiety crossing her face.
"Adrian, where did you go last night? I was very worried about you."
I stared at her, finding her words incredibly ironic.
She was worried about me? If she truly was worried about me, she wouldn't have said such hurtful words last night.
Instead of answering her question, I came to a stop right before her.
"Let's talk," I said placidly, my voice calm beyond measure.

Selena was momentarily surprised, but then she nodded and sat back down on the couch. She seemed to think that I would back down from the idea of divorce now that I had calmed down.
"Adrian, I know what I said yesterday night must have hurt you." She spoke up first, with the demeanor of one ready to make peace. "But what Shane and I had is in the past now. I admit that I loved him once, but that's all water under the bridge. All I want right now is to live a good life with you. I—"
"That prenatal checkup form is fake," I interrupted her by dropping that bombshell.
There was an immediate change in Selena's expression. The calm in her eyes cracked, revealing a sliver of panic.

"W-What did you say? I don't understand."
With a scoff, I tossed my phone on the coffee table, the screen showing all the evidence I had collected—a screenshot of Leah's social media post, her patient record at the aesthetic clinic, and the bank record showing the doctor had received money.
Everything was laid bare in clear detail.
"Do I need to explain it even more clearly? Shane's 'true love,' Leah York, isn't pregnant. She's been busy with liposuction lately in preparation for joining the next season's modeling competition.
"Shane bought that prenatal test report for 500 thousand dollars, all to put on a show for you. Humiliating me, the 'gardener,' was just the icing on the cake."
All the blood drained from Selena's face. Her eyes never left the phone screen as her body began to shake uncontrollably.
"T-That's impossible…" she mumbled to herself, seemingly unable to accept the truth. "Why would he deceive me?"
As I took in how shaken up she was, I felt not a hint of pity for her. On the contrary, I felt absolutely overjoyed and vindicated.
"Why?" Leaning down to bring my lips to her ear, I used the exact same cold tone she had used on me last night to say, "Because he doesn't love you at all, Selena. He just enjoys the feeling of having control over you, of seeing you go crazy for him. It brings him great delight and satisfaction to crush me, your husband, beneath him.
"To him, you're nothing but a plaything he can call over or toss aside on a whim. You, on the other hand, genuinely believed in that lousy lie he fed you and played me for a fool, forcing me to take hormonal pills for three consecutive years!"
I straightened to gaze down at her deathly pale face.
"Tell me, Selena—just whose love is actually cheaper?"
My every word slammed into her heart like a blow from a sledgehammer.
Selena raised her head, revealing her eyes that were filled with tears. Her pitiful state and genuine despair were something I had never seen before.
"Adrian, I was wrong… I know that now…"
She reached out a hand to grab the hem of my shirt, but I took a step back to avoid her touch.
"It's too late." Taking out the divorce agreement I had prepared beforehand, I tossed it at her. "Sign the papers, Selena. Our promise is also null and void."
The divorce agreement landed in her lap, light as a feather. Yet to her, it seemed to weigh a ton.
For a moment, she stared in disbelief at the bolded letters heading the first page. Then, the dam finally broke, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
"No… Adrian, you can't do this to me…"