Chapter 1

"Ms. Vance, I’ve drafted the divorce agreement according to your requirements. Please note that this agreement will take effect seven days after both parties sign."

My private lawyer handed the divorce agreement to me solemnly.

Seven days.

That was enough.

I took the agreement, sandwiched it on the last page of the postnuptial agreement, and packed them into a document bag together.

After flipping through it several times to ensure this disguise would not be exposed immediately, I had the driver steer toward the private villa of Dante and I.

In any case, as long as Dante signed this agreement, I would be free.

—

When I arrived home, Dante was sitting on the sofa in the first-floor living room. He looked down at his gold Patek Philippe watch from time to time.

A hint of impatience flickered in his cold green eyes, as if something urgent was waiting for him.

Recently, He rarely came home. Today, I specifically made an appointment to meet him at home.

Under the pretext of signing the postnuptial agreement.

"Where have you been? Why did you come back so late?" he asked with dissatisfaction.

"Just shopping," I brushed him off casually, subconsciously gripping the document bag tighter.

"Nadia is back. Our wedding has to be postponed for seven days."

He stood up. His tall frame, combined with the bloodthirsty aura of a Mafia Don, felt extremely oppressive.

I was already used to it.

Nadia was his childhood sweetheart.

Three weeks ago, her husband was killed in an attack. Since then, Dante had made it his mission to take care of her.

He had postponed the wedding three times for Nadia.

The first time was because she fainted from crying at her husband's funeral; the second time was because she had a panic attack; the third time was even just because she wanted to bake apple pie with him, like they did when they were children...

"Elena?" Dante's impatient prompt pulled me back from my memories to reality.

"Okay, I understand," I nodded calmly.

Dante raised his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting me to be so submissive.

Every time he postponed our wedding before, I would lose my temper at him. But this time...

An imperceptible flicker of unease flashed in his eyes.

He vaguely felt something had changed. But there were more important things to do right now, so he had to ignore this strange feeling for the time being.

"The agreement," he said.

I handed over the thick stack of documents.

"There seems to be an addendum on the back page," I said softly, my voice devoid of any emotion. "If you have time, you can read it slowly."

I chose this specific time on purpose.

I knew Nadia’s plane was about to land. He would have no time to read through the document.

Sure enough, Dante picked up the silver pen on the desk. Without reading a single line, he flipped directly to the last page.

"Elena, my darling," he muttered softly, reaching out and grabbed my wrist with a gentle yet almost paranoid grip.

He pulled me close until his forehead pressed against mine. His breath smelled of Bourbon whiskey.

"I have to pick her up right now. I swear to you... this is the last time I will let her tragedy disturb us.”

“Once I settle Nadia safely in the West Wing and handle her late husband's territory, everything I have will belong to you."

"I will give you a wedding of the century. I will make it up to you, I swear."

He gently kissed the back of my hand, completely unaware that his signature was now on the legal document that officially ended our marriage.

He released my hand, adjusted his tailored suit, and hurriedly left the study surrounded by bodyguards to pick up another woman.

I looked down at the signed document on the desk.

Countdown: Seven days.

The divorce agreement would take effect in seven days.

Coincidentally, the grand wedding he promised me was also just a week away.

Except there would no longer be a bride waiting for him at the church altar.