Ariel ended the call and sat in the car for a few moments before a sudden thought struck her. She hurried

    upstairs.

    In her bedroom, she rifled through drawers until she found the divorce certificate she had carefully kept.

    There it was, ck and white and stamped with the official seal.

    She couldn’t understand how this problem could have happened.

    Ariel sat on the edge of the bed for a long while, frozen in ce. Countless possibilities shed through her mind, but each one seemed utterly bizarre.

    She didn’t want to overthink. Brushing her hair back, she let out a slow breath. There was nothing to do

    but wait for Jayson’s call now.

    Outside, rain began to fall. Sitting and stewing would only make her anxious, so she decided to take a

    shower.

    She kept telling herself that there must have been a mix–up somewhere along the process.

    She upied herself for almost three hours, yet Jayson still hadn’t called. It only made Ariel’s anguish

    grow.

    Just as she was about to try calling again, there was a knock at the door.

    Ariel stared at it for a moment, then took a steadying breath and went to answer.

    When she opened the door, she saw Jayson, who had rushed back.

    He looked a little disheveled from being out. Rain had left damp marks on his suit at the shoulders and

    neck.

    He nced at his watch. This was the fastest he could have possibly gotten back.

    “Arthur said you needed to see me urgently.”

    Ariel studied his face. She hadn’t expected him to actuallye back so quickly, but…

    “Jayson, there’s a problem with my political review,” she said as calmly as she could, but her eyes were fixed on his expression. “They say I’m still married. Surely that’s a mistake, right?”

    Standing at the doorway, Jayson stared at her without a hint of surprise on his face.

    In that instant, Ariel’s heart sank.

    “Why aren’t you saying anything?” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t look away.

    His gaze was unwavering. “Yeah, we’re not divorced.”

    The admission was blunt.

    That very bluntness, and the way he never showed a hint of it despite knowing everything, sent shivers down her spine. All her months of effort suddenly felt meaningless.

    This time, she couldn’t hold back. Her face went cold as she raised her hand and pped him sharply.

    The sharp sound echoed in the hallway.

    Jayson’s head jerked from the p, then he slowly turned to meet her reddened eyes.

    Her breathing trembled, and her lips had gone pale from a mix of disbelief and anger. “Jayson, tell me, what is real? You knew all along! Why didn’t you tell me?”

    They hadn’t divorced, and he had been fully aware! He had been deceiving her silently all this time!

    That was what she couldn’tprehend and what made her so angry.

    Be it the contraceptive herbs incident back then or what was happening now, it was all a hurtful blow to

    her.

    Jayson lowered his gaze and nced at her hand, which had turned red from the p. Even as it hung by her side, it was still trembling. It must have hurt.

    He bent slightly and took her hand in his and brushed his thumb over her heated palm. “This was my decision. I did it for my own reasons, and I ignored your wishes.”

    Ariel’s eyes reddened uncontrobly. She yanked her hand away sharply. “Jayson, what are you even trying to do? You were the one who treated me well at first, the one who’s been distant for nearly two years, and in the end, the one who betrayed our marriage! Don’t I even have the right to ask for a divorce?

    What do you want from me?”

    She had felt like she had been reborn after the divorce.

    Even though the process had been grueling, it had been a glimmer of hope in the countdown of her life.

    And now, suddenly, she was being told it was all an illusion?

    He hadn’t said a word about this. So what had she been struggling for all this time?

    Her rare breakdown spilled over, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Even a single, tiny tear felt like it had carved a hole in her chest.