"I've thought about it. Please draft up a divorce agreement for me, Mr. Chastain," Carina Sherwood says to her divorce attorney, Leo Chastain.

It's her fifth wedding anniversary with Aster Ducant, but Carina spends it at the lawyer's office instead because Aster is busy having fun with his secretary, Stella Winters, at home.

Carina is his wife, but she ends up being the one chased out of the house.

They have been married for five years, but Aster hasn't announced their marriage to the people at the company. At first, Carina thinks of bringing it up to him.

However, it just takes a few sentences from Aster for her to know that there's no need for that anymore.

"Stella's home alone, and the electricity at her place just went out. She has nowhere else to go. I'm asking her to come over for dinner. You're fine with that, aren't you?"

The best way Carina can think of to end the last five years of their relationship is through divorce.

"Can you have the divorce draft ready by today, Mr. Chastain?" Carina Sherwood asked her divorce attorney, Leo Chastain.

She was unable to put up with the sounds of Aster Ducant and Stella Winters happily chatting with each other in the mansion anymore.

The night breeze was very cold that night, but it couldn't even compare to the loneliness in Carina's heart.

This was her home too, and today was supposed to be her fifth wedding anniversary with Aster. And yet, her own husband had chased her out of the mansion so that Stella, his secretary, wouldn't feel awkward about being there.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "Ms. Sherwood, let's talk in person instead."

…

An hour ago, Carina had just reached home, feeling thoroughly exhausted, as she sat down at the dinner table. She looked at the colorful dishes on the table—a full 12-course meal—and sighed quietly.

"Aster, you know that I can't eat spicy food…"

Carina wasn't picky with her food, but there wasn't much she could eat on the table at all. She didn't want to put her life at risk just because she wasn't a picky eater.

Aster knew that she was deathly allergic to peppers. That had been the reason why all of the food she'd prepared in the past was seasoned without anything spicy at all.

And yet, the entire 12-course meal laid out before her was mostly spicy or made with peppers.

Aster pushed the only dish that didn't have peppers in them toward Carina. It was a simple cheese omelette.

"You know that I'm very busy at work and never have the time to pay attention to all these little details," he said, sounding displeased.

"Everyone at the company is depending on me for their livelihood. I've already made the time and effort to meet you for dinner today, so stop making such a huge fuss over a problem that doesn't even exist. Isn't the cheese omelette good enough? It doesn't have any peppers in it."

Although Carina knew that Aster couldn't care less about her anymore—or maybe he never cared about her in the first place—she still didn't think that he would think nothing of the past five years she'd spent with him, or that he would be so merciless about it.

It was supposed to be their wedding anniversary celebration tonight. They had a 12-course meal spread out before them, but she was only allowed to eat one.

She was just about to say something when Aster's phone suddenly rang.

He answered the call, now with a smile on his face. He spoke warmly into the phone and then went into the kitchen to grab a new set of plates and cutlery before setting them down next to his seat.

When he finally hung up, he turned to Carina and said, "Stella is home alone, and the electricity at her place just got cut. I told her to come over for dinner. You're fine with that, aren't you?"

It looked like he was making a request, but Aster asked the question so matter-of-factly that it might as well be an order.

Carina smiled bitterly.

Aster had already put it that way, and he'd also already set out the extra set of plates and utensils on the table. Did it really matter whether she agreed to his request or not?

"By the way, Carina, what did you want to say earlier?"

Aster suddenly recalled that Carina seemed to have wanted to tell him something before he got distracted by the phone call. So, he thought he'd ask her about it.

It was their fifth wedding anniversary today.

Carina wanted to cherish the very rare time she got to enjoy dinner at home with Aster. Naturally, she didn't want anybody else to disrupt them.

Even though she knew that saying it out loud would anger Aster, she still had to get it off her chest.

"It's our fifth wedding anniversary today, Aster. I just wanted us to be alone, maybe chat a little, and enjoy dinner—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, however, Aster had already interrupted her. He frowned, his face scrunching up in annoyance as he slammed his fork down on the table.

"I know that it's our fifth wedding anniversary today! You don't have to keep reminding me about it like an annoying fly buzzing in my ears all day!

"There's plenty of food to go around, and it's not like you can finish them all anyway. Stella had been working so hard at the company that she's on the verge of getting gastritis, so the extra food might as well be shared with her too!"

Carina lowered her head when she heard Aster's firm tone. She didn't say another word and just started eating the cheese omelette in front of her.

Her eyes gradually turned red. Tears dripped silently onto the egg, but she just chewed and swallowed everything anyway.

There was indeed plenty of food to go around. She couldn't possibly finish everything by herself, even if she died trying to.

Carina finished the omelette within a few bites. When she looked up again, her expression had gone back to normal.

Her eyes were just slightly puffy and red. Aster would immediately be able to tell that something wasn't right if he'd just looked at her closely enough.

"Maybe we should just divorce then, Aster Ducant."

Aster continued scrolling on his phone as he sat across from her. He seemed completely absorbed, the corners of his lips lifting in a smile.

"Huh?"

He didn't seem to have heard Carina's words and just responded without even looking up at her.

Carina's face was emotionless. However, the bitterness surged in her heart. She took a deep breath and tried to suppress the sadness threatening to overwhelm her.

She was just about to repeat herself when Aster interrupted her once again. "Stella is coming. Save your words for later tonight."

Carina had just opened her mouth to speak. But Aster didn't even give her a chance to say anything before he quickly disappeared out of the mansion.

She watched as Aster hurried out. Drawing her lips in a line, she lowered her head to type out a text message on her phone and sent it.

"I'm going to your office in a while."

From today onward, Aster no longer had to worry about Carina walking in on his dates with other women.

The five years were up. The dying wish that Aster's mother, Selena Montgomery, made couldn't be fulfilled because Carina couldn't wait any longer.

A short while later, Aster brought a young woman into the mansion with him.

Carina knew her. She was Stella Winters. They were all colleagues working at the same company—Aster was the CEO, Stella was his secretary, and Carina was the financial director.

However, to avoid gossip at work, nobody at the company knew about Carina and Aster's relationship. Aster would even go as far as to make sure to arrive at work at a different time than her.

"Oh, you're here too, Carina? I thought Mr. Ducant was lying."

Stella went up to Carina and held her by her arm. Her voice was soft and gentle, but anyone could tell that she had an ulterior motive behind everything.

"Carina, can you secretly tell me what your relationship with Mr. Ducant is?"

Carina felt uncomfortable and freed herself from Stella's grip. She was just about to tell Stella the truth when Aster spoke up first, interrupting her.

"Carina and I are just colleagues," he said in a fond, gentle voice. "We were just sorting out the company's financial situation when you joined us. Did you really think everyone else could just turn on the TV as soon as they got home after work, like you can?"

Aster sounded nonchalant when he said they were nothing more than colleagues.

Carina stood opposite him, staring at him for a long time as her body began to freeze.

Although they often referred to each other as colleagues at work, hearing Aster call her nothing but a colleague in her face felt like a knife stabbing into her heart.

She gritted her teeth and spoke up in a disgruntled manner, "Aster, we are—"

"Shut up!" He immediately cut her off again, casting her a cold, dirty look. "Some things should just be left unspoken. I'm sure that I also have a say in that matter."

Carina shook her head in disappointment. The last sliver of hope in her eyes gradually dimmed out.

On the other hand, Stella grinned happily when she heard that he and Carina were nothing more than colleagues. She immediately took a seat right next to Aster, exclaiming in pleasant surprise when she saw the food on the table.

"Oh my gosh, they're all my favorites! You're so good to me, Asty!"

Stelle then lifted her head and pecked Aster on the cheek.

Aster froze for a second.

When he snapped back to the present, he carefully and quietly cast Carina a side glance.

He only heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Carina's head was still lowered and that she didn't seem to have witnessed the peck.

"Eat all you want. I know you like them. I purposely ordered them for you."

Stella stuffed her mouth with her favorite food and kept humming in delight as she chewed.

"I hate you, Asty. You knew all along that the area where I'm renting would have a power outage today, but you never told me about it beforehand. I got such a fright halfway through my shower!"

"Did you hurt yourself? It's all my fault. I didn't expect such a thing to happen."

"Haha! I was just pulling your leg. I was long done with my shower when the lights went out."

"Well, this is the surprise that I prepared for you. Do you like it?"

Aster and Stella continued chatting happily.

Meanwhile, Carina never thought that Aster and Stella would be chatting so casually about such intimate topics. It was as if they had no boundaries with each other.

When Aster dished out more food onto Stella's plate, Carina finally realized that everything on the table was actually Stella's favorite food.

She had been looking forward to this anniversary celebration for a long time. But as it turned out, Carina was just the side character alongside Stella.

Aster had rushed home early to prepare and set out the 12-course meal, but it wasn't to celebrate their anniversary. It was all for Stella instead, not Carina.

For a split second, Carina thought that she knew exactly when Aster had started cheating emotionally on her. The realization was like a huge rock pressing against Carina's chest, rendering her unable to catch her breath.

She stood up, feeling bitter, and turned to leave.

"I'll be taking my leave if there's nothing else you need me for."

Stella didn't move from her seat. "Aren't you going to eat something before you leave, Carina?"

"No thanks. The food doesn't really suit me."

"Then let me see you out the door."

Stella then made to get up, acting like the lady of the house who was seeing her guest out. However, Aster pushed her back down and said, "She knows the way out. You don't have to do that."

That was the last thing Aster said before Carina left the mansion. He didn't even ask her to stay.

Carina stood outside the mansion, letting the cold night air blow around her.

She didn't just know the way out. It was her home, after all, but she couldn't even go back inside anymore.

She figured that she probably wouldn't even be staying here much longer in the future.

It started drizzling, and the night wind was cold and harsh. Leaves rustled noisily on the trees on either side of the road.

However, even the wind didn't manage to change Carina's mind.

She made a call and then headed right for a lawyer's office. She got into the building, pressed the elevator button, and entered the office. From how familiar she seemed with everything, it seemed as if it wasn't the first time she'd been there.

"Can you have the divorce draft ready by today, Mr. Chastain?"

Leo, seated opposite her, frowned and flipped through his records in his notebook.

"It's already half-completed. I might be able to finish it if I work overtime today. However, I had noted down beforehand that you only planned on starting the divorce process next month. Why did you suddenly decide to bring it forward?" he asked.

Carina smiled slightly. "It's going to happen anyway, so there's no point in dragging it out."

She stayed at the lawyer's office until late at night. When she finally left, she was holding a black file folder in her hands.

Her face had been tense ever since she left the office. Leo had said, "You'll need both parties to sign this divorce agreement for it to take effect."

Carina had signed the papers at once. However, the next most important thing was to get Aster to sign them as well.

Suddenly, the sound of her ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. It was a call from Aster.

"Where are you, Carina? Why aren't you home yet? It's getting late. Tell me where you are. I'll come and get you."

Carina thought about it for a second. Eventually, she gave in and told him the address. "Alright. Come here and pick me up. I need to tell you something as well."

She thought that if Aster really came to pick her up now, she would reveal everything to him so that they could have an honest talk. She would also tell him of her plans to divorce him.

However, two hours passed, and Aster was still nowhere to be seen.

When she finally decided to call him, she realized that Stella had posted a new update on her social media.

Stella's home was pitch-black, save for the candlelight that subtly illuminated Aster's left hand. Even though his figure couldn't even be made out in the picture, Carina knew that it was him.

She couldn't possibly fail to recognize the wedding ring on his finger.

There was a caption on the story that read, "It's dark at home without any electricity, but at least the big boss is here with me!"

Carina was stunned for a moment. Eventually, she laughed bitterly at the end.

No wonder Aster still hadn't come out to get her. Someone else had been holding him back.

Carina pressed the heart button on the story, reacting with a "like", and slowly walked all the way home.

After reaching home, she washed up and went to bed.

Aster only came home sometime while she was drifting in and out of consciousness. He habitually placed an arm over Carina's thin waist as soon as he got into bed. Then, he forcefully pulled her back against his chest.

His icy-cold lips brushed against Carina's nape.

"Carina, we haven't done it in a long time…"

As soon as he spoke, a sudden gust of overly-sweet perfume enveloped Carina, making her sneeze.

Coincidentally, this was the same perfume that Stella had been wearing earlier, and Carina felt like she wanted to puke.

She pushed him away tiredly and said in a calm voice, "Forget about it today. I'm not feeling well."

This was the first time Carina had ever rejected Aster. A suspicious glint appeared in his eyes, just for a moment.

However, Carina kept sneezing a few more times after that, reminding Aster that he had stood her up on his offer to pick her up earlier. A look of guilt appeared on his face.

"Have you caught a cold, Carina? I'll bring you to the hospital to get it checked."

He added, "I'm sorry for breaking my promise, Carina. Something came up at the office. I was already coming out to get you, but I got too busy and didn't manage to make it after all."

Carina closed her eyes and nodded before rejecting his offer. Then, she remained silent for the rest of the night.

She had been sharing the same bed with Aster for five years, but he had never spoken a word of truth to her.

Carina had initially felt guilty about wanting to trick Aster into signing the divorce papers. But now, she felt the last of her guilt dissipating.