1.Chapter 1 Divorce
"Edwin, please, come back with me," Sharon Stanley pleaded in a subdued tone. She ignored the mocking glances around the private room in the nightclub.
Her husband, Edwin Stanley, stiffly rose with his face darkened, dragging Sharon into another room.
"I have no interest in celebrating the so-called wedding anniversary with you. Take this and get whatever you like by yourself." He coldly tossed a credit card onto the table in front of Sharon. Then, he left without hesitation.
"Edwin!" Sharon anxiously grabbed his coat sleeve and asked, "I didn't break the promise for myself back then. Do you believe me?"
"Believe you?" Edwin sneered. "Don't tell me it was for me."
Yeah, it was indeed for you,' Sharon retorted inwardly. If only Edwin could remember the past, he would understand everything. Unfortunately, it had slipped from his memory, making Sharon's explanations seem absurd and humiliating. She slumped in despair.
Suddenly, Sharon's alarm clock went off at midnight, marking the end of their anniversary and also reminding her of her resolve to let go of her attachment to Ediwin and their past.
Even so, Sharon still wanted to make one last effort to win him back. As she called out his name, seeking to defend herself further, her words were abruptly silenced by the sound of a notification. She unlocked her phone to find a jarring image of a sleeping man with another woman intimately in bed, wrapped in each other's arms. To Sharon's utter disblief and heartbreak, the man was none other than her husband, Edwin.
At that moment, She was repulsed by Edwin's act of infidelity, and a deep sense of disgust washed over her; she no longer desired to be with him. "I want a divorce," she declared, her voice firm and resolute. With that, she silently let go of his sleeve.
Edwin looked back at Sharon. He was taken aback by the sudden and drastic change in her demeanor-from the woman who had just moments ago pleaded with him to celebrate their anniversary to someone who was now determined to divorce him. In his eyes, Sharon was cunning and calculating, so he saw her decision to divorce him as nothing more than a tantrum. "The password is eight zeros," he said, stepping out of view.
Sharon's gaze fell upon the card, and a wry smile crossed her lips. Throughout the four years, she had busted her butt trying to show Edwin that her love for him was genuine and that it wasn't about being some fancy "Mrs. Stanley" or his money. Yet, all her efforts went down the drain.
For the past fifteen days, she had patiently waited for him to make up his mind between their marriage and his side piece. And still, she ended up on the losing end. She had poured her heart and soul into this relationship, giving it everything she had. Obviously, it was time to throw in the towel, and she wasn't gonna waste a single second. She was ready to walk away and never look back.
Sharon hurried after Edwin. She intercepted Edwin at the elevator and pressed a divorce agreement into his hands. "I'm serious about divorcing. I'll take nothing from you." With that, she heard a thud as the agreement was tossed into the trash.
"Get your facts straight. Are you losing your mind?" Edwin snapped, clearly impatient.
Sharon knew he, like the rest of the Stanley family, thought she would face a challenging and difficult life and wouldn't be able to land a job without him because of her limited education and ordinary background.
"Don't worry. I know my facts very well." She picked up the agreement, tapped it, and stuffed it back into Edwin's hands. "It's too late to process it tonight. See you at the city hall at nine tomorrow morning. No excuses."
With that, Sharon walked away, leaving Edwin behind. Downstairs, she leaned against the wall, gasping for air. It took courage to act against the accustomed deference she showed him. She wiped her face as tears streamed down. Despite her resolve to part ways with Edwin, whom she had been deeply in love with for nearly ten years, Sharon felt as if her heart was being torn out.
Sharon let out a weary sigh. Eventually, she straightened herself up, gazing mockingly at her reflection in the glass. It had taken her four long years and fifteen agonizing days to finally come to the realization that Edwin would never truly love her. Reflecting on this, she couldn't help but consider it the most regrettable deal she had ever made in her entire life.
Early the next morning, Sharon went straight to the city hall. By eleven o'clock, there was still no sign of Edwin. Despite calling him numerous times, there was no answer. Knowing he was busy, Sharon decided to go to his office, hoping to get it over with within a day.
Just as Sharon reached Edwin's company, her eyes fell upon a disheartening sight. Edwin stood next to a car, his head lowered, and helped a woman get inside. When that woman looked back, Sharon got to see her face clearly; it was Edwin's first love, the very person who held a special place in his heart.
A sneer crept across Sharon's face. She had initially assumed that Edwin's absence this morning was because of his busy schedule. However, now it dawned on her that he had deliberately brushed her off to be with his lover instead.
She thought to herself, 'His first love returned for half a month, and he stuck to her like glue all the time. It's incredible how he cannot get enough of her.'
After they waved goodbye, the car drove away. Sharon finally approached Edwin when the car was out of sight and said, "I've been waiting for you this morning. Let's get it over with. It won't take long, anyway."
When Edwin saw Sharon, his expression turned sour, his face creased with impatience, a familiar sight. "I have some important projects," he responded, his tone laced with frustration. "I can't afford any negative news circulating right now."
Sharon couldn't help but find Edwin's reason laughable. She pondered, 'Isn't the news of his infidelity with his lover more negatively impactful than simply divorcing me?'
Before Sharon could speak her mind, Edwin's assistant hurriedly approached, informing him of urgent work that required his immediate attention. Then they left hurriedly.
Since then, Edwin once again became unreachable, leaving Sharon with a growing impatience. She resorted to texting him, proposing a suggested meeting time to proceed with the divorce in the light of their four-year marriage.
In the afternoon, Sharon arrived at the city hall promptly as planned. To her surprise, she saw Edwin standing in front of his car, his usual air of handsomeness and composure on display. Despite the impending divorce, Sharon couldn't help but feel captivated by him once again. However, a bitter pang of emotion washed over her as she pondered, 'If I had known that our journey would lead us to this moment, would I still have make that impulsive decision?'
Sharon couldn't help but touch her left eye, a reminder of her loss of sight, but few people were aware of her condition. Suppressing her complex emotions, she quickly walked over and handed the divorce agreement to Edwin again. "I've already signed it. Once you sign it, we can move forward with all the necessary paperwork."
This time, Edwin only hesitated for a moment before signing it silently.
They proceeded to fill out a few additional paperwork. Once completed, a staff member attentively stamped each document before saying, "Thank you for submitting your divorce paperwork. We will process it accordingly. Please note that there is a thirty-day cooling-off period. If either of you wishes to cancel the divorce within that time, please inform us promptly."
They were then informed that they would not be able to obtain the official divorce decree until the cooling-off period had elapsed.
"Can we skip the cooling-off period and get the divorce decree directly?" Sharon asked, expressing her desire to sever ties with Edwin as quickly as possible.
"I understand your desire to expedite the process, but unfortunately, the cooling-off period is a mandatory requirement in our jurisdiction. I'm sorry," The staff member replied, shaking his head.
Sharon's gaze fell upon Edwin, who remained silent before abruptly walking out. As such, she had to take the consent form and sign it. She believed that Edwin had no intention of canceling the divorce, so she regarded the cooling-off period as nothing more than a temporary delay in obtaining the final divorce decree.
Then, she quickly caught up with Edwin and said, "So, Mr. Stanley, see you in a…"
Before she could say "month", Edwin had already gotten into his car, slamming the door shut, leaving Sharon standing there in the wake of a chilling breeze.
Sharon shook her head with a sense of helplessness, finding Edwin's behavior after the divorce to be petty and disappointing. After a moment of contemplation, she made a call. "I'm divorced. Come and pick me up," she said.