MARNI

“Let's divorce.”

His cold and low voice rang out in the empty living room. 

I froze in the doorway, and my bag dropped on the floor.

Inside the dimly lit room, the moonlight streamed through the curtains, reflecting on Theo’s intimidating presence.

He sat at the coffee table, his unwavering gaze on me devoid of any warmth. 

I must have heard him wrong. 

Maybe I've imagined those words in my excited state.

D- Divorce. 

No way.

My heart beat uncomfortably, and my palms were suddenly sweaty as I bent to pick my bag from the floor.

Trying so hard to convince myself that he didn't say that, Theo confirmed it further by knocking the divorce papers on the table. 

“You can ask for anything you want. I won't treat you unfairly.” 

His cold words numbed me.

I glanced up, my initial shock now replaced by a feeling of realization.

My eyes fell on the divorce papers, my vision blurred suddenly with tears that clouded my eyes.

So this is it. 

Struggling to control my emotions as they threatened to burst out, I clenched my jaws.

No wonder he waited until 2:30 in the morning.

No wonder the lights are still on.

No wonder he waited for my return after the surgery.

Finding the lights on as I entered the house just now, I was happy, thinking that he hadn't forgotten my birthday.

Used to the darkness whenever I returned from work at night, the lights gave me hope, believing that he cares. 

My joy knew no bounds, thinking that he had returned to celebrate with me.

However, it turned out for this matter. 

Beside the papers were several burnt cigarettes on the table. 

He must have been waiting for a long time. 

Breathing in deeply to reign in the turmoil of emotions inside me, I stepped forward, yet, my fingers still trembled as I picked up the divorce papers. 

“Why?” Was the only word I could utter. 

Why does he want a divorce all of a sudden?

For three years, we've been together. Our marriage lacks love, but I thought we were okay.

Although Theo never showed me any affection, my only hope is that the cold man will melt someday.

I only hope that someday he'll reciprocate my love.

Are my efforts futile then?

Have I been trying hard to prove my love for nothing?

“Olivia, this marriage was not consensual. There's no point in keeping it going.” His response struck me like lightning, reminding me of the reality.

Maybe I've been so lost in the hopes and fantasies that I've almost forgotten.

It's true that the marriage alliance between the Wellington and Barton families hasn't been something Theo had hoped for. 

Our grandfathers were comrade-in-arms, and even before I was born, my fate had already been sealed that I would become his wife. 

Growing up, I was constantly reminded as the adults had always joked about it.

I'd been confused at first until I came to understand the meanings behind their jokes.

Of course, I didn't just resign to my fate and marry Theo.

I fell for his charms when we were young. He was the only person who had ever protected me from the other kids’ bullying, and ever since that day, I saw no one else apart from him. 

Still, my love turned out to be one-sided. 

On our wedding night, the first words he said to me were, “We will never have any children.”

He is always careful and takes all safety measures for every intimacy.

“We'll get a divorce by agreement…” Theo's voice pulled back to the dreadful present. As if afraid that I won't agree due to my silence, he added, “Your income isn't high, so after the divorce, the house will be yours, and I'll also compensate you with 30 million.”

A house and a 30 million. 

Are those enough to heal a broken heart? 

I shut my eyes for a second then flipped through the papers to find the same terms written on them.

He should know that I never want any of this.

He knows how hard I've been working to win his affection.

Yet, he can't reciprocate with anything but this. 

“After the divorce, I don't want any news about this to get out. We need to be even more distant than before,” Theo added.

Apart from his friends and families, nobody else knows that we're married. 

To the outside world, Theo is still the enigmatic, handsome, and bachelor CEO whom every woman is after. 

Maybe he has been planning to divorce from the beginning.

Otherwise, why would he want our marriage to be a secret?

His phone rang and he stood up, brushing past me while saying, “I have something else to do. You can ask for whatever you want, I won’t shortchange you. I’ll let a lawyer talk to you in later days.”

After he left, silence surrounded me. 

Unable to hold back my tears any longer, I let them fall, dampening the divorce papers in my hands. 

I stood rooted in the same spot, losing count of time as the memories of these three years together flashed in my vision. 

Is this the end?

My eyes finally strayed from the divorce papers, falling on the A****n package in a corner.

It has just arrived today and I haven't had time to open it. Inside it are all kinds of decorations, and in the refrigerator is a cake I've made myself after squeezing time out of my busy schedule to learn intermittently for a month.

My only wish is to celebrate with him. Today is my birthday, no, it's past midnight. My birthday has already passed. 

On the first day of my 27th year, my husband filed for a divorce. 

How ironic. A dry laughter tore from my lips.

Wiping my tears, I sighed. “Happy birthday.”