Chapter 4

After the wedding, Christian took out our divorce papers and tore it to pieces in front of me.

He gazed at me with a tender expression. "Viola, you'll always be my only wife. No matter what happens, that will never change."

I quietly looked at the pieces of paper scattered across the floor. It stirred nothing within me, and I simply nodded.

Christian looked at me with a hint of concern in his eyes. He gently brushed his fingers over my cheek.

"You've suffered out there," he said. "You were struggling so much, yet you were too stubborn to admit you needed help.

"Don't you understand me by now? If you weren't so hardheaded, you wouldn't have had to go through all that."

I turned my head slightly to avoid his touch, and his hand stopped in midair. Christian paused, looking at me in surprise.

I looked up and said evenly, "I'm tired. I just want to get some sleep."

That night, I slept more peacefully than I had in a long time.

When I woke up and went downstairs, Carla Grant, the housekeeper, heard me and came over with a hearty bowl of oatmeal. She said that Christian had specifically asked her to prepare it.

I quietly finished the oatmeal.

Carla looked at me and couldn't help but sigh. "Mrs. Falkner, while you were gone this past month, Mr. Falkner was actually beside himself."

I gave a faint, emotionless smile and quietly asked, "Where is he?"

Carla immediately grew flustered and said, "Mr. Falkner… He had something come up and had to go out."

Seeing the fear in her eyes, I understood.

I used to be so fixated on Christian that even the slightest mention of him and Sheryl would make me lose control. Even Carla had been constantly on edge because of me.

A pang of guilt hit me, and I gently patted her hand. "It's okay. His work comes first."

As soon as I finished speaking, Christian walked through the door carrying a bouquet of roses.

He looked at me and explained, "I have some business matters to work on with Sheryl, so I may not be able to spend much time with you—"

I cut him off. "Go ahead and do what you need to do."

Christian frowned lightly. "Why are you still—"

Before he could finish speaking, I smiled and said, "Work comes first. You two are only business partners. I understand."

The displeasure on his face faltered. Christian stared at me. "Do you really mean that?"

I nodded without hesitation. "Of course. I've thought about a lot of things during our one month apart. I was too immature before and made things difficult for everyone."

Christian stared intently at me, his voice serious. "Viola, you're the one I've always loved. Don't hold this against me."

I shook my head. "I'm not upset with you. From now on, I won't try to control you. Do whatever you want."

He studied my expression carefully. "You really won't get upset? You're not jealous?"

I tilted my head a little and answered calmly, "Wasn't that what you wanted me to learn during our month apart? To behave and stop making a fuss? I get it now."

A flicker of emotion passed through Christian's eyes, and he quickly looked away.

From then on, I kept my emotions in check and stopped caring about what he did. I became far more tolerant.

…

Christian continued to see Sheryl regularly.

One day, he called me and told me to personally arrange a custom dress for Sheryl to wear to an upcoming event. I calmly agreed and made all the arrangements.

In the ballroom, Christian's friends gathered around him, laughing and joking.

"Mr. Falkner, you're really good at handling your wife!"

"Viola is incredibly understanding. She even personally arranged Sheryl's dress for tonight's banquet. No one else could be this tolerant!"

Listening to their teasing, Christian looked smug. He held a cigarette between his fingers as he slowly blew out a cloud of smoke.

"People can be taught to fall in line," he said. "Viola used to be so proud and fought me over everything.

"So I deliberately ignored her, divorced her, and cut off every way out until I slowly broke her stubbornness and pride.

"Once someone has suffered enough, they will naturally learn to behave. Viola's role is set for life. She can only ever be my assistant and wife."

I happened to be standing outside the door. I clutched Sheryl's dress tightly in my hands as tears slipped down my cheeks.

So all my compromises meant nothing to him. In his eyes, they were simply the result of him breaking me down.

Through the crack in the door, I stared at the cold, hypocritical face of the man I no longer recognized. I felt completely numb inside.

That was my role? I wiped the tears from my cheeks. He had gone to such lengths to use it to keep me trapped.

If that was what he wanted, then I didn't want that role anymore.

He had used his power to cut off every way out, certain that I could never leave him.

But Christian had forgotten that I had my own boundaries and dignity. If he thought he could control me, then I would make myself disappear for good.

I would give up my Seronian residency, complete the paperwork to leave the country permanently, and cut all ties with him and this city.