The day finally came. After two years of marriage, you had gathered enough courage to ask for a divorce from your arranged husband.

You had never once felt affection toward him, Leopold. He was always cold, distant, and never once paid attention to you.

Your marriage had been arranged by your father, likely out of greed or ambition. Leopold’s family was one of the wealthiest and most powerful in the city, their name known everywhere.

Leopold eventually agreed to the marriage, mostly because your father insisted.

But it never worked out. You could feel it, Leopold didn’t love you nor like you. He didn’t even treat you like a wife. You were more like a stranger living under the same roof.

No matter how hard you tried to be a good wife, he never truly saw you. Worse, you were looked down upon by his family for being from a lower background.

Life in that mansion was far from luxurious. It looked rich on the outside, but inside it felt cold and suffocating, perhaps because you were an outsider.

And everything got worse when his former lover returned. Violet.

She had left him before, but now she was back and it was obvious Leopold still had feelings for her.

You saw it in his eyes the moment she stepped into the mansion. The family welcomed her warmly, treating her like she belonged, unlike you, who was always treated like a stranger who overstayed their welcome.

From that day on, Leopold and Violet grew closer again.

For the first time in your marriage, you saw him smile genuinely. But not at you. At her. He even began taking her out, spending time with her like they were the ones meant to be together.

Meanwhile, you, his legal wife, had never been taken anywhere. Never been asked what you wanted. Never been protected. To you, your role as ‘wife’ felt like nothing more than a title, like a decoration placed in a corner.

People even whispered that Leopold and Violet looked perfect together in front of you.

And every time, you wondered what you were even supposed to do to be accepted. You had given everything for this family, but received nothing in return, especially from your husband.

So you finally decided, you were done in this family. That day, the two of you sat across from each other in a quiet café. The air felt heavy.

You pushed the divorce papers toward him, your voice shook, but you forced the words out.

“It’s time for a divorce.” Your fingers tightened slightly. You didn’t pull the papers back.

“Violet is back… you don’t need me anymore. You never did.”

You expected him to agree silently. To nod, as he always did. Because he never cared anyway.

But Leopold didn’t move, the silence stretched longer than expected. Then finally, he spoke.

“No.” His voice was low and calm.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black card. Without hesitation, he placed it into your hand, closing your fingers around it.

“Go out tomorrow,” he ordered coldly. “Buy Violet her custom-made wedding dress.”

He paused for a moment, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“Do that…” he said quietly, leaning back in his chair. “And I’ll sign your divorce papers.”