WHAT IS THIS?

ANIKA’S POV

I hid the divorce papers in the middle of a thick stack of other documents.

My fingers trembled slightly as I aligned the edges, making sure the pages looked perfectly normal. Contracts. Approval forms. Internal reports. The usual boring paperwork that Simon signed every single day without thinking twice.

Funny he was the CEO of such a hug company and never for once had he thought to actually look through whatever he was signing… probably because he always had me to do it for him. But today I was grateful that he did that because, Right in the middle of it all… the papers that would end our marriage.

Forever.

My heart thumped painfully in my chest as I stared at them.

Four years.

Four years of my life tied to Simon Smith.

Four years of loving a man who never loved me back.

Four years of humiliating myself over and over again, hoping that one day he would finally see me… really see me, and not just some baggage that made him to marry her.

I leaned back in my chair slowly, pressing my fingers against my temple.

If he even so much as found out about this, then all my plans would be over… I couldn’t let that happen.

These seven days were all I had to get things done quickly and then disappear.

Simon might be cold, arrogant and sometimes even a little dense, but he was also hot tempered and irrational, he would never allow me to divorce him. Not because he gave a shit about me, but because it would bruise his ego.

My fingers began tapping nervously on the table.

God… why was this so difficult?

Years ago, if someone told me that I would one day be trying to secretly divorce the man I once begged to love me, I would have laughed.

But life had a cruel sense of humor.

I let out a slow breath and glanced around the office.

Four years ago I had dreams.

Big dreams.

I wanted to become a renowned fashion designer. I had entire sketchbooks filled with designs. I imagined runways, fabrics, lights, and my name on magazine covers.

I wanted a life that was mine.

But when Simon asked if I would come work for him, I didn’t hesitate.

Of course I said yes.

I told myself it was temporary.

At first it was supposed to be Just until the company stabilized.

Just until he needed me less.

But days turned into months.

Months turned into years.

And before I even realized it… my dreams quietly disappeared.

Now I was just Simon Smith’s secretary.

My gaze shifted toward the hallway.

Right then, the security guard walked past carrying a silver food flask.

My stomach twisted immediately.

I knew that flask.

Everyone in the company did.

He knocked politely on Simon’s office door before entering.

I didn’t need to ask who sent the food.

Bree.

Of course it was Bree.

She had been sending meals to Simon every day for months now.

Lunch.

Dinner.

Snacks sometimes.

Like a loving wife taking care of her husband.

Things that he always used to find irritating whenever I did it, now it was the norms for the both of them.

The thought made something sharp twist painfully in my chest.

Two of the girls working a few desks away started whispering.

Actually… whispering wasn’t even the right word.

One of them practically squealed.

“OMG, Miss Bree is so lucky to have such a handsome man like Mr. Smith.”

The other one giggled.

“I know right? They look so perfect together. And they take care of each other so well.”

My eyes burned instantly.

I forced myself to keep staring at my computer screen.

Four years.

Four years of marriage.

And Simon had never told a single person that I was his wife.

Not his staff.

Not his partners.

No one.

I was just the secretary.

A delusional one at that now that I really think about it.

People whispered about me all the time.

The girl who thought she had a chance with Simon Smith.

The girl who didn’t know her place.

For years I tried to defend him in my head.

He was just being professional.

He didn’t want gossip.

He valued privacy.

God… I really was pathetic.

The truth was painfully obvious now.

He was ashamed of me.

Ashamed to admit that I was his wife.

Meanwhile Bree walked freely through his life like she already owned everything.

I closed my eyes briefly.

Enough.

I had cried enough.

Begged enough.

Loved enough.

Slowly, I stood up from my chair.

The stack of documents felt heavy in my hands.

As I walked across the office floor, I could feel the familiar stares following me.

Judging.

Pitying.

Mocking.

Someone whispered behind me.

“Look, it’s her again…”

“She probably thinks Mr. Smith will fall for her someday.”

A quiet laugh followed.

My grip tightened around the papers.

For years I tried so hard.

I did everything that I was supposed to do, I was the perfect wife the one who always tried to understand everyone around her but never gave even an iota of grace to herself. I tried to hold on, tried to love Simon enough for the both of us.

And what did I get in return?

Pain.

Humiliation.

Time and time again I tried to get trout to him but all I got was the cruel, cold silence.

I reached Simon’s office door and pushed it open without knocking.

The door swung inward.

Simon sat behind his large desk.

He had just opened the food flask.

For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of something rare on his face.

A smile.

It was small, but it lingered. That sparkle in his eyes could not be forged.

It was the kind of smile he never gave me.

The moment he noticed me standing there, the smile vanished.

His brows immediately furrowed.

“You should knock before entering.”

His voice was sharp.

Like I had just interrupted something important.

I ignored the comment completely.

Instead, I walked toward the desk and placed the documents in front of him.

“I need you to sign this so I can return it to HR,” I said trying my hardest to keep my voice steady.

Even though my heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest.

Simon glanced lazily at the stack before picking it up.

He began flipping through the pages slowly.

Each rustle of paper made my stomach twist tighter.

Just sign it.

Please… just sign it.

His pen tapped lightly against the desk as he scanned the first few pages.

My palms were starting to sweat.

Almost there.

Just a few more pages.

Then suddenly he stopped.

Simon slowly lifted his head and looked directly at me.

His gaze was pointed at me

 “What is this?”