Adrian first realized he was five years older than Olivia at her college graduation
ceremony.
Olivia waved to him from among the crowd in her graduation gown.
While he stood in the parents’ section, dressed in a suit, holding a bouquet of her favo3
When Adrian noticed Olivia’s abnormality, his heart felt like it was being slowly tortured by a blunt knife.
Her forgotten wedding ring, her smiles at her phone, her interactions with the young
intern.
grown tired of him, a husband five years her senior.
But he accepted this fact faster than he had imagined.
Actually.
As long as she was still willing to come home.
As long as she didn’t mention divorce.
Nothing else mattered, right?
He was willing to be a self-deceiving blind man.
He began to groom himself more carefully, deliberately showing off his muscle lines in front of the surveillance camera when working out, spraying her favorite cologne, bringing their marriage certificate to show off in front of rivals.
He humbly persuaded himself that the deepest love is actually giving up possession, willingly becoming a decent backup option in her life.
But she still mentioned divorce.
He was about to lose even the qualification to be a backup.
He was losing control.
He forcefully kissed her in the office, obsessively wanting to leave marks of possession on her body.
The moment rationality returned.
He didn’t even dare to look her in the eye.
So he fled in panic, unprecedented in his dishevelment.
The man who dominated the business world was now like a stray dog in front of the
woman he loved.
