Edward had thought that he could stay away from Macie, and he thought he could finally stop hurting her.But whether it was out of love, possessiveness, or just plain male pride, Edward realized that he couldn't do it. He couldn't just hand over the woman he loved to another man.Macie had agreed to marry him back then. He hadn't forced her. Since she had chosen him once, she couldn't just walk away so easily. If she hated him, then so be it. But he wasn't letting the divorce happen."The 30-day cooling-off period. Find a way to void the agreement. This divorce isn't happening," Edward said coolly.Nathan immediately thought of the divorce agreement he had seen at the Fowler residence last week. He hesitated and said, "Usually, there are only two grounds for contesting a divorce—property division or custody disputes."You and Macie have no children. And as for property... she signed that she'd leave with nothing. Based on that, there's no legal ground to—"Nathan abruptly cut him
"Macie never wanted anything from you. You didn't lose a thing. In fact, she spent two years taking care of you—cooking, cleaning, managing everything. And in just the past month alone, she's been hurt multiple times," Nathan said. "Looking at it objectively, it's clear that Macie suffered the most. You didn't lose half your fortune. So why are you still clinging to her so hard?"Edward stared Nathan down, furious. He wanted to snap back, to argue, but he had no ground to stand on. It felt like he was about to explode, but somehow, he swallowed it down.Indeed, Macie had spent two years washing his clothes, cooking his meals, and handling everything. He had never once given her money, not even for groceries. She had paid for it all herself without uttering a single word of complaint. And gifts? Forget it.He had even demanded that she stay invisible. He forbade her from appearing publicly or identifying herself as Edward's wife. He had never given her a title or anything.He fig
20 minutes later, Edward arrived at his apartment complex. He dragged himself upstairs in a daze, his eyes unfocused, his whole body radiating defeat. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice someone crouching by his door.Out of pure muscle memory, he turned left toward his unit. The sound of his footsteps caught the person's attention. The figure suddenly lifted her head and ran toward him excitedly."Edward!" Sharon cried out as she threw herself at him, her voice already trembling with tears.Only then did Edward snap back to reality. When he realized who was clinging to him, he immediately shoved her away without a trace of mercy.If only the one holding him right now was Macie..."What are you doing here?" he demanded coldly."I came to find you!" Sharon said, tears spilling from her eyes. "Where have you been these past two days? Why didn't you come home?"She tried to get closer again, but Edward caught her wrist and pushed her back.Frowning, he realized th
Sharon finally understood. She had spent three years as a mere substitute. Edward had never truly loved her. He had loved that stranger he used to chat with in high school—the "online anonymous friend". Not her.That was why he was able to fall for Macie after only two years together. Because from the very beginning, the person he liked had never been Sharon.All her companionship in real life for three years couldn't even compare to the fleeting connection he had felt with a stranger online.The realization twisted something ugly and bitter inside her. Sharon clenched her teeth so hard it hurt, her eyes darkening with hatred.Inside, Edward had already walked through the door, missing the look of venom distorting her face outside.As he moved to close the door, something jammed it."Edward! You said yourself you never understood love properly. So how do you even know you love Macie? You used to hate her!" Sharon cried, pushing against the door. "And me, I dated you! I was your
After finishing up most of the packing, Edward sat on the edge of the bed, zoning out. His mind drifted back to his high school days.He really did owe Sharon a debt of gratitude. If it hadn't been for her, he might not have pulled himself out of the grief after his mother passed away so abruptly. That was also why he had spent so long convincing and brainwashing himself that he loved and liked her.But once Edward and Sharon started dating, he realized that it wasn't love. It took him years to fully understand that, and by the time he did, he had already hurt Macie and missed his chance.He pressed his lips together as he thought of how Sharon had doubted him.Things had been good at the start. He didn't know exactly when it changed, but somewhere along the way, it did.Back then, it was Sharon who first sent him a friend request. The request included a verification message, an unsolved math puzzle he couldn't crack. So he accepted it, and they started talking.They talked about
Macie pressed her lips together. Most of her coworkers didn't know much about her background, and thanks to the rumors about her and Julian, coupled with the fact that a newcomer like her had been made an interim team lead, the jealousy burned deeper."I understand what you're saying, Mr. Stellan. I'll head over to HR first. I'll clear things up myself during the full department meeting tomorrow," Macie said.Palmer nodded and watched Macie leave. He thought about the rumors he'd heard—that Julian intended for her to take over his position eventually.Given her capabilities, Palmer thought Macie wouldn't have a problem being a team lead. As for the director role, it was obvious that Julian's personal feelings for her played a part.Still, Julian didn't even try to hide his true feelings at work. He openly took Macie out for meals, left the office with her after work, and even gave her an extra access card to the private elevator. How could she not end up being everyone's target?L
"So, what's this about, Mr. Atkins? Are you mad that I overstepped or mad that I ruined your chance to be a hero?" Palmer casually asked as he sat across Julian at the lunch table."That's not it—Macie's just my junior from college. Naturally, I'm going to side with her," Julian replied."Yeah? Did you ever stop to ask Macie what she wants?" Palmer shot back.He smirked, then added, "Mr. Atkins, you're going about chasing a woman all wrong. Some women might fall for that kind of thing—where you quietly fix all their problems, then show up cool and composed, expecting them to be grateful and fall for you."But it's obvious that Macie's not that type. She's ambitious, proud, and humble. She keeps a polite distance. You knew her in college—you should know that better than me."Julian fell silent, watching him.He had to admit that Palmer had a sharp eye for people. In just a few days, he'd sized Macie up perfectly.Palmer continued, "As someone who's been there, trust me—what Macie
"Macie doesn't want to see you. If you show up at her company and cause a scene, you'll just embarrass yourself even more."And honestly, I think this is a good thing!" Nathan yelled.Edward whipped around, glaring at him in fury."A good thing? What the hell kind of bullshit are you talking about? I swear to god, I'm going to—""It's good because if Macie gets fired over the complaint, she'll leave Mr. Atkins' company. Then, you can bring her over to work at Fowler Group. Isn't that what you want?" Nathan cut in quickly.Edward's anger faltered, the fight draining from his body as he slowly stopped struggling.Nathan let go, catching his breath before he continued talking. "That's why you can't go charging in there yourself. You should quietly spread the news at Brightech Studios that Macie's already married. If you show up in person, you'll just paint a target on yourself."Edward clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he thought it through."And honestly, you've got no ri
Sean thought that Edward was truly scum. Alice had said that the one who stirred up trouble that day was Edward's ex-girlfriend—the same woman he had flaunted publicly as his mistress while still married.Now, Macie and Edward were divorced, yet the mistress still showed up in front of the ex-wife, while Edward just stood by and did nothing. Sean really thought that Edward was a piece of trash.Not long after, the officer from the interrogation room emerged again, this time with a few others."Mr. Hart, Ms. Hart, Ms. Smith," he addressed them. "Surveillance footage confirms that the suspect was the first to lay hands on Ms. Smith and made a deliberate attempt to drag her into a car by the roadside. This establishes criminal intent."Also, our investigation confirms that the three men were not the suspect's bodyguards, but were hired by her. They've admitted to receiving payment from the suspect to abduct Ms. Smith."Alice immediately said, "I knew it! Sharon was still making excus
Alice knew that her own injury wasn't even worth mentioning, so she walked over to Macie and tugged up the sleeve of her shirt. She stated, "Look at this. May's arm is going to be all bruised by tomorrow."Sean looked at the woman Alice had pulled over. Her fair, slender arm was covered in several glaring marks. It was evidently caused by someone grabbing her forcefully. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.Macie felt uneasy under his stare and quickly pulled her sleeve back down. But the moment she did, Alice yanked it up again and turned toward the officers."Look at this. Does that woman look like she came just to talk things out? If she only wanted to talk, why did she get physical?"The officers glanced at Macie's arm. Just then, Sean's voice cut in, cold and sharp. "My sister and her friend were attacked. I hope your station handles this seriously and doesn't let the perpetrators walk away unpunished."The officers turned to Sean. The man had an overwhelming presence. Eve
"Who could possibly beat you?" Sean asked.Alice snapped, "I'm not joking! Edward's ex-girlfriend ambushed me and May, and she brought three thugs with her! May and I both got hurt! And they ruined my favorite handbag!"Sean furrowed his brow when he heard this. Alice kept going on, full of grievance and rage, until he cut in, saying, "Send me the location of the police station."Alice hung up and saw that the police had already arrived. They had come just in time.Sharon and the three men were all caught. Not a single one got away.The three of them headed to the nearby police station. It was the same one as before. Macie and Julian were already familiar with the place.In the lobby, Alice sent Sean the location. The three gave their statements while Sharon and the men were taken into an interrogation room.When they finished, one of the officers came out to mediate. "Ms. Emerson said that those men are her bodyguards. She claims that she wasn't trying to abduct anyone. It seem
When Macie heard that Edward had driven Sharon away, she was a little surprised. Alice was even more shocked, but Macie quickly said coldly, "I really did get divorced. He's the one who keeps pestering me. We're going to court next week." She glanced at Sharon. "Once that's over, Edward and I will have nothing to do with each other. Don't believe me? Come to the court yourself."Sharon frowned when she heard that, clearly unconvinced.What if they went to court and the divorce didn't go through? Then she would just end up being played yet again."May's right. She and that scumbag Edward are definitely getting divorced," Alice said mockingly. "You're the only one who still treats him like he's some kind of prize. No one else gives a damn. "You two had better lock it down. When you get married, I'll show up with a gift and wish you all the happiness in the world."Sharon shot Alice a glare. Wasn't this the same woman who had bragged last time that Edward was about to marry her?
Sean couldn't help but think to himself that he'd really gone too far. He wondered how he was any different from the bullies who had tormented Macie.He remembered how Macie had looked that morning with her anger held back, forced to endure his teasing with a fake smile. Meanwhile, he found it amusing, as if it were some kind of game to him.He couldn't believe what a monster he had been.Macie's quiet demeanor was the result of years of enduring suffering, with her anger only surfacing when she was pushed too far.Macie was a young woman with a vintage landscape as her profile picture—someone who had already seen the world's harshness and matured well beyond her years. And all of this was the result of childhood trauma and constant bullying. At this moment, Sean could no longer dismiss what Alice had told him. He fully believed her now. …After returning to her private office downstairs, Alice didn't dare admit to Macie how spineless she had felt. All she could do was firmly
"Stop it right now. Don't bully my friend anymore, or I swear I won't let you off easy," Alice warned. However, Sean didn't even flinch, arrogantly ignoring her threat.Alice was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She wouldn't win if she argued or fought with Sean. He could easily slap her down to the ground, and she wouldn't even be able to get back up. If anyone else had bullied Macie, she would have gone all in, but this person was Sean—her brother, the one who had always pushed her around since they were kids.Alice sighed, moving from anger to helplessness, feeling stuck and useless. She couldn't protect Macie and felt she wasn't a good friend. "Macie has already been through enough. Can't you show a little compassion? Stop bullying an innocent, vulnerable lady!" Alice tried softening her tone. "You don't know how much Macie has suffered. Do you even have an ounce of human decency?" She switched tactics, telling him everything she knew about Macie's past and th
It looked like Macie hadn't just been flustered—she'd fully entered rage monster mode. Sean could imagine her fists flew, as if they could actually do damage, even though they barely stung. He genuinely found it endearing.When Sean finished reading the last screenshot, he closed the chat and saw a new message from Alice. Her text read, "So, are you going to explain why you were flirting with my friend? "And what about the things you said to Edward last night? It sounds like you meant what you said. You weren't just playing along with me."Did you put your arm around Macie's waist? Hold her hand? You had better come clean!" Sean just typed a simple response. He typed, "Go ask her if I did that." Alice, on the other end, was speechless.Sometimes, Alice really wondered if Sean was just a brooding, black-bellied guy with an obsession with keeping things mysterious. She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stormed over to his office, yanked a chair out, and took a seat rig
Alice immediately called Macie, venting all her frustration about Sean. She cursed him as much as she could, even bringing up stories from their childhood to illustrate just how terrible he had been.Macie listened to how Alice described her miserable childhood, living under the shadow of Sean, enduring various "torments".As Alice spoke, Macie couldn't help but picture that insufferable face, and she felt that it wasn't surprising he could do such things. If he treated his own sister that way, what would he do to her? Indeed, some people's bad habits formed when they were young. Macie felt sympathy for Alice, and what started as one person venting turned into a united front, two people joining in on the complaints."Ugh, my brother's the worst. When we were kids, he ripped the ears off my plush bunny, and then claimed it was the turtle pillow that did it." Alice continued, venting, "I love cake, but I got cavities. He'd eat it right in front of me and mock me for not being able
Not far from Macie's workstation, Lily had been listening to their conversation, especially when Macie, with a hint of pride, casually mentioned her good relationship with Sean. Lily's fists tightened, and a flash of hatred and jealousy crossed her eyes. There was also a sense of helplessness and resentment. Julian hadn't fired her, but had only made her apologize publicly in the company's group chat, and now this happened.Macie was not only Alice's friend, but she also had a close relationship with Sean. Moreover, Julian clearly favored Macie, openly confessing his admiration for her.Macie's relationships within the department would only be stronger. Her promotion to team leader would only be a matter of time. Lily had crossed her, and sooner or later, she'd be the one getting sidelined. Lily was already worried about her future and deeply regretted causing trouble for Macie on her first day. She shouldn't have tried to embarrass her last night either. At her desk, with ju