Chapter 2

Memories of Andrew flooded Emily's mind, filling her with a suffocating sense of bitterness. Even before she married him, she'd heard a lot about him. The media praised Andrew with every superlative they could come up with, expounding his looks, his brilliance, and his business acumen. He was the perfect heir who, within a single year of taking over the family conglomerate, had driven Stone Group straight to the top of every company ranking. His only flaw was that he showed no interest in women. It was as if he were a robot who existed solely to work. But when Emily saw him at a banquet, one look was all it took. His poised, detached manner and elegant composure instantly swept her off her feet. From that moment on, her heart had no room for anyone else. So, when her family proposed the marriage of convenience between her and Andrew, she joyously agreed to it. Her friend had tried to advise her, saying, "Andrew might be great in every way, but he's an emotionless workaholic. You won't be happy if you marry him." Alas, Emily had naively believed that as long as she played her role well and loved him enough, she could one day melt his heart. But that was not what happened. On their wedding night, he'd completed his marital obligation as if it were a business transaction before coldly informing her, "I have no interest in romance. Marrying you was a business decision. "As long as you know your place, I'll fulfill my duties as a husband and ensure you enjoy the lifelong privileges of being Mrs. Stone, but don't expect anything more than that." Thus, after marriage, no matter how many times Andrew neglected Emily for work, she had endured it all in silence. She told herself that even though he didn't love her, he didn't love anyone else either. That was enough. But now, Emily could no longer lie to herself, not after she'd witnessed the way Andrew cherished Lucy and cast aside all of his pride for her. He even said the words "I love you" to Lucy, which she'd yearned for years to hear coming from his mouth. She realized that Andrew wasn't cold and uninterested in women. She simply wasn't the woman he loved. All of her patience and steadfast endurance had been nothing but a joke. Wiping away her tears, she turned and left the police station. Then, she got her phone out and called a lawyer, Kyle Ziegler. "Mr. Ziegler, please help me draw up a divorce agreement." … The next day, Emily arrived at Stone Group with the freshly printed divorce papers in hand. However, the receptionist told her, "Mr. Stone hasn't been coming to the office for quite some time now, Mrs. Stone." Emily felt like she'd been stabbed right in her heart. Andrew, the workaholic who'd lived in his office for an entire month just to complete a business project, hadn't been coming to the office for some time? Pushing through the ache in her chest, she asked, "Where is he now?" With a hesitant expression, the receptionist whispered, "He's attending the auction at Sullivan's with Ms. Evans." An auction… Emily recalled some of the gossip about him spending a fortune just to make a young woman smile. After taking a deep breath, she drove straight to the auction. Filled with scions and socialites, the auction hall smelled of perfume and champagne. Emily instantly spotted Andrew in the front row with the lively and cheerful Lucy by his side. The auctioneer was introducing the final piece of the auction, a blue diamond necklace said to have once belonged to an Enderion queen. Its starting price alone was already staggering, and the bids kept soaring as well. However, each time someone placed a bid on it, Andrew would raise his paddle without hesitation to one-up the bid. His movements were languid, but it was clear he was determined to get the necklace. In the end, with the most astronomical price, he managed to get the necklace for Lucy. She happily threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Emily, who stood nearby, felt her heart sting with a numbing pain at the sight. In all their years of marriage, Andrew had never once given her a single noteworthy gift. She'd always thought he just wasn't the romantic type, but it turned out that he simply didn't want to be romantic with her. Her fingers tightened around the divorce papers. She drew in a steadying breath and walked toward the two eye-catching figures that made her eyes sting. Andrew noticed her first. The faint smile on his lips vanished. Almost instinctively, he shifted to shield Lucy behind him as he asked, "What are you doing here?" His reflexive attempt to protect Lucy stabbed Emily right in the chest. Mustering all her strength to keep her composure, she handed him the papers. "I need your signature for this document." At that moment, a staff member of the auction approached, reminding Andrew to proceed with the payment for the auctioned item. "I'm busy. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it later," Andrew said curtly. Later? Emily didn't want there to be a later. She didn't want to wait for even a second longer. "It's a very important document. It'll only need a few minutes of your time," she insisted, her voice just barely shaking. "Let's get a divorce, Andrew. As long as you sign the divorce papers, we can file them. Once the court issues the divorce decree, we will no longer have anything to do with each other. "Since you have someone else you truly love, I'll step aside, and you can set me free. Let's both find the people we're meant to be with without holding each other back." Emily said it all in one breath before steeling herself as she stood there and waited for Andrew's answer. But he simply frowned. After a while, he finally turned his head slightly toward her, and it became clear he hadn't caught what she said. "What did you say? I already told you I'm busy. Save it for later." And with that, he walked away with the staff member. Emily breathed in deeply. Andrew was always like this. Throughout their five years of marriage, he constantly ignored everything she said. She was just about to chase after him when Lucy abruptly came over and snatched the papers out of her hands. "You're that wife from Andrew's arranged marriage, right?" Lucy said as she looked Emily from head to toe with a scornful expression. "Whatever that document is, I'll sign it. Andrew taught me how to copy his signature, saying that I could help him sign any document on his behalf." Emily's heart twisted so tightly it hurt to breathe. He'd taught Lucy his signature and allowed her to sign any document on his behalf? Everyone in the industry knew how meticulous Andrew was. He insisted on personally reviewing and signing every important document! But now… As if to prove her point, Lucy grabbed a pen from her handbag and, without even reading the document, she flipped to the last page and signed it with a flourish.