The mute wife request.

Evelyn's POV

"I want a divorce!"

I typed the words quickly on my iPad, holding it up for him to see. As someone who could hear but couldn't speak, my iPad had become my voice—my lifeline.

Louis barely glanced at the screen before scoffing, his eyes filled with indifference.

"You're not serious," he said, his tone dripping with arrogance.

"I'm damn serious!" I typed again, my hands trembling as I clenched the device. My heart pounded in my chest, anger bubbling inside me.

My grip tightened around the crumpled pieces of paper in my other hand—the divorce papers. Five years. Five years of a marriage that never should have happened. I was never supposed to be his wife. I was just a substitute, a stand-in for my sister, who had been betrothed to him since birth.

I still remembered my mother’s harsh voice ringing in my ears.

"You have to marry him, Evelyn. Now that your sister is gone, you must take her place!"

My father, who had never seen me as anything more than an illegitimate burden, decided to erase my past and mold me into my sister’s image. No one had ever seen her before, so they hid her death and forced me into her name—Evelyn. But my real name was Nana.

The secret funeral had barely ended when I first met Louis. And despite the circumstances, I fell for him instantly. Love at first sight.

But he was different.

"Why didn’t you tell me your daughter couldn’t speak?!" he had roared when he found out about my disability.

My mother had pleaded with him. "She can hear! She’ll be a good wife, please, just marry her!"

Reluctantly, he agreed.

That night, after we signed the marriage papers, I had tried to reach out to him. I had walked toward him, my fingers trembling as I attempted to remove his jacket. But before I could, his strong grip caught my wrist.

"Don’t ever touch me!" he spat, his cold blue eyes filled with disgust. "You're like glass—fragile, useless. Listen carefully. I don’t want you near me. And don’t ever fall in love with me, because it will only end badly for you. You’re not my type."

And just like that, he walked away, leaving me alone on our wedding night.

Now, standing in front of him, I shoved the iPad toward his face again, my message clear.

"Take these papers and sign them now!"

Instead of complying, he stepped closer. Instinctively, I took a step back. My breath hitched. He was so close, and even after everything, my heart still raced. How could I still love him after all he had done?

I wanted to scream at him, to throw every ounce of pain back in his face, but I couldn’t. He didn’t even understand sign language, the one way I could communicate freely.

Just last night, I had seen him with another woman. Their moans had echoed through our house, piercing my heart like a thousand knives. He hadn’t even tried to hide it.

And now, he had the audacity to say—

"I won’t divorce you."

His voice was firm, his fingers brushing against my hair. I slapped his hand away, my blood boiling.

"Don’t you dare touch me, you flirt!" I typed furiously, shoving the screen at him.

He let out a low chuckle, biting his lip. "I admit I’m a flirt," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "But I will never let you divorce me. Never."

I typed aggressively, my fingers jabbing at the screen.

"Why?! Why can’t you just let me go? Let me live my life!"

For the first time, he hesitated. His silence made my stomach twist. For a split second, I wondered—could he have developed feelings for me over the years?

But then he spoke, shattering that thought instantly.

"I have an upcoming election at the office. A divorce would be bad for my image," he said coldly.

Of course. It was never about me.

My hands shook with fury as I typed my response. "I don’t care! Sign the damn papers and let me go!"

I shoved the divorce papers into his hands along with a pen. My heart pounded as I watched him stare at them. But then, in one swift motion, he tore them into shreds.

I gasped, my eyes widening in shock.

"How dare you?!" I signed furiously, my hands moving aggressively in front of his face. "You evil, selfish man! You think just because you’re handsome, I won’t leave you? If you don’t divorce me, I swear I’ll chop off the balls you use to cheat on me!"

Louis frowned, staring at my hands in confusion. "Whatever you just said, I didn’t understand. Type it out." His smirk returned. "I bet you just cursed me, didn’t you?"

I gritted my teeth, rage consuming me.

Before I could type anything, his phone rang. He answered it with a smirk.

"Hello, babe," he said smoothly. His eyes flickered to mine, enjoying my reaction. "Yeah, I enjoyed every second of last night. Can’t wait to do it again tonight."

I didn’t think. My body moved before I could stop it.

SMACK!

My palm collided with his cheek so hard that my own hand stung.

For a moment, there was only silence. Even I was shocked by what I had done. His head slowly turned back to me, his jaw clenching. His eyes darkened with fury.

"You hit me?" he said, his voice dangerously low.

My breath caught in my throat. Before he could react, I spun around and ran. I didn’t know where I was going—I just needed to get away. My whole body trembled as I walked aimlessly through the streets.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it. Then, messages started flooding in.

Mom: "Your husband called! He said you ran away! What is wrong with you? Go back home now!"

I stopped walking, my knees giving out as I collapsed onto the cold pavement. My fingers trembled as I turned off my phone, shutting out the world.

Tears blurred my vision.

Why was my life like this? Why did I always have to suffer?

I buried my face in my hands, letting out a silent sob.

Then, suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.

Before I could react, a hand clamped over my mouth.

They immediately pulled me to the van, throwing me in like I was some kind of dirt.