Chapter 4: Terms of Surrender

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

A hush settled over our backyard, the kind you only get in the country, with fireflies blinking and the smell of fresh-cut grass. I set up a folding table under the old oak, the same one I used for shelling peas in summer. Caleb brought out a bottle of wine from somewhere, saying it was a gift from the mayor and wanted me to try it.

The bottle popped with a soft sigh, and I watched the red swirl into my glass, thinking how easy it was to fill something up and how hard it was to feel full myself.

I downed a glass in one go.

The wine was sweet, tinged with something smoky. I could see my own reflection in the dark liquid, warped by the curve of the glass.

“Caleb, congratulations. Your dad has finally been vindicated, and the Lin family should be coming home soon. All your hard work has paid off.”

Caleb smiled, his eyes curving. He poured me more wine.

“Congratulations to you, too.”

His words were polite, but distant. The kind of toast you make at office parties, not between husband and wife.

“When we got married three years ago, we agreed that once your dad was cleared, we’d separate. I heard Grace is still single, so you two can pick up where you left off.”

I pulled out the divorce papers from my jacket and handed them to Caleb.

He glanced at them casually, then quickly looked away.

“Natalie, are you upset today? Because of Grace?”

Caleb is always clever, able to see through politics at a glance, but when it comes to us, he acts clueless.

“Grace is actually a pitiful person. Don’t be fooled by her family’s wealth; her stepmother runs the house, and life is tough. Because of the Lin family’s troubles, her marriage prospects suffered…

Natalie, I can’t just ignore her. Please try to understand.”

He looked at me as if expecting sympathy, but all I felt was tired. Tired of always being the reasonable one, the one who gave up things because someone else wanted them more.

Caleb spoke as if this was perfectly reasonable, but it made no sense.

Whatever happens between him and Grace is their business. Why should I be understanding? Why should he use the gifts I gave him as favors for others? Why should the peony I liked be given to Grace—just because she likes it?

After three glasses of wine, my vision blurred a bit, but I still calmly told him:

“Caleb, this isn’t right. It’s unfair to me. I don’t ask for anything else. Let’s get divorced.”

The air felt thick between us, each word hanging in the dark. I could hear a neighbor’s dog barking in the distance, the world carrying on as if nothing had changed.

Caleb silently picked up the divorce papers and slipped them into his jacket. “Natalie, you’re drunk. Let’s talk about this when you’re sober.”

The wine tasted sweet going down and only hit after a few glasses, but I wasn’t drunk. On the contrary, I was clear-headed enough to realize that Caleb’s postponing the discussion meant he didn’t want to talk about it.

It’s actually easy to understand. The Lin family has just been vindicated, Caleb is at the height of his career, and even my name is widely known—everyone says I am loyal and righteous, supporting Caleb through adversity.

A wife from humble beginnings shouldn’t be tossed aside.

He still has a bright future ahead and can’t risk that kind of reputation.

“I get it.”

Since we couldn’t come to an agreement, I had no intention of discussing it further with Caleb. Using the excuse of being drunk, I got up and went back to my room. The funny thing was, Caleb got up too, took the lantern from my hand, and said he’d walk me back.

“It’s late and the road is long. I’ll walk with you for a bit.”

He let go of my hand, but the chill lingered all the way up my arm. I wondered if he’d ever really held it at all.