Chapter 2: Asked for a divorce

Emily~

I stared, shifting my gaze between Ethan and that woman who acted like she owned the office alongside him. She didn’t even bother to stand when he stepped out of the bathroom. That alone was a slap to my face.

My eyes pleaded for answers. But neither of them gave me the slightest hint.

“Ethan, what’s going on here? Who is this woman?” My voice was steady, but inside, my chest tightened with a mix of shock and dread. Maybe I was seeing things wrong.

The woman finally stood—slow, deliberate—then stepped toward him, my husband, as if she belonged there. Right in front of me.“Ethan, honey, don’t stress yourself. Let me help you,” she purred, her tone dripping with familiarity.

“Alright, babe,” he replied easily, handing her the towel.

“Babe?” My heart froze. My eyes went wide, unable to believe what I just heard.

“Ethan, did I just hear that? Who is she, for God’s sake?” I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief.

He finally looked at me, face unreadable. “Emily, you shouldn’t be here.”

I barely registered the words before he dropped the bomb.“This is Lydia. She just came back from the States. We’re getting married this weekend.”

The room tilted. My heart hammered against my ribs like a warning siren.

Marriage. To a stranger. On our anniversary.

Thank God Lucian was still in the car. I couldn’t bear to have him witness this—his innocent eyes seeing his parents torn apart like this.

I choked on my own voice. “Ethan… today is our anniversary. How can you be… proposing marriage to another woman?”

He shrugged like it was nothing. “She’s not just another woman. She’s my first love—the only one I ever truly loved.”That sentence broke me into shards.

So all those years—his touch, his promises—were just lies.

“How could you? How could you make love to me, like you wanted me, when you never loved me? How could you betray me, Ethan?” Tears blurred my vision as I spat the words.

He met my tears with cold resolve. “I didn’t betray you. I only respected your father’s wish—for us to marry. But now? I see no reason to keep hurting the one I love, just to fulfill an obligation.”

“Ethan, please…” My voice cracked. I wanted to scream, to beg, to disappear.

He shrugged again, like I was already gone.“The divorce papers will be ready in two days. Until then, take your time. Lydia will settle in once you’re gone.”

The words stabbed straight through me. I turned and walked out, my tears hot and relentless.

By the time I reached the car, my driver was holding a document out to me.

Hands trembling, I tore it open.

A sack letter. From my head manager. Signed by Ethan.

How could he? How could Ethan betray me like this—cheating on me, breaking us apart on our anniversary—and then hand me a sack letter like it was just paperwork? Like I was nothing more than a formality to discard.

I never thought the man I married could be this cruel. This cold. This... evil.

And yet.

A part of me still loves him.

Even now, despite the pain eating away at my chest, a stubborn flicker of hope refuses to die. Maybe, just maybe, I could forgive him. Maybe we could find our way back—even if it’s just for Lucian. For our son’s sake.But what about Lucian? How could I shield him from the storm raging between his mother and father? How would he survive the trauma of watching us fall apart?

That night, I lost all appetite. I barely touched my dinner. But Lucian—he needed me. So I fed him, smiled through the ache, and tucked him into bed with soft kisses and whispered promises I didn’t feel.

When the door closed behind him, I sat alone in the darkness, thoughts swirling like a hurricane. My life was crashing down. Everything I thought I knew—everything I’d built—was crumbling.

Hours passed like years.And then, the door opened again.

Ethan and Lydia stepped inside, hand in hand, looking like newlyweds.