Chapter 5 One Month Deadline

The silence in the car stretched unbearably.

Larry's expression flickered with momentary surprise before settling back into its usual calm, his voice utterly flat.

"Aria, is it really necessary to bring up divorce over something so trivial?"

Trivial?

Aria let out a low, bitter laugh, as if she'd just heard the world's greatest joke.

All these years, she'd endured countless cold stares and mockery. Larry, as her husband, had never once spoken up for her—never once stood by her side when she was being humiliated.

And now he had the audacity to call it trivial?

In Larry's eyes, was even the complete destruction of her left hand just another minor inconvenience?

Aria felt her years of love had been nothing but an elaborate farce, and she herself nothing but a pathetic fool performing for an audience of one.

She'd thought she was being noble, selfless. But to everyone else, she was simply an obstacle standing between Larry and his happiness.

If that was the case, why keep torturing herself?

Aria clenched her fists, forcing her voice to remain steady.

"I don't care what you think anymore. Either way, divorce is the best outcome for both of us."

As she spoke, Aria pulled a prepared divorce agreement from her bag and placed it beside Larry.

"Just sign this, and we'll be done with each other."

She'd sacrificed her hand to save him, and he'd taken care of her for years.

There'd been no love, but at least they could call it even.

All she wanted now was to escape this relationship that had drained every ounce of her strength.

Larry's gaze flickered to the papers, his dark eyes seeming to deepen.

"Aria, is this really necessary? Or is it that everyone in your world has to follow your script exactly as you've written it?"

Aria caught the thick resentment in his words.

When Larry had decided to marry her, he'd believed she'd forced his hand.

And now that she was asking for divorce, did he still think she was manipulating him?

She wasn't forcing anything—she was setting him free.

Even after she'd gone this far, was Larry still not satisfied?

Aria bit her lip, trying to figure out how to continue this conversation, when Larry suddenly rolled down the window and called to the driver outside. "Let's go."

The driver immediately got in.

As the car began to move, Aria watched Larry's profile reflected in the window.

He seemed lost in thought, staring into the distance, offering no response whatsoever to the divorce agreement.

When they arrived back at the estate, Larry got out and headed straight for his study without a word.

Aria watched his cold, retreating back, feeling her hard-won resolve crumbling bit by bit.

What was he playing at?

She'd asked for a divorce—shouldn't he be eager to sign the papers and be rid of her?

What was this supposed to mean?

Even when she asked for divorce, she couldn't get the slightest response from him?

Aria sank onto the sofa, curling into herself, exhaustion overwhelming her. Before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep.

The next morning, a housekeeper woke her. Breakfast was already prepared.

Aria mechanically spooned some porridge into her mouth. It tasted like sawdust.

She suddenly thought of something and looked up at the housekeeper.

"Where's my husband?"

The housekeeper answered respectfully. "Mr. York left early this morning, ma'am."

As she spoke, a flicker of sympathy crossed the woman's eyes.

Over the years, despite Larry's outward attentiveness, anyone with eyes could see how suffocating this marriage was for Aria, how much pain she endured.

Aria deliberately avoided the housekeeper's pitying gaze, feeling somewhat dazed.

Now that Sophie was back, divorce was their only possible ending. Yet Larry wouldn't sign the papers.

Aria couldn't figure out what he was thinking, but she also didn't want to waste any more time trying to decipher his mind.

She'd already decided on divorce, and she'd been accepted to the Lumaria Institute of Music. There was no reason to squander any more time on this hollow marriage.

After breakfast, Aria headed to the visa center.

Her passport had long since expired and needed to be renewed.

The process was complicated, and the clerk said it would take about a month.

That month would be her deadline.

She had to finalize the divorce with Larry within that time frame, then leave for Lumaria.

After leaving the visa center, Aria went to a nearby shopping district.

Since her injury, she'd rarely gone out. Larry had always had someone else handle her shopping, delivering everything to the house.

Now, she was ready to reclaim her life.

Aria wandered through a boutique and spotted an emerald necklace in the display case.

"Excuse me, could you take this necklace out? I'd like to try it on."

Aria looked toward a nearby saleswoman.

The woman walked over, her professional smile already in place—but it vanished the instant she noticed Aria's withered left hand, replaced by arrogance and contempt.

"Miss, the luxury items in our store are only affordable to people earning six figures a year. Looking at you, I doubt you can even hold down a job. Why don't you save yourself the embarrassment?"

Aria had endured countless similar remarks and looks over the years.

In the past, she would instinctively hide her hand whenever she met someone new.

But now, Aria calmly rested her hand on the counter, her gaze ice-cold as she looked at the saleswoman.

"You're here to serve customers. Whatever a customer requests, you should accommodate—or do I need to call your manager?"

The woman's arrogance froze instantly. Probably genuinely afraid of a complaint, she reluctantly retrieved the emerald necklace.

Aria stared at her pointedly.

"Please put it on me."

The saleswoman paused, glancing at Aria's hand, disgust flashing instinctively in her eyes.

Suppressing her revulsion, she moved behind Aria, about to fasten the necklace, when suddenly a sweet, cloying voice rang out.

"Oh, that emerald necklace is absolutely gorgeous! I want it too. Larry, would you buy it for me?"

Aria's spine went rigid. Even without turning around, she knew exactly who had just arrived.

She'd only wanted a quiet afternoon of shopping. Of all the rotten luck—running into her soon-to-be-ex-husband and his first love.

Aria slowly turned around.

Sophie was clinging intimately to Larry's arm as they walked toward her.