She cried until her heart trembled. But she said to Percy in a calm voice, "Let me think about it."
Laoise tried so hard. She tried to return to the way they were before, without a third person in the middle. She tried to return to the marriage they had once had, to erase the stain of his infidelity. But deep down, Laoise knew that nothing could ever truly go back. What had happened had happened; no one could erase it.
During those few days of trying to make it work, whenever Percy came home late, Laoise couldn't help but be suspicious. When Percy wanted to hold her or kiss her, she always found excuses to pull away. In her heart, she felt he was dirty.
They tried to talk like they used to, both being extremely cautious, trying not to touch upon each other's weaknesses or limits. Percy carefully avoided complaining about Jessica. Laoise suppressed every bit of curiosity, forcing herself not to ask: How did it start with her? How long had it been going on?
But those unasked questions didn't just vanish like dust in the wind. They turned into sharp thorns, standing tall between Laoise and Percy. Every time they tried to draw near each other, those thorns tore them apart.
Until one evening, Percy told Laoise he was working overtime and would be home late. Shortly after, Laoise received a photo message from Josephine—a picture of Josephine and Percy together.
Laoise finally collapsed.
The next day, she tripped the circuit breaker in the house and told Percy, "The power is out. Why don't we go stay at a hotel tonight? We can't even shower or use the bathroom here."
Percy agreed, saying he would do whatever she wanted. Before they left, he grabbed a bag and told Laoise that the things inside were something he had gone out of his way to buy for her after work, wanting to cheer her up. He said he would give it to her once they reached the hotel.
Downstairs, Laoise said, "Let me drive." She drove Percy straight to the Vertex Hotel.
She walked to the reception desk and told the clerk, "Please help me check into Room 1314. I've already booked it over the phone."
Percy stood beside her in a daze, watching her handle the arrangements. That was the room number he had booked to stay in with Josephine.
Receiving the key card, Laoise smiled at Percy and told him it was time to go. Her expression was remarkably calm as she led the way toward the elevators. In reality, she was a nervous wreck, nearly colliding with several people along the way.
When they reached the elevator bank, she almost stepped on the foot of a man who was just stepping out. Percy managed to catch her from behind, pulling her out of the way. He held her firmly, refusing to let go, and apologized to the man on her behalf. She kept her head down and gritted her teeth, remaining silent. She was afraid that if she spoke, the courage for what she was about to say would vanish. She had to use this moment to harden her resolve until it was absolute and irreversible.
Arthur and his assistant, Barret, had just stepped out of the elevator when they were nearly trampled by a clumsy passerby. It was that woman he had found so distasteful before. Now, she was standing with her unfaithful husband, who held her while apologizing to Arthur. She kept her head lowered, acting the part of the shy, timid little wife.
He cast a cold glance at them, said nothing, and walked away with Barret.
The assistant's voice drifted over his shoulder. "Mr. Hightower, did you notice. It was that woman again. It looks like she's forgiven her cheating husband. Still, she didn't look very happy."
Hearing this, Arthur couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. He spoke with a tone of undisguised contempt. "Infidelity can be forgiven, but she has chosen to wallow in that filth. If she is unhappy, she has brought it upon herself."
He followed this with a frigid look at his assistant. Barret immediately realized he was talking too much and fell silent, hurrying to keep pace with his boss. He knew that Arthur was a perfectionist who excelled at finding fault in others, always armed with sarcasm and disdain. There were so many things the man found intolerable. Above all, Arthur despised the messiness of romantic affairs, especially the kind where one party cheats, and the other refuses to divorce. Whenever he encountered such a situation, he would mock it relentlessly.
Laoise swiped the card to open the door to Room 1314.
She inserted the card for power, switched on the lights, and stepped inside. The sight of the large bed sent a sharp pang through her heart. She turned to look at Percy, whose face was a mix of anxiety, confusion, and guilt that kept him from daring to ask any questions. From the moment she booked the room at the reception desk, every move she made had been a silent lash against him.
Looking at Percy's pained face, Laoise almost softened. But she steeled herself, pulled out her phone, and showed him the photo Josephine had sent the night before.
Percy's expression shifted instantly, and he began to explain. "I went there to break up with her."
Laoise nodded as if accepting his explanation, but when she spoke, she said, "Break up. Two words that take a second to say. But last night, you didn't come home until midnight, and you told me you were working late."
Percy's throat felt blocked, leaving him unable to offer a single word of defense.
Laoise spoke for him. "Did she cry to you. Did her tears make your heart soften or fill you with guilt? After all, you led her on for a while and ended up giving her nothing. So you stayed there to coax her, comfort her, and get her to forgive and forget you, didn't you?"
Percy furrowed his brow, his face twisted in agony. "Last night was complicated. Josephine, she..."
Laoise cut him off, her own heart aching far more than his. "Then let it stay complicated. Even if you wanted to explain, I don't want to hear it anymore. Percy, do you know why I chose this room? It's because I was afraid I wouldn't be strong enough. In this room, all I have to do is think about you and Josephine on that bed right in front of me, touching, kissing, and rutting like animals, and I won't waver again."
She smiled at Percy. She smiled until her eyes crinkled, her dark gaze appearing as bright and clear as the day they first met years ago. She smiled as she looked at him and said:
"Percy, let's get a divorce."
She looked beautiful as she smiled.
Percy, however, burst into tears. He wanted her to have sweet joy, but now, in her eyes, everything was nothing but misery. Percy stepped forward to pull Laoise into an embrace. She struggled to get away. He held on. She pushed him back. Still, he clung to her as if his life depended on it.
Laoise grew tired and gave up the struggle. Held tightly in his arms, she heard his wretched sobbing as he buried his head in her shoulder. He choked out apologies, begging her to try one more time.