Chapter 1

3rd Person POV

“Marriage was supposed to be about love, trust, and building a life together.” That was always Suzy’s answer whenever someone asked her about marriage.

But it seemed like that belief would end today.

Right now, she was sitting in front of a lawyer, holding a pen as a marriage contract lay on the table before her.

“Are you okay, Ms. Suzy?” the lawyer asked seriously, observing her pale face.

Suzy blinked and forced herself to look at the papers again.

“You should sign it already. I still have another meeting to attend,” the lawyer added impatiently.

Suzy lowered her head, her long hair falling slightly over her face. Her vision slowly blurred as tears began to gather in her eyes.

“Do you know when he will come back?” she asked quietly, almost like she was afraid to hear the answer.

“Don’t waste your time asking,” the lawyer replied coldly.

Her lips trembled.

She bit her lower lip as her fingers shook. Slowly, she removed the cap of the pen she was holding and searched for the line where she needed to sign.

The moment the pen touched the paper, a tear finally escaped from her eyes and slid down her cheek.

Even without saying anything, anyone could tell she was hurting.

But what did it matter?

The pain she was feeling now was nothing compared to the mistake she had made before.

“So, after your marriage with Mr. Moreno is officially processed,” the lawyer continued while flipping through the documents, “One-fourth of his assets will be transferred under your name, so—”

“No.” Suzy suddenly interrupted. “I don't deserve it, so I won't take anything from him. I'm okay.”

She looked away and placed the pen down on the table. One of her hands held the other that was still trembling.

“Even if you don't want it, you have no choice,” the lawyer replied calmly. “That is what Mr. Moreno wants.”

The lawyer stood up and extended his hand toward her.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Moreno.”

Suzy slowly stood as well.

She accepted the handshake. The lawyer could clearly feel how much her hand was shaking, but he didn't seem to care.

“I'll leave now. I'll just come back later for the copy of the marriage certificate.”

Suzy simply nodded.

Then she forced a small smile, even though her heart felt like it was breaking into pieces.

As the lawyer walked out of the room, silence slowly filled the space.

Her name was now written beside his.

Suzy Moreno. The name she once dreamed of, she has now achieved but she is not happy.

The man she had just married wasn't even there to witness it. Tears blurred her vision once again.

“This marriage…” she whispered softly to herself. “—was never meant to begin with love.”

When she came down from the second floor where her bedroom was located, she once again found no one around. The house was quiet, too quiet but she was already used to it. 

Without bothering to call out or inform anyone, she headed straight outside. There was no one to greet, and no one to tell where she was going anyway.

…

It was Saturday, so she didn’t have school. Since she had nothing planned for the entire afternoon, she decided to visit her neighbor—her elderly friend. 

She hopped up and down on her way to the house next door, already wondering what new lesson the old woman would teach her today.

She didn’t ring the doorbell anymore. Instead, she pushed open the waist-high gate and went straight inside, even entering the house without hesitation. 

The old woman already knew that she could drop by anytime. It wasn’t like before, when she would wait to be called inside for snacks.

But the moment she stepped in, she didn’t expect to see a man standing in the living room.

She stopped in her tracks and blinked.

He turned to face her, and she didn’t know how many seconds she stood there staring at him “Excuse me? Who are you?” he asked seriously.

“Good morning… Is Grandma Esme here?” she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Oh, you look familiar. Are you Grandma’s friend?” he asked with a smile.

She blinked when his expression suddenly shifted from serious to smiling.

He walked toward her, and she froze when he grabbed her hand for an enthusiastic handshake.

“I’m Alexander, little girl.” She almost lost her balance from how energetically he shook her hand.

“Suzy, sir,” she answered politely.

“No, you can call me Alex,” he said cheerfully.

“Alright, Alex,” she replied, feeling awkward.

Her heart was beating so fast even after he let go of her hand. “So you’re home already? I thought you wouldn’t be able to come back yet,” she said.

“Oh? You seem to know a lot about me. Do you already know who I am?” he teased.

Her cheeks turned red, and she lowered head. She heard him laugh softly. “Oh yes, I just got home. Are you here to keep Grandma company again? Thank you for always staying with her,” he said warmly.

“It’s nothing… I don’t really do anything at home,” she said shyly.

She tucked her hair behind her ear again. “She’s upstairs getting dressed. We were supposed to eat out.”

“Oh… so you’re going out. I guess I came at the wrong time.” She suddenly felt even more embarrassed.

“It’s fine. Do you want to come with us?” he asked.

“Ah, no, Alex. I just remembered I still have an assignment I need to finish. Just say hi to Grandma for me. Bye!”

She ran out of the beautiful house even though he called after her. She rushed into her room and sat on her bed, breathless.

She pressed a hand against her chest and squeezed lightly. “What just happened?” she asked herself.

She covered her face when she felt it heating up. To shake off the embarrassment, she tried to keep herself busy.

Even though she normally couldn’t finish cleaning her entire room in a single day, surprisingly, she managed to do exactly that.