1 “It Would Be On My Terms, Not Yours.”

“This is Mr. Stone’s divorce agreement, Mrs. Stone,” Alexander Stone’s butler, Charles said as he handed a large manila envelope to Sophia.

“Mrs. Stone, you have a three-day window to sign the agreement and vacate the premises.” Charles watched Sophia with indifference, his demeanor calm as he spoke.

Although Sophia had been anticipating this moment, her heart sank upon the mention of the divorce agreement. She glanced at Charles, accepted the envelope, and extracted the divorce agreement from within.

“Ten million dollars of alimony as long as he never lays eyes on me again?” she scoffed, looking straight at Charles, whose expression remained inscrutable. “How can he possibly believe he can get away with such an absurd demand?”

She continued reading, “In accordance with the terms of the divorce agreement, it is acknowledged that Sophia Stone has failed to fulfill her marital obligations for a period of three years. As a result, Alexander Stone reserves the right to initiate divorce proceedings.”

“This is ridiculous. How could I fulfill my duties when I couldn’t even see my so-called husband? He’s never been under the same roof with me in three years.” Sophia tossed the papers aside.

What a mockery this made of her marriage. She felt like Alexander was shrugging her off. Like she was the water on a dog’s back that he simply got rid of by shaking vigorously. She felt insulted.

Three years ago, Sophia reluctantly entered a marriage arranged by her grandfather, who had laid out three tasks to her during this marriage: stay out of the public eye, assist Alexander in taking over Stone Enterprise, and be his unwavering support.

Though the contractual stipulation that she remain invisible to the public eye always puzzled her, she had promised her grandfather to not disappoint him. She resigned from her powerful position at her own law firm, and tried to embrace her role as the low-profile wife of a CEO who never appeared in public.

Alexander took over Stone Enterprise soon after they united, and then, he became the world champion in hide-and-seek.

In the beginning, she tried to maintain a connection with her husband by preparing lunches and visiting his workplace. Yet, she soon realized that Alexander was either never at the office or too preoccupied to meet her.

After six months of futile attempts, she accepted the bitter truth that fulfilling her grandfather’s directives was impossible. She channeled her energy into developing her hobbies, all in her pursuit of self-improvement, persuading herself to see this period of respite as a relief from her life as a renowned lawyer and founder of the world-famous law firm.

Yet, she refused to touch a single cent of the money he sent her. She had her own income, enough to lead a comfortable life until the end of her days

She was certain that her marriage would eventually come to an end, but she was appalled by the way Alexander Stone twisted the narrative to paint her as the one who had failed in her marital duties.

took a deep breath, resisting the urge to express her anger, and instead, she said sarcastically, “Well, where might my charming husband be today? As far as I can remember, a divorce agreement takes place between a husband and a wife, not a husband’s butler and a

his posture and replied, “Mr. Stone is in town, most likely at his

Is he alone, or was he accompanied by someone?” Sophia didn’t say it directly,

you is that he wishes for you to sign these papers, and he emphasized that he does not need to be present while you do so.

see me even at the end of our marriage, did he?”

retort, he simply bowed to her, then turned on his heels and

she had never even used in their three years of marriage. She was determined to know what was going on

kept ringing, but nobody picked up. She dialed again. Her patience and virtue had limits, and he was dancing dangerously close to those limits. On her third try, the call was finally answered. It was a young woman’s voice.

I’d like to speak

speaking?” the woman

her

answer her question. “Oh, I

resisted the urge to get angry and said, “I

other end of the line replied, “He won’t answer you. His attitude is already clear in the divorce agreement. As a useless wife, he feels that he has

especially caught by a couple of very specific

more than what you’ve got. Just leave him.

boil over, she suddenly heard the approach of a man’s voice from the other end of the phone. Her heart raced in

your wife is calling you. She has some questions about the divorce agreement,” she said, her

bitter laugh. So, this was the sordid truth behind the disintegration of their marriage – all for

agonizingly before he finally picked up the phone. His voice oozed with disdain and indifference as he coldly declared, “I no longer have

without a second thought,

her phone attached to her ear for

paced around her living room, her frustration bubbling over. “Useless wife?” she muttered angrily. “What right does he have to call me that?

humiliation consumed her. “Is this really how he sees me? Tossed aside

clung to hope in the early days of their marriage, telling herself that

with love, patience, and unwavering support, hoping like an idiot he’ll eventually see

mocks me by throwing the blame on me,

of mere money. “If this is the callous attitude he wants to take,” she vowed, “then he has another thing coming. I won’t let him escape the consequences of this ill-fated marriage without

papers strewn across the floor. She read through them once again,

a shame you never bothered to

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