Chapter 1

"Hi, I'd like to get a divorce, please." In the third year of her marriage, Giselle Lockhart finally decided to get a divorce. However, she did so by going behind her husband's back. After hearing Giselle's request, the lawyer, Ian Lawson, answered robotically, "If you want to get a divorce, both husband and wife need to be present to sign the divorce agreement. You will both also need to go through the divorce cooling-off period for a month before the divorce is effective. "Is your husband not here with you today?" Giselle went silent for a few seconds. "I'll get him to sign the papers." "That's fine. I'll draft up a divorce agreement for you then." A short while later, Giselle received the documents from him. She thought about all the things that had happened during her marriage while she descended the stairs with her head low. She'd just reached the receptionist's desk when a familiar voice called out to her. "Giselle? What are you doing here at the law firm?" Giselle lifted her eyes and met Anthony Grayson's piercing eyes. They felt as though they could see through everything. Giselle felt her heart skip a beat. Who would have thought that she'd end up finding a divorce lawyer who worked in the same office as her husband did? However, he wouldn't find out about it anyway. After all, he'd never cared about her in the slightest. Giselle inhaled deeply as she thought about this. Then, trying to mask the nervousness in her voice, she said, "I came here to inquire about something. Oh, by the way, the deed to the house Mom and Dad said they're giving us has been drafted out, and I'm going to need your signature on it." Then, she took the divorce papers, flipped it to the final page, and set it down on the desk before handing Anthony a pen. The last page of the agreement only had the signature lines on it. As a lawyer himself, Anthony couldn't help but frown. He thought of taking the document from her so that he could read it properly. However, a sudden figure appeared at the door, and Anthony's hesitation only lasted a second before he scrawled his signature in the spot Giselle pointed at. "Alright. Go back if you're done here. I still have work." Giselle felt relieved. But, she also found it ironic. Had Anthony bothered to pay a little more attention to the document he signed, he would have known immediately that he wasn't signing some deed to a house but a divorce agreement. Unfortunately for him, Anthony's eyes had been immediately drawn to the newcomer now at the door, Melanie Eastwood. Giselle looked at Melanie's beautiful face and felt a flurry of conflicted emotions within her. She tightened her hold on her bag and turned to leave the office. After the glass doors closed behind her, Giselle could still make out both of their voices as they spoke to each other. "Tony, who was that?" "A new client. She was here to inquire about a divorce," Anthony said, his cold voice laced with a hint of fondness and gentleness. "You're early today. Wait for me for a few minutes, okay? I'll bring you out for dinner." Giselle let out a bitter smile as she listened to Anthony's gentle voice and looked at the divorce papers in her hand. It was true. She had indeed been here to inquire about a divorce. Soon, just a month later, Anthony would be able to fulfill his wish. Anthony and Giselle's marriage had been kept a secret. Other than both of their parents, no one else knew that they were married to each other. Even Melanie didn't know about it. They'd gotten married in secret because it was Anthony's idea to do so. Giselle and Anthony used to be collegemates. On the first day of college, Giselle had fallen in love with Anthony at first sight. She'd then spent the rest of her four years in college pursuing him, but to no avail. Anthony did not return her feelings at all. Still, Giselle hadn't felt too dejected back then. The reason was that Anthony didn't only reject her but also everyone else. In fact, he didn't seem to be interested in women. After graduation, Giselle found herself a job and Anthony continued with his studies. They went their separate ways since then, but Giselle never forgot him. Nonetheless, despite the chances of them meeting again being close to zero, they suddenly crossed paths with each other on a blind date, three years later. On the first date, Anthony went straight to the point and asked Giselle if she was thinking of marriage. Although Giselle had no idea why Anthony was in such a hurry to get married, this was like a dream come true for her, so she agreed immediately. She thought that he was only rushing to get married because his family was nagging at him. It wasn't until after the wedding that Giselle found out about Anthony's secret. The reason Anthony didn't seem to show any interest in women during college was that he was in love with someone he could never be with. Her name was Melanie Eastwood, and she was his best friend's younger sister. Anthony was a whole five years older than Melanie, so Melanie often treated him like her elder brother. He was in love with her, but yet, she had no clue about his feelings whatsoever. And, with that, Melanie then married her boyfriend of three years after her graduation. Anthony had been deeply affected. To recover from his pain as quickly as possible, and to escape his parents' non-stop nagging, Anthony decided on a shotgun marriage with Giselle. After learning the truth, Giselle couldn't recover from her shock for a very long time. However, she ultimately still did. She thought that they still had a long way ahead to go in their relationship, and that Anthony would eventually notice her and shower her with affection too. However, three years had passed, and Anthony's attitude toward her was still distant. Just as Giselle's faith in him dwindled to the very last bit, she then found his photo album. The photo album was full of photos of a little girl from when she was six years old until she turned into a fine young woman at age 25. Giselle shouldn't have paid any heed to it. But, this was an album of photos of the woman her husband had been in love with for many years. And, the photos were still being regularly updated even after he and Giselle were married. Giselle realized that she couldn't continue playing a saint any longer. Also, the very next night, Anthony, who'd always avoided drinking, came home that night as drunk as a lord. His usual cold eyes were filled with joy and light. Giselle then heard that Melanie was now divorced. At that moment, Giselle couldn't help laughing at herself in mockery. She decided that she should end this meaningless marriage to Anthony, once and for all. After getting Anthony to sign the papers, Giselle went back to the place she'd called home for the past three years. Something felt off about it. She looked at the cozy home she'd made for herself and Anthony, and memories started flooding her mind. Her eyes wandered around her home as she recalled the past. Finally, she fixed her gaze on the wedding photo she used to treasure, which was now hanging on the living room wall. She then looked at Anthony, who was sporting a forced smile on his face in the photo. Suddenly, Giselle thought that the photo was an eyesore. She couldn't stand it any longer and went to remove it from the wall before throwing it in the trash downstairs. For the rest of the night, Giselle spent her time clearing out her marriage assets. Anthony realized that the wedding photo was missing as soon as he got home. He looked at his wife, who was busy writing something down, and asked with a frown on his face, "Where did the wedding photo go?" It was rare for him to even talk to her like that. "The nail came loose, so I took it down worried that it might fall and hurt someone." Anthony didn't pursue the issue any further. He just placed some supper next to her and went back into his study. Giselle stopped writing when the pungent smell of peppers invaded her nose. She opened up the takeaway packaging to reveal a spicy, pepper-laden food within. The smell was too much to bear for her. She'd been married to him for three years, and she'd always avoided spicy foods because of her gut issues. But Anthony had no idea about it. Back in the past, Giselle would finish up all the spicy food despite her discomfort just so Anthony wouldn't get upset. But now, she just took the whole pack of food and threw it away in the trash downstairs as well. From today onward, she was going to get rid of everything in her marriage that would cause her to feel sad or aggrieved. And that would also include Anthony, of course.