Chapter 01

Her cell phone vibrated. Lilian looked at the screen, Ethan's name glowing between her trembling fingers. “Anniversary dinner. Villa Del Mare restaurant. 8 p.m. I'll be waiting for you.”

Her heart raced. It wasn't just dinner. It was the first time he had ever planned something to celebrate their wedding anniversary. She smiled nervously and read the message again, as if it were a dream about to disappear. It rekindled something inside her that had been dormant for a long time: hope.

Dressed in her favorite dress, a ruby shade that complemented her fair skin and deep brown eyes, she got into the car. During the ride, she reread the message a dozen times, analyzing each word as if there were clues to a new beginning.

When the car stopped, Lilian was still absorbed in the message.

“Madam?” the driver said, seeing that she hadn't noticed he had opened the car door.

The woman was startled to see the driver opening the car door, and hurriedly grabbed her purse and got out.

“Carlos, you can go home, don't worry, I'll leave with Ethan, okay?” Lilian said before turning and walking toward the building.

She was overcome with happiness, but when she arrived at the place Ethan had reserved, the happiness she felt suddenly turned to despair and sadness.

When she arrived at the location, instead of finding Ethan, she found a man dressed in an extremely expensive suit sitting at the table, and she even looked at the sign on the door, as if wondering if she had entered the wrong place.

“Miss Arbex, please come in!” said the middle-aged man as he stood up and pointed to the seat in front of him.

Ethan's lawyer was surprised to see that the beautiful woman he had seen four years ago had become a typical housewife.

She had gained a lot of weight and didn't care about her appearance, although her impeccable beauty was still there.

Lilian didn't move from her seat, as she was afraid to enter a room with that man because she didn't remember meeting him. However, another issue bothered her: since she got married, Lilian had hardly ever heard anyone call her by her maiden name, as they usually called her by her husband's surname, Legrand.

“Who are you? And where is Ethan?” Lilian asked worriedly.

“Miss Arbex, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” The man extended his hand to Lilian. “I'm Gabriel Monteiro, President Legrand's lawyer.”

“Lawyer?” Lilian asked, returning his handshake. “Why did Ethan send his lawyer?” She asked, but despite her confusion, Lilian sat down across from Gabriel and watched him place a document on the table.

The table, the night, the hopeful smile. Everything fell apart. Gabriel placed an envelope in front of her.

Divorce.

As she read the contents, she was surprised and couldn't help but laugh at herself. It was a request for divorce.

Even after reading the document several times, hoping she had misinterpreted it, her lawyer's voice confirmed her worst fears.

Lilian's world fell apart. She loved him. She had given herself to this marriage, even though it was arranged. Even without love at first. She believed that one day Ethan would fall in love with her. This was the cruel confirmation that it had all been an illusion.

“Ms. Arbex, this document is a divorce petition, prepared by my client, Mr. Ethan Legrand. Please sign it when you have finished reading it.”

Upon hearing Gabriel's words, she felt that everything in her mind was blank, as if consumed by an invisible black hole, for she could not understand why Ethan suddenly wanted a divorce, as their marriage was great.

Refusing to believe what she was reading, Lilian raised her head, narrowing her eyes at Gabriel in anger. How dare this man rudely call her by her maiden name when she hadn't even signed the divorce papers yet? She wanted so badly to vent her anger at him, but she controlled her emotions, not wanting to reveal how hurt and angry she was.

After her emotions calmed down and her mind cleared, she placed the paper on the table.

“Where's Ethan, your client?” Lilian asks calmly, but inside, she feels shattered, as if someone had blown up her heart. “Since he wanted a divorce, why didn't he come and ask me in person instead of sending his lawyer?”

“I'm sorry, but the president is busy with some company work and can't come in person, so he asked me to come in his place!” replied the impatient lawyer. “Miss Arbex, could you sign the paper without further delay? I have a busy schedule tonight!”

Lilian struggled not to lose her patience as she clenched her fist. She was dying to punch this man.

“Mr. Monteiro, right?” Lilian asked. “I haven't signed the divorce papers yet, so I'm still part of the Legrand family, so you'd better treat me with respect!” Her eyes were cold, and Gabriel's face hardened when he heard the warning. Just before he could say anything, Lilian spoke again in a firm and authoritative tone. “And I won't sign anything until your busy client speaks to me. You'd better call him now, or you'll go home with nothing!”

“Ma'am, I apologize for my rudeness!” The lawyer quickly apologized. “President Legrand can't speak to you right now, so he sent me here to represent him.”

Lilian laughed quietly when she heard his words.

“Mr. Monteiro, so you're his messenger?” She asked, but didn't give John a chance to say anything. “I want to talk to him!”

Despite being deeply hurt by receiving divorce papers on their fifth wedding anniversary, Lilian just wanted to ask Ethan why.

So she didn't want to wait any longer and dialed Ethan's number, but her face slowly closed up, and there were no words to describe her anger when she found out that Ethan had blocked her phone number.

Holding back her anger, Lilian clenched her fist tightly, put her cell phone away, and stood up, ready to leave, as she no longer wanted to stay in that place with that man.

“Ma'am, please sign the paper before you go!” Gabriel stood up and followed her, blocking her way. “You can't leave without signing the paper, it's the president's order!” His eyes stared at her firmly.

The lawyer's face took on a fierce expression, as if it were a threat against her.

“I'll ask you only once, get out of my way!” Lilian was very angry to see the lawyer blocking her path.

“You're not going anywhere without signing the paper, so please sign the damn paper!” The lawyer's voice sounded threatening, but Lilian was not shaken by his tone.