Chapter 3

It started drizzling, and the night wind was cold and harsh. Leaves rustled noisily on the trees on either side of the road.

However, even the wind didn't manage to change Carina's mind.

She made a call and then headed right for a lawyer's office. She got into the building, pressed the elevator button, and entered the office. From how familiar she seemed with everything, it seemed as if it wasn't the first time she'd been there.

"Can you have the divorce draft ready by today, Mr. Chastain?"

Leo, seated opposite her, frowned and flipped through his records in his notebook.

"It's already half-completed. I might be able to finish it if I work overtime today. However, I had noted down beforehand that you only planned on starting the divorce process next month. Why did you suddenly decide to bring it forward?" he asked.

Carina smiled slightly. "It's going to happen anyway, so there's no point in dragging it out."

She stayed at the lawyer's office until late at night. When she finally left, she was holding a black file folder in her hands.

Her face had been tense ever since she left the office. Leo had said, "You'll need both parties to sign this divorce agreement for it to take effect."

Carina had signed the papers at once. However, the next most important thing was to get Aster to sign them as well.

Suddenly, the sound of her ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. It was a call from Aster.

"Where are you, Carina? Why aren't you home yet? It's getting late. Tell me where you are. I'll come and get you."

Carina thought about it for a second. Eventually, she gave in and told him the address. "Alright. Come here and pick me up. I need to tell you something as well."

She thought that if Aster really came to pick her up now, she would reveal everything to him so that they could have an honest talk. She would also tell him of her plans to divorce him.

However, two hours passed, and Aster was still nowhere to be seen.

When she finally decided to call him, she realized that Stella had posted a new update on her social media.

Stella's home was pitch-black, save for the candlelight that subtly illuminated Aster's left hand. Even though his figure couldn't even be made out in the picture, Carina knew that it was him.

She couldn't possibly fail to recognize the wedding ring on his finger.

There was a caption on the story that read, "It's dark at home without any electricity, but at least the big boss is here with me!"

Carina was stunned for a moment. Eventually, she laughed bitterly at the end.

No wonder Aster still hadn't come out to get her. Someone else had been holding him back.

Carina pressed the heart button on the story, reacting with a "like", and slowly walked all the way home.

After reaching home, she washed up and went to bed.

Aster only came home sometime while she was drifting in and out of consciousness. He habitually placed an arm over Carina's thin waist as soon as he got into bed. Then, he forcefully pulled her back against his chest.

His icy-cold lips brushed against Carina's nape.

"Carina, we haven't done it in a long time…"

As soon as he spoke, a sudden gust of overly-sweet perfume enveloped Carina, making her sneeze.

Coincidentally, this was the same perfume that Stella had been wearing earlier, and Carina felt like she wanted to puke.

She pushed him away tiredly and said in a calm voice, "Forget about it today. I'm not feeling well."

This was the first time Carina had ever rejected Aster. A suspicious glint appeared in his eyes, just for a moment.

However, Carina kept sneezing a few more times after that, reminding Aster that he had stood her up on his offer to pick her up earlier. A look of guilt appeared on his face.

"Have you caught a cold, Carina? I'll bring you to the hospital to get it checked."

He added, "I'm sorry for breaking my promise, Carina. Something came up at the office. I was already coming out to get you, but I got too busy and didn't manage to make it after all."

Carina closed her eyes and nodded before rejecting his offer. Then, she remained silent for the rest of the night.

She had been sharing the same bed with Aster for five years, but he had never spoken a word of truth to her.

Carina had initially felt guilty about wanting to trick Aster into signing the divorce papers. But now, she felt the last of her guilt dissipating.