"Elizabeth, I want a divorce. Please help me draft the divorce agreement. I want to leave with nothing."

After five years of a hidden marriage with Damien Charleston, Amelia Heartford finally realized that he never married her for love. She decided to divorce him without telling him and prepared the divorce agreement as a gift for their fifth anniversary.

Even her friend, Elizabeth Nightray, couldn't believe it.

Immediately, Elizabeth asked her friend, "Amelia, have you really thought this through? Five years of marriage is not something you can just let go of so easily."

Amelia lifted her head, her eyes firm, answering her friend, "I've thought about it. This marriage was a mistake from the start. I don't want to continue."

A few minutes later, Elizabeth took a document from a folder and handed it to Amelia.

"I understand. This is the divorce agreement drafted by Mr. Weston. He isn’t here today, so he asked me to give it to you. You just need to find a way to get your husband to sign it. Also, the prenuptial agreement must be clarified. The divorce cooling-off period is three months, so be prepared."

Amelia took the document and nodded as she said, "Okay, I get it."

She left Elizabeth’s office, got into a taxi and headed to Damien's company.

When she opened the door to the president’s office, Damien was sitting at his desk, reviewing a document. He looked up and saw her, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Why are you late today? Just because you’re the president’s wife doesn’t mean you can be lazy and skip work."

His tone was gentle, like an older brother’s, but there was no love in it.

"There was a traffic jam."

Amelia walked up to his desk and handed him the divorce agreement.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady as she spoke, "Mr. Charleston, I just negotiated a new deal. This is the contract. You need to sign here."

Damien reached for the document and their eyes met for a brief moment. Her heart skipped a beat, afraid he would sense something was wrong.

But he didn’t even look at it. He flipped to the last page and signed his name without hesitation.

"Another deal? Amelia, you're impressive," he said in a relaxed tone.

Watching him sign, Amelia felt a sharp pain in her chest.

In five years of marriage, the only reason Damien was close to her was because she was useful to him, not because he loved her.

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and his expression softened. His voice became gentle.

"Are you hungry? I'm in the office right now. I’ll buy you something to eat later, okay?"

Anyone listening would assume he was talking to his wife of five years.

But Amelia knew the truth.

She had loved Damien for many years. They were childhood sweethearts and grew up together.

For him, Amelia gave up her own dreams, studied finance and entered his company as an assistant.

Five years ago, something unexpected happened.

That night, Damien had been drinking. The next morning, he told her he would take responsibility and proposed to her.

Amelia had been overjoyed and agreed immediately. But soon, she learned the truth. It was that Damien he wanted a hidden marriage, a contract marriage. If either of them found someone they truly loved in the future, they would divorce.

Her happiness disappeared in an instant. But she couldn’t resist the temptation of becoming his wife. She signed the agreement and helped him convince his parents.

After they got married, Amelia worked hard, handling business negotiations and supporting Damien. She thought that if she proved her worth, he would finally see her differently. Not as the little girl who needed his protection, but as a strong, capable woman.

But Damien remained distant. Even at night, their intimacy felt like nothing more than a routine.

Later, she discovered the painful truth.

The only reason Damien had slept with her that night was because he was heartbroken. The woman he truly loved, Victoria, had married someone else.

Victoria Charleston was once his adoptive sister, mistakenly taken in by his family. Unfortunately, Damien couldn’t accept her marriage. He almost lost control of himself, so to calm his parents' suspicions, he hurriedly married Amelia.

At first, Amelia had been devastated. But she still believed that, with time, she could win his love. Then, just a few days ago, she saw something on his phone that shattered that hope completely.

Victoria had removed her name from Damien’s family registry. She was now divorcing her husband. With nowhere to go, she turned to Damien.

Damien arranged everything for Victoria. He booked a hotel for her, took her out for dinner, went on walks with her and even helped with her divorce lawsuit.

A month ago, Amelia had been kidnapped by a rival company. She called Damien for help, but his phone was turned off. She became really desperate.

Later, Amelia received a video from an unknown number. That night, while she was locked up and begging for help, Damien had been in bed with Victoria. That was the moment Amelia decided to end this hopeless marriage.

Amelia smiled bitterly to herself, turned around and walked out of Damien’s office. She then mailed the signed divorce agreement to Elizabeth and went home to pack. She sorted through her clothes, books and jewelry, placing them into boxes.

But in her heart, there was no sadness, no regret.

When Damien returned home, he didn’t notice anything was different at first. But after a while, he realized many things were missing.

He walked up to Amelia and asked casually, "Why are you packing? Are you planning to buy new things?"

Without looking up, she replied calmly, "Everything is old. It’s time for something new."

He smiled. "That’s right. You’ve worked so hard for me. You should treat yourself. Buy whatever you want."

Amelia didn’t respond and continued packing.

That night, after taking a shower, Damien wrapped his arms around her. His voice was suggestive. "Do you want to do it … tonight?"

Amelia pushed him away.

Her tone was cold as she responded, "I'm on my period. I don’t feel well."

He frowned slightly, asking back, "Hasn't it been four days already?"

Without expression, she replied, "I'm still not feeling well."

This was the first time in five years that she had rejected him. Before, even if she was uncomfortable, she would always give in to him. But not anymore.

From now on, Amelia would put herself first. She would learn to say no. She would no longer endure pain for a love that never existed.

This marriage was over. She kept reminding herself that the divorce cooling-off period was three months. After one months, she would be free!

Amelia couldn't sleep the entire night.

At dawn, she got up and made breakfast. This time, it was only for herself. She no longer prepared anything for Damien like before.

When Damien came out of the bedroom, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his head to kiss her forehead.

Amelia turned her head slightly, avoiding his touch.

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" Damien asked, noticing her change right away.

Amelia lowered her head, feeling a lump in her throat. She almost couldn’t hold back her tears. She clenched her teeth and forced herself to stay calm.

"I'm just hungry," she said.

Damien didn’t ask any further. He never cared much about the morning kiss anyway. It was always Amelia who wanted it, not him.

He sat down, picked up a piece of toast and took a bite.

"By the way, which company did you work with for yesterday’s deal? I don’t think I asked."

Amelia remained calm. "It was the Weston Corporation. Do you want to see the contract?"

Damien paused for a moment. Just when Amelia’s palms started to sweat, he suddenly smiled and ruffled her hair.

"I trust you," he said casually.

Amelia lowered her gaze, feeling an ache in her chest.

For a long time, she had wished that Damien would care about her work, that he would take the time to guide her, ask about the risks, or offer advice. But that was only a dream.

After breakfast, as they got into the car, Damien’s phone rang. It was Victoria.

On the other end, her voice trembled as she sobbed, "Damien, my husband’s family is blocking the hotel entrance. They’re on their knees, refusing to let me divorce him. I… I don’t know what to do…"

Damien’s expression darkened immediately. He pressed down on the accelerator, making the car lurch forward.

"Don’t be scared. Stay in your room and don’t come out. I’m on my way," he reassured her.

Amelia tightened her grip on her seatbelt, her face turning pale.

"Damien, slow down! It’s too dangerous!"

Damien seemed to remember she was there. He slammed the brakes and turned to her.

"Take a taxi to the company by yourself. I have to go."

Before Amelia could respond, he sped off again, running a red light in his rush to get to Victoria. Amelia stood by the side of the road, feeling like a discarded doll. She took a deep breath, flagged down a taxi and headed to the office.

The entire day, she stayed busy.

Amelia worked as usual, but at the same time, she slowly started letting go of her responsibilities, of her attachment to Damien and of the life she had clung to for five years.

By the time it was nearly evening, Damien returned to the office. He seemed happy, as if all his worries had vanished. Meanwhile, Amelia entered his office to report work. As she stepped closer, she caught the faint scent of Victoria’s perfume on him.

While flipping through the documents, Damien suddenly glanced at her empty ring finger and asked, "Why did you take off your ring?"

Amelia remained calm as she answered his question, "Didn’t you ask me not to wear it? You didn’t want anyone to find out. And you never wore yours."

"Really?" Damien responded in turn and then nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

If Damien had thought about it carefully, he would have realized how unusual it was for Amelia who always wanted people to know they were married—to take off her ring.

But he didn’t think much of it. Instead, he simply smiled, his mind clearly elsewhere. His mind might be still lingering on his time with Victoria.

Amelia chuckled to herself, left his office and took out her phone. Victoria had just posted a vlog on her social account. In one clip, Damien stood in the kitchen, wearing an apron, cooking with a focused expression.

Damien never liked to cook. Amelia had been the one to learn, putting in effort to make his meals just right. Now, she realized the truth. The truth was that Damien wasn’t unwilling to cook. It was because he just didn’t want to cook for her.

After that, Amelia walked to the lake behind the company. The water sparkled under the fading sunlight, but she only felt cold. She then pulled the ring from her pocket, holding it in her palm, feeling the last remnants of its warmth.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

With all her strength, she threw the ring into the lake. It arced through the air before sinking into the water, disappearing forever.

Taking a deep breath, Amelia turned away. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she walked forward, her head held high. She was done looking back.

After a meeting, Damien looked at the unfamiliar woman standing beside him and frowned slightly.

"Who is this?" he asked Amelia, who was organizing the documents.

His voice carried a hint of surprise.

"Miss Witt, a new employee I trained," Amelia replied calmly. "She will handle the meeting records from now on."

Damien nodded thoughtfully and said in a relaxed tone, "That’s good. You won’t have to worry about small tasks like this anymore."

Small tasks.

Amelia laughed bitterly in her heart.

These so-called ‘small tasks’ were things she had carefully done for him in the past. She used to sort out the most important points from long and complicated meetings so he could understand them easily.

But to him, all her efforts had been unnecessary.

Miss Witt nervously handed him the meeting notes. Damien quickly flipped through a few pages, his frown deepening.

After Miss Witt left the office, he turned to Amelia and said in a friendly tone, "You know me best. The new employee's summary is too complicated."

He waited for Amelia to take the document and redo it, as she always did. But instead, she just smiled and said, "Give her a chance to improve."

Damien looked surprised for a moment as if he felt uncomfortable. but he quickly returned to normal. Just then, his phone lit up with a message.

Amelia glanced at the screen and saw an invitation to an engagement party from Damien’s best friend. The message specifically said he should bring a female companion.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Amelia’s voice was soft, but there was a hidden meaning in her words.

Damien’s expression became conflicted.

He reached out and pulled Amelia into his arms, speaking in a gentle tone, "That kind of event isn’t for you. The people there are troublemakers. I don’t want you to be around them."

Amelia gently pulled away from his embrace.

"That’s fine. I have something to do tonight anyway," she said.

Then, as if feeling her words were too cold, she added, "Come home early."

Damien looked relieved. He kissed her cheek lightly and smiled.

"You’re so understanding. Next time, when there’s a more formal event, I’ll take you with me so everyone can know who you are."

Amelia stared at his sincere expression and suddenly found it ridiculous.

This was the first time in five years that he had said he wanted to make their relationship public. But it happened at the very moment she had decided to leave him.

She turned to leave the office and, without looking back, said, "Alright, next time."

But in her heart, she knew there would never be a next time.

As Amelia had expected, Damien’s "female companion" for the night was Victoria.

At the party, Victoria wore an elegant white dress and held Damien’s arm in front of everyone. Her cheeks were slightly red and she leaned toward Damien from time to time, making the people around them whisper.

"Victoria looks more beautiful these days."

"Yes, she and Damien are a perfect match!"

No one mentioned their past as siblings.

After all, Victoria was no longer legally part of the Charleston Family. To outsiders, they were just a normal couple.

After the party, Victoria, who was drunk, sat in the passenger seat of Damien’s car. She held onto his sleeve and whispered, "Damien ... I really don’t want to go back to that hotel. Can I stay at your house until my divorce is final?"

Damien tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

His mind told him to refuse. If Amelia found out, it would be hard to explain. His family might even get involved.

But when he saw Victoria’s tearful eyes and slightly flushed face, he couldn’t say no. He turned the car toward home. However, when he arrived, an unexpected scene was waiting for him.

Amelia stood at the front door, talking to Julian Weston, a wealthy lawyer known for handling divorce cases. They were holding a document between them.

Damien’s heart suddenly pounded. He quickly got out of the car and helped Victoria forward.

"What are you doing?"

His eyes were fixed on the document.

"Who wants a divorce?"

The papers looked familiar, but before he could get a clear look, Amelia calmly put them into her bag.

"Elizabeth and her husband are getting a divorce. I’m helping her with legal advice," she said.

Elizabeth was Amelia’s best friend. She was using her name to avoid suspicion. Amelia then turned her attention to Victoria, who was clearly drunk.

"What happened to Victoria?" she asked.

"Is she okay?"

Damien hesitated and then replied, "Her ex-husband’s family made a scene. She’ll stay here for a few days."

Then, as if trying to regain control of the situation, he looked at Amelia with concern and softly berated her, "Even if you’re helping a friend, you shouldn’t meet a man so late at night."

His tone was the usual one he used when lecturing her.

Amelia looked at Victoria, who was leaning against Damien, her chest pressed against his arm. The situation was beyond ironic. This man, who treated her like a sister, treated his real sister like a lover.

Julian suddenly smirked and said, "Now that I think about it, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Charleston’s wife yet."