CHAPTER 6

Aria’s POV

I’ve had enough. Five years… Five years of enduring such humiliation and belittling by Victor and his family, of being treated like a nobody. 

And even after five years, he still believed that I was the one who’d taken those stupid naked photos of us to blackmail him into marrying me! God, I would never have stooped so low! But does anyone believe anything I say? No!

I couldn't believe I used to be so persistent. I even damaged my friendships for the sake of this marriage.

I immediately sent a message to my lawyer, telling him to go ahead with the divorce agreement. 

That's it. I won't spend any more time arguing with him. Let's just bring this all to an end quickly.

Victor didn't come back that evening. But I didn't ask him urgently as usual either. Luckily, my lawyer was very efficient; he sent me the agreement that same night.

The next day, I began packing my things. There wasn’t much in this house that truly belonged to me. I took off that very simple wedding ring from my hand and threw it on the table. Without looking back, I turned to leave.

It was a beautiful day, but I hardly noticed because of my nerves. The crisp, clear sky seemed to mock the turmoil churning inside me. 

Clutching the divorce agreement in my shaking hands, I stepped into the imposing office building of Thorn Enterprises. 

It was ironic that the first time I visited my husband's company was to divorce him.

I walked to the reception desk, my heels clicking loudly against the marble floor, each step echoing the finality of my decision. “Excuse me,” I said to the receptionist, trying to keep my voice steady. “I'm Aria Thorn, Victor's wife. Could you inform him that I'm here?”

The receptionist's eyes flickered with surprise, then settled into a look that was somewhere between pity and disdain. “Ms. Aria,” she said slowly, “Mr. Thorn isn't at the company and his wife is already upstairs.”

A knot of confusion and dread tightened in my stomach. “I'm his wife,” I insisted, my voice rising a notch. The receptionist's disdainful gaze did not waver. I felt a flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck.

“Mr. Thorn’s wife,” she repeated, enunciating each word as if I were slow to understand, “is already upstairs.”

“Aria? What brings you here?” I suddenly heard Shane’s voice. She grinned at me as if we’d always been good friends. 

The receptionist greeted her and smiled, “Mrs. Thorn, how are you?”

Shane had told the receptionist I was a friend, conveniently leaving out the part where she wasn’t really Victor’s wife. She's playing that little trick again. But I ignored it and played along. Because she could take me up there. I just wanted to finish what I came here to do. 

“I need to talk to Victor immediately,” I told Shane as we headed upstairs to the main office. I tried to sound casual. “Where’s him?”

Shane smirked. “He went to another company for a meeting. See, I know more about his movements than you do. Doesn't he tell you anything?”

Her words stung, but I tried to stay calm. Inside, I felt a knot of discomfort tightening. 

"Mrs. Thorn," someone called out.

“Yes?”I turned around and saw several men in corporate suits approaching. The man who had spoken looked puzzled. "Who are you?"

Before I could explain, Shane stepped in smoothly. "Mr. Lee, our meeting is in an hour. I'll have the relevant documents ready; Victor has entrusted this matter entirely to me."

Mr. Lee smiled, clearly impressed. "You're really good, as Victor's wife. He always speaks highly of your abilities."

Unable to bear it any longer, I interrupted, "I'm sorry, but I'm Victor's wife, not her."

The man looked at me with disdain, sizing me up. "Is that so? Funny, he's never mentioned you. I've seen too many women like you, trying to cozy up to wealthy men." He then turned to Shane and remarked, "Women like her need to be dealt with quickly, or they'll surely multiply like weeds."

Shane smiled but remained silent. The men left without even glancing at me. I looked at Shane in disbelief and said, "Are you satisfied now? Is this how you want to be acknowledged as Victor's wife?"

Shane feigned surprise, "When did I acknowledge that? When did I ever say I'm Victor's wife?" She then grabbed my hand unexpectedly, "Come on, let me show you where Victor's office is. I know it better than you."

The nerve of this woman! She always keeps rubbing it in my face that she’s more like Victor’s wife than me. I was tired of it all, and I just couldn’t wait to not have to deal with both of them anymore.