He suddenly wanted a divorce

Chapter 1

Slap!

The sharp crack of skin against skin rang loudly through every corner of his office.

Selene’s eyes blazed with pure anger, her teeth sinking hard into her red lips just to keep herself from falling apart. Her hands were clenched into tight fists as she stared at the young man before her. Even after receiving that stinging blow, Ace simply stood there, his gaze locking onto hers, unyielding and silent.

His lips were pressed into a thin, hard line. His jaw was tight, his eyes sharp and unreadable, yet the pain from her strike was unmistakable. Inside his mind, thoughts raced wildly, but not a single word escaped him. On the other hand, Selene was fighting a desperate battle to hold back her tears. She refused to let herself look weak or pitiful in front of her husband—Alpha Ace of the Heavenly Demon Pack. She had sworn to herself long ago: never again would she appear as someone to be pitied, not in anyone’s eyes, and certainly not his.

That was why she stood her ground, facing a man whose aura was colder than ice. His expression remained blank, emotionless, but his dark eyes were calculating, as if he were already plotting his next move. They stood frozen, staring at each other, until finally, Selene broke the heavy silence.

“What right do you have to cheat on me?” Her voice rose, trembling with rage, nearly turning into a shout. “And with Rica—of all people—the woman we chose to be the surrogate mother of our future child?! How dare you, Ace? Have you no shame? What would your parents say if they knew?”

Deep down, she didn’t even expect him to answer. Instead, he simply turned away, walked calmly over to his desk, and bent down to unlock the cabinet beneath it. He glanced at her with that same cold look before pulling out a thick brown folder.

He walked back toward her, holding the folder out as if it were a weapon, and finally spoke.

“Here are our divorce papers. Sign them and leave my mansion immediately. I am going to marry Rica after this, so I suggest you hurry up and sign.”

Selene’s mouth fell open in utter shock.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Instinct took over, and she lifted her hand, ready to strike him again—but Ace caught her wrist mid-air, stopping her cold.

“You have no right to say no to this divorce,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “You are nothing but a low-class she-wolf from the Stellar Packs. You should be thankful I agreed to marry you in the first place, even though I never wanted to.”

In an instant, tears flooded Selene’s eyes. Her cheeks burned hot with rising fury and humiliation. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest, every sharp beat sending a piercing pain through her ribs. It only got worse when Ace released her arm roughly, shoving her back slightly.

“I won’t sign anything!” Selene took a sharp breath, then threw the folder onto the floor between them. “And I do have the right to refuse! You weren’t the only one forced into this marriage, remember?!”

Ace looked down at the scattered papers but said nothing. A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He simply turned his back on her and began to walk away.

“Ace! You can’t just do this to me! Think of your father! Think of our families!” Her voice cracked, almost fading away completely as the emotion overwhelmed her.

“I will inform your parents about this myself,” he replied coldly, without even glancing back. “I won’t keep it a secret.”

He returned to his large swivel chair and sat down, looking her up and down with a dismissive gaze.

“You’re such a disgrace, Selene. Do you not realize that? Sign the divorce papers, and I’ll pay you well. How does that sound?”

“I don’t need your damn money, Ace!” she cried out, hurt and desperate. “I need an heir! I need a child with you—and you know perfectly well you’re the only one who can give that to me! You know that, don’t you?”

“I need an heir too, Selene!” he shot back, his voice finally rising, filled with frustration. “But I want a child that is not born through surrogacy! I want my wife to carry my baby naturally—inside her own womb! And you can’t do that! You are barren; you cannot bear children in the normal way! You have to understand that—that is what I truly wanted!” He paused, his tone hardening. “But Rica can do it. She is ready to be my wife, so just try to move on already.”

“Ace!” she called his name, pleading.

“I am going to marry her no matter what you say,” he declared firmly. “And she is already pregnant with my child.”

They argued back and forth, words flying like sharp blades, until finally, Selene could not hold back any longer. What he had just revealed left her speechless. Her lips sealed shut, and tears streamed freely down her face as she pressed a hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs. Ace looked away, sighing with clear impatience.

Three years ago, Selene had learned she was destined to marry the Alpha of the Heavenly Demon Pack. It had seemed unbelievable at the time—she was just an ordinary girl from the Stellar Packs, nothing special, unremarkable. Still, she never complained, mostly to honor her parents’ greatest wish: to see her produce an heir and secure their family’s standing.

At the same time, Ace had been searching for a suitable partner, as his wolf had never found its true mate. He had met with the elders of the Stellar Pack and agreed to a deal: for fifty million dollars, he would marry a virgin woman who had never been touched by another man. That was how everything began.

Soon enough, Selene found herself walking down the aisle in a long white gown, holding a bouquet, ready to marry the ruthless billionaire who ruled the entire city. She had held onto hope back then—that even though it was an arranged marriage, they might slowly learn to love each other. She believed he wanted that too.

But everything changed right after their wedding day. The moment Ace discovered Selene’s medical condition—that she was infertile—his treatment of her turned icy cold. He rarely came home to the mansion anymore. More often than not, he spent long hours at his company or got drunk in bars all over the city. Selene knew exactly why: her diagnosis had ruined everything, and he no longer bothered to hide how indifferent he was toward her.

In all three years of their marriage, they had never once shared a bed or slept in the same room. Ace simply refused. Before the wedding, his parents had been so excited, constantly arranging check-ups, dreaming about the grandchild they would soon have. But all those dreams were destroyed the very day they found out the truth. Even her own parents became disappointed and eventually seemed to abandon her, treating her as if she had failed them completely.

Selene pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples, trying to stop herself from crying harder. Her head pounded relentlessly from stress, and her hands shook visibly.

She was exhausted—mentally and physically. Just yesterday, she had tried calling her parents over and over, but they never answered. When she visited their home, they acted as if they barely knew her. Whenever she tried to talk, they would claim to be busy with something else and quickly send her away. She had endured all of this for so long, to the point where she now wished she could turn back time—never meet Ace, never agree to this union. But reality was cruel; there was no going back.

Summoning every last bit of strength she had, she turned toward the door to leave. But Ace spoke once more, his voice sharp and cutting.

“Rica is far better than you. She has the heart of a true Luna Queen, while you were always just a burden to your pack. I swear, I will never come back to you again. So sign the papers already and find some other man who will agree to have a child with you through surrogacy!” He clenched his fists tightly as he spoke, his anger clear.

Overwhelmed by shame and deep disappointment, Selene walked out of the CEO’s office. Streaks of black mascara ran down her face, and she ignored every whisper and curious glance from the employees she passed along the hallway.

Right then, she decided to leave the mansion without saying another word and drove back to her own place.

Her heart broke into smaller and smaller pieces as she gripped the steering wheel tightly. Later that night, she stepped out of her condominium, hoping a beer might help her forget everything, but a heavy, unnecessary headache was already pounding behind her eyes.

She drove to a bar she used to frequent back in college.

“Give me a beer,” she told the bartender, who quickly prepared her order.

He gave her a warm, friendly smile, but she just rolled her eyes and looked away.

When the glass was placed in front of her, the strong smell of alcohol hit her nose. She took a breath—and immediately rushed to the nearest trash can to throw up.

Holding her hair back, her head throbbed worse than ever. She decided then to leave. She drove back toward her building but stopped at a 24-hour drugstore nearby, though she wasn’t sure what she needed. Afterward, she went to an all-night supermarket, originally intending to buy meat. But fresh, bright purple grapes caught her eye—plump, juicy, and glistening.

She squeezed one gently; it felt firm and full of juice. Without thinking, she filled her cart with every bunch of grapes she could find and paid at the counter, a small, strange smile appearing on her face.

She walked back to her condo happily, holding the plastic bag carefully. Once inside, she washed a large bowl of the fruit and sat in front of the TV, eating them while watching whatever was playing on the screen.

Then, holding a single grape between her fingers, she stared at it deeply, a confused look crossing her face.

“I never even liked grapes before,” she whispered to herself.

“Weird…” she murmured, and kept eating them one after another, as if she simply couldn’t get enough.