Age Is Just A Number

　　Coming out of the airport, I spread my arms wide and threw my head back. "Finally, I'm free!!"People coming and going gave me weird looks, but I didn't care!

　　I couldn't believe I was finally freed from that demon in human skin, my ex-husband! A man who made me regret jumping into marriage too quickly!

　　I married him believing love could be born. Maybe I was naïve, or perhaps I clung to that romantic idea that time, dedication, and patience could soften any heart, even one as cold as his.

　　Timothy Owen was powerful, rich, and elegant, just like how I imagined my future husband should be! And I was the ideal wife in his eyes.

　　Beautiful, well-educated, discreet. Everything fit. At first, he was distant but polite. Dinners were quiet yet respectful.

　　He often traveled while I stayed behind, waiting for him. Whenever I was bored, I read.

　　Each month, I thought maybe this would be the month something changed that he would look at me differently, that he would come closer. But the only time he touched me was in bed, with the sole intention of conceiving. Sex, then back to his room. No kisses, no caresses, not even eye contact.

　　I called my cunning father and told him what was going on, but he didn't care. Timothy's mother had insisted I marry him because they were best friends and wanted to keep me close! I understood he was forced to marry me… but couldn't he see how much I loved him?!

　　"Give him more time, he will change,"his mother assured me one day. But many months passed. Twelve. Eighteen. Twenty-four. And the silence of my womb became a curse. Confused, I started undergoing tests. At first, I went to the hospital alone, in secret, wondering what was happening to me!! Timothy was my first, for goodness' sake!

　　Later, I went with him, under his pressure. In the end, the results were definitive, infertility!!

　　My heart shattered. I couldn't give him a child, yet he didn't even flinch, as if my pain meant nothing. It made me sad… useless as a wife.

　　Until one day, a classmate sent me a message mocking me.

　　"You liar! I thought you said Timothy was your husband, but it turns out he's your sister's husband! You're very shameless!!"She even sent pictures!! Timothy and Rebecca holding hands in public.

　　What did my stepsister have that I didn't? I was the campus belle, invited by several fashion brands to model, but to please him, I rejected the offers and focused only on him.

　　Days dragged by in silence, and I was sinking. He became colder than ever!

　　What was I doing in his house? I overlooked his strange behavior and comforted myself with movies, games, anything. There was nothing to do about it! he didn't love me. But I wouldn't divorce him. I would wait until he did. I have my reason.

　　And one day, he finally approached me with a paper envelope in his hand and threw it at me.

　　"What is this?"I pretended not to know.

　　"I want a divorce."

　　"Ohh, I see?"I nodded and immediately reached for my bag for a pen.

　　"Since you can't get pregnant, sign these divorce papers."

　　"Hmmm… you're right. Wasting your time on a woman like this wasn't worth it anyway."I smiled coldly and signed the papers, making him wonder why I was happy instead of rolling on the floor begging him!

　　Humph!! In his dreams!!

　　"I'm glad you understand. We don't need to keep pretending with each other!"

　　"Pretending?"My brows furrowed.

　　"What else has this been if not a failed investment?"His words sliced my heart like knives.

　　"Is that what I was to you? An investment?"I asked in disbelief. Seriously?

　　"Do you want me to lie now? All I ever wanted was an heir. A child with my name, my features, my blood. If you can't give me that, then it's over."

　　"Ohhh… I get it,"I nodded.

　　"Don't worry, I've already arranged everything. You'll get a generous settlement."

　　"How long have you been planning this?"I needed to know!!

　　"Since you started crying at night, thinking I couldn't hear you. I'm not stupid."

　　"Is there someone else?"I asked. He didn't answer. The way he adjusted his tie and turned away said everything.

　　"I hope you find whatever life you're looking for. I'm done with you, Lisa."And he left.

　　He really left. He left me alone with the papers. So it was true. He loved my stepsister. But why? Why waste so much of my time? We'd been married almost three years… I didn't deserve this.

　　Many days passed. Alone in his house, I researched The Diamonds, my dream company, and started planning my journey to New York! I sold all the gifts his parents gave me, including the one he was forced to buy, very expensive! just to secure my flight fee. At least that was good; it was a long journey.

　　While waiting for my visa, I saw his photo in a magazine. He wasn't alone. Just as I'd heard, my stepsister stood beside him, smiling sweetly, her hand on her big stomach. Pregnant. He'd probably planned it long before throwing those papers at me. But I didn't care anymore. I was the one blinded by love and I didn't blame him for my inability to give him a child!!

　　He never saw me as a partner. Only as a means to an end… a tool, a vessel. And when I no longer served him, I became trash.

　　Good one, Timothy Owen! Just you wait!!

　　Well… why waste my energy on him? I would chase my dream first!!

　　Relocating wasn't easy. I didn't plan well! I slept on the streets like a homeless person....well yeah, I was a homeless person! Until I met Sofia, my savior!! I was chasing a man who stole my peace, and she helped me catch and deal with him.

　　After hearing my story, out of pity, she took me to her house.

　　"What did you mean by failing my interview?"I asked Sofia in confusion. I had been rejected for the third time by The Diamonds, the company I had always dreamed of working for. Who knew I would fall for Timothy and abandon my dream just to marry him!!

　　Sofia sighed. "All the documents and interviews were professional. I don't know why they rejected you."