Chapter 3

Sitting on her table Alice turns on her computer, she takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Even though they have to come to the same office, he always leaves first and Alice after. Till today, neither he nor Alice said to come to the office together. Even though they are husband and wife, they were strangers to each other both at home and in the office. Even after his indifferent behavior, She was trying her best to fulfill their marriage. She fulfilled the duties of a wife perfectly inside the house because people didn't know about their marriage. To the outside world, She is just an ordinary employee in his office. This was her first time leading a project, and although everything had gone perfectly, she couldn't shake off her nervousness. She spends the rest of the morning preparing, her presentation, going over her notes, and making sure that everything is in order. As the time for the presentation draws closer, Alice starts to feel her nerves rise again. But when she steps in front of her colleagues and begins to speak, her confidence returns. She delivers her presentation flawlessly, and when it's over, her colleagues applaud her. Alice walks back to her office feeling a sense of pride and relief. She had done it. She had successfully led her first project, and she knew that she had done a great job. It was already past six o'clock in the evening by the time she finished her work, and she was finally able to leave her workplace. As she made her way home, she remembered that she needed to stop by the supermarket for some groceries. She had been away from home for a whole week and in the morning she just made a simple breakfast. When she returned home, she began to feel somehow strange again as if there was something that was waiting for her. She went to the kitchen, put the things in, and went to the room. After She freshened up, she went downstairs. As she descended the staircase, her eyes fell upon a figure that was all too familiar. Despite having already laid eyes on him several times a day at the office, her yearning for him had not dwindled. As their eyes locked, a beaming smile spread across her face. "You are back" she exclaimed as they drew nearer. Although his expression remained indifferent, her smile persisted, as she had grown used to his demeanor. He was about to pass by her side and suddenly his mobile began to ring. Before he took out his mobile he took off his coat. "I'll take it" Alice reached to hold his coat and he gave her. "Hello" Answering the call Lucas walks to his study. Alice sighed as she walked back upstairs to his room. His room was next to hers. Even though they were married they have their separate room. He doesn't like anyone interfering with his personal space, and she also never thought of crossing it. Because she knows there is no place for her in his life. This marriage was only for names, there was no emotion on his side. Because he thought she got married to him because of his money and it was also true but not fully. He was everything for her. She was just a new employee at his company and one day when she went to his office to sign some papers, she overheard her boss discussing with a friend the need for someone to enter into a marriage contract because his mother was forcing him into a marriage that he did not want. She took advantage of that opportunity and offered him to marry her. Because she was in dire need of money for her father's surgery and she had no one to ask for money. Lucas wanted a suitable girl to marry so that his family would not pressure him for marriage and Alice just wanted money. When she made this proposal, Lucas was stunned for a moment but gradually came to terms with the marriage. Faced with familial pressure to marry, he offered Alice a three-year contract marriage as a solution to both their problems, and they entered into this arrangement. On the first night of the marriage, he had clearly told her not to expect anything from him and she had no expectations either. There was an agreement between them before marriage. If in the future he meets a girl he likes, he has the right to ask for a divorce and Alice must grant the divorce without question, but she will not have that right because she was the one who proposed the marriage and there will be no children between them. As she walked into his room, she spotted two boxes placed beside the door. It left her puzzled and intrigued, so she decided to check them out. As she opened the first box, her eyes grew wide in surprise. Inside, she found some cosmetics belonging to a woman. Her heart began to race as she tried to push away the negative thoughts that crept into her mind. She proceeded to open the second box, but her breath got stuck in her throat as she laid her eyes on it. Inside, she found clothes that did not belong to her. Her eyes grew wider, and tears rolled down her eyes. Her breath became uneven, and she felt like her leg went powerless. She ran out, went to her room, closed the door, and sat on the floor. Her mind seemed to be completely devoid. He would often be away from home and rarely came back, but as his wife she never questioned him. She knew where she stood in his life. They had been married for three years, but he never spoke to her in a calm manner or smiled at her. His behavior towards her was always cold, but she always tried her best to be a good wife and never complained about anything. Even yesterday she returned home after being away for a week, but he didn't bother to ask about how she was doing, or how her work had been. Despite this, she didn't complain, as she knew he didn't care about her or her safety. Whether she was in his life or not made no difference to him. She had heard and seen a lot of gossip and rumors about his affairs but she never asked him anything because her father had taught her to be patient, so she never asked him anything because she believed that one day his hatred would change into love. But today she finally understands that he will never change for her. In three years of marriage, till today she had not left the house for a single night. This was the first time that she stayed out for a week. She only went out for a few days and he brought his girlfriend to their house? Was he so desperate to leave her? If he wanted to separate, he just had to say a word to her, she would have gone out of his life without a single word for his happiness.