[1]

“Sign the divorce papers.”

The words struck Venus like lightning in broad daylight.

In her hands, she was holding the results of her latest medical examination—proof that she was pregnant, barely three weeks long. She had planned to tell her husband the news that very day, to turn it into a surprise meant to change everything.

Instead…

Jupiter handed her divorce papers.

“B–but… why?” Venus stared at him; her eyes locked onto his face. She clenched the documents tightly, as if the pressure could hide the shock crashing through her chest.

Jupiter, who had been sitting behind his desk, slowly stood and walked toward her. “Do you remember when I asked you about the man in the photograph hanging on the wall of your family home?”

Venus nodded. There was no way she could forget their visit to her parents’ house in MeriLand a week ago. She had been confused then—why Jupiter asked in such detail about the man in that photo. When she questioned him, he had chosen silence.

“To this day,” Jupiter said quietly, “I still can’t forget that man’s face.”

“I asked you so many times whether you knew my father,” Venus said, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay calm. “But you never told me, J. So… you really did know him?”

“Yes.”

Jupiter answered softly. His eyes were painfully sorrowful, as if what had happened ten years ago were unfolding all over again at this very moment.

“He’s the man who killed my parents, Venus.”

Venus’s body stiffened. She couldn’t move. Her vacant gaze remained fixed on Jupiter.

“I know this isn’t your fault,” Jupiter continued, releasing a long, heavy breath. “But I’ve never been able to forget that day. The day your father deliberately caused our car to crash. And instead of helping us—he pulled out a gun and shot my parents.”

Jupiter’s hands clenched, trembling violently.

“You’ve asked me about the scar on my head before, haven’t you?” His voice shook now, barely holding together. “This wound… was also caused by your father.”

The words slammed into Venus without mercy.

Her world seemed to freeze.

A sharp ringing filled her ears, drowning out every sound around her. Her breath caught painfully in her chest, as if her lungs had forgotten how to work. The papers she had been gripping felt slick with sweat, her fingers trembling beyond control.

Her legs gave out.

Venus collapsed to the floor, her back slumping weakly against the side of the desk. Her chest tightened—not from tears, but from a crushing wave of guilt that struck too suddenly, too fiercely.

She truly hadn’t known.

She had never imagined that her father’s cruelty had taken everything from the man she loved. And the one who had carried the full weight of that tragedy, the pain, the scars, the horrific memories—was Jupiter.

Venus wanted to stand. Wanted to move closer, to reach for her husband’s hand. But her body refused to obey.

Even standing in front of him felt like a sin.

The guilt gnawed at Venus slowly, tightening around her chest until it ached. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling faintly. She felt sinful—overwhelmingly guilty toward her husband.

“So… how am I supposed to live with someone who carries the blood of my parents’ murderer in her veins?” Jupiter asked quietly. Unaware, tears were already slipping down his cheeks. “Please… sign the divorce papers.”

Jupiter turned and walked away, leaving Venus still seated on the floor. His heart felt unbearably heavy. Yet pride and pain wrapped tightly around him, suffocating. He was angry—but it was an anger he couldn’t release.

Why was their fate so cruel?

Just when Jupiter realized he was capable of loving again—loving a woman with a gentle heart and a bright spirit—he was forced to stand beside a past so brutally unforgiving.

Before Jupiter fully closed the door to his study, he spoke again, his voice distant.

“You don’t need to worry about your future. I’ll make sure you’re provided for. So please… leave me as soon as possible.”