His Tattoo of Her Name

My name is Emerald Xavier, and I've been married to Edward Lowell for three years. Tonight, he came home early for once, smelling of alcohol as he collapsed onto the sofa. I bent down to cover him with a blanket, and accidentally my hand brushed against his waistband. He mumbled groggily and stirred slightly. For some strange reason, I unbuttoned his pants. The next moment, I froze as if struck by lightning. Just below his lower abdomen was a small tattoo with the name "Rachel." Rachel—I'd seen her photo before. She was a new intern at Edward Lowell's company, young and fragile like a flower not yet fully bloomed. Blood rushed straight to my head, then instantly drained cold. I took two steps back and hit the coffee table, the glass shattering into pieces on the floor. Edward Lowell was startled awake and impatiently opened his eyes. "What are you freaking out about?" I pointed at his tattoo, my voice trembling uncontrollably. "Edward Lowell, what is this?" He glanced down at it, his face showing no hint of panic, only a trace of mockery. "It's just a tattoo. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?" "A big deal?" I laughed, but tears slipped down. "That's another woman's name! Tattooed in a spot like this!" He sat up, rubbing his temples. "Emerald Xavier, stop making a fuss over nothing." "Rachel and I were just messing around. You're Mrs. Lowell—don't you have any grace?" "Messing around?" It felt like a hand was squeezing my heart, making it hard to breathe. "Edward, let's get a divorce." He was stunned for a moment, then abruptly furious. "Emerald! Say that again? Divorce? You think life will be better without me?" "Whatever kind of life I live won't have anything to do with you anymore." I wiped my tears away, my voice unusually calm. Thinking I was playing hard to get, he stood up and got right up close. "I'm telling you, it's not going to happen." "If it weren't for the Lowell Family needing the Xavier Family's support back then, do you really think I would have married you? Now you want a divorce? No way!" I stared at his grim face as all the memories rushed back. In the first year of our marriage, he brought women home. I hid in the guest room, listening to their laughter and chatter in the living room, unable to sleep all night. The next day, he had me clean up the mess and told me it was all just meaningless fun with those women. When he went out for business dinners, he always had me prepare condoms in advance, saying he was worried about complications if something went wrong. When women came to find him, crying and demanding he take responsibility, I was the one who faced them over and over, sent them away, and even had to cover for his lies. I thought that as long as I endured, as long as I did my part as a wife, he would come back. But now I realize, my endurance was just something he took for granted. "Edward, I've made up my mind." I avoided his gaze. "I'll have the divorce agreement ready as soon as possible." He grabbed my wrist hard, nearly crushing my bones with his strength. "Emerald Xavier, how dare you! If you go through with this divorce, I'll make sure the Xavier Family suffers!" I shook his hand off forcefully, leaving a red mark on my wrist. "Isn't the Lowell Family's position stable because of the Xavier Family? Do you really think you can threaten me?" He froze, probably never expecting me to say something like that. I stopped looking at him, turned around, walked into the bedroom, and locked the door. Leaning against the door, I slowly slid down to the floor as tears silently streamed down my face. These three years of marriage felt like a nightmare, and now, I'm finally waking up.