Chapter One

Inside the luxurious Lockwood Villa, Lily sat at the dining table, facing the vast delicacies she prepared. 

It hadn’t been long since she returned from her grandfather’s burial, yet, she suppressed the gloom and had to cook something… At least, for Adrian. She didn’t have any desire to eat. 

Her eyes strayed to the wall clock and she gently tapped her fingers on the dining table.

At the cemetery, Adrian had suddenly disappeared and she had to return home alone. Not knowing when he would be back, Lily feared that the food would turn cold.

She stood up to check each dish out to make sure nothing was out of place, then footsteps came from the door. 

Adrian entered the room with his usual deadpan expression. He rarely smiled, and whenever he did, it was never for her. So Lily didn’t think much about the foreboding atmosphere around him as she was used to it. 

She walked forward and tried to help him out of his coat, putting on a smile. “Hey, Honey… I thought you would stay back and offer your condolences to the family. Did something important come up at work? Was that why you left-”

“Take this.” His words stopped her from speaking further and he pushed some papers into her hands. “We are getting a divorce. Sign it. Now.”

“Huh?” Lily was taken aback by his words. She stared at the papers with furrowed brows, her confusion not allowing her to comprehend the words written on them. “Honey, are you alright?” She looked at him. 

“Do I look sick to you?” The man stared at her expressionlessly. 

Lily shook her head and laughed softly. “Y-You must be tired, Honey.” She started pulling him toward the couch. “Please have a seat. I’ll get you some water. See, I prepared your favorite dish… and-”

“Lily!” The man snapped at her. “Stop acting dumb. We are getting a divorce.” 

Lily flinched from his hard tone. Still in denial, she didn’t want to believe he meant it. “You must be shocked by Grandpa’s death. Honey, I’m so sorry that we had to lose Grandpa. Could you relax and think things through? We’re not getting a divorce, this is only a prank, right?”

After all, Adrian was very close to her grandfather so Lily could understand that the man’s death must have thrown him into a state of confusion. 

Adrian didn’t know what he was doing. Despite him not treating her so nicely, she never thought he would bring up the word ‘Divorce’. 

The more she acted dumb, the angrier the man became. He snatched the papers from her hands and shoved them into her face, throwing her off-guard. 

“Can’t you read!? We are getting a divorce, Lily. Pack your things and leave. And don’t even expect compensation from me!”

Lily was forced to go through the contents of the papers one more time. Surprisingly, he had already put his signature on it.

Her mind went blank for a few seconds before she looked up at him. They had been married for a year and Lily did her best every day to please him, although Adrian didn’t like her much.

“W-Why,” She choked out. “Did I do anything wrong?” 

Adrian only scoffed in return before he glared at her. “You’re still acting dumb, huh? What were you thinking before, that I will spend the rest of my life with you?”

“B-But I love you, Adrian-”

“And I don’t.” He cut her off. “If it wasn’t for your grandfather, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you. Who doesn’t know that you intentionally drugged me that night? Otherwise, why would I take the initiative to touch someone as filthy as you?” 

His harsh words pricked at her heart and Lily could feel wet tears against her cheek. “I have told you several times that I didn’t do it. We were both victims, Adrian… h-how could you pin the blame on me?” She sniffled. 

Despite growing up loving each other, their relationship hit rock bottom due to what happened before his graduation. From that time, the man’s attitude changed towards her, and he never wanted to see her again. 

But as fate would have it, they bumped into each other on her grandfather’s birthday last year.

That night, Lily didn’t know what happened but she found herself on the same bed with him the next morning.

Her family caught wind of it, and her grandfather used that opportunity to force them into a marriage, fearing for the family’s reputation. 

While Lily saw that as a chance to win Adrian’s heart back because she never stopped loving him, Adrian was just waiting for her sick grandfather to die so he could divorce her. 

Every day he spent with her was torture. It enraged him that he always had to see the face of the woman who shattered his dreams. 

If her grandfather hadn’t been tight friends with his late grandfather, he would never have agreed to marry her.

“Sign it!” He glowered down at her. “Make sure you pack your things and leave before I return.”

“Adrian, wait.” Lily grabbed his leg as he was about to walk out. She was sitting on the floor and her vision was blurred with tears.

“P-Please, you can’t do this to me... We- we are not getting a divorce.”

“And what made you think so?” He stared at her with contempt. “Put a halt to your tantrum before I do something you’ll regret. Sign the divorce and quietly leave. My lawyer will come later to get the papers.”

With that said, he shook her hands off by kicking his leg. Then he strode out. 

Lily was left on the floor, her face covered with tears. She read through the divorce agreement, her heart sinking more as each word appeared in her vision. 

Suddenly, a slight pain gripped her stomach and she felt a bit dizzy. 

Lily ignored the pain and focused her attention on the papers. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed Adrian would never forgive her for what happened seven years ago before his graduation. 

He even had the heart to divorce her just after her grandfather’s burial. It meant he always had it in mind all this time, while she did her best every day, tending to his needs, swallowing endless insults from his relatives, being looked down upon by everyone… with the only hope that he would be nice to her someday.