Chapter 5 It was not a contractual marriage.

Axton had just finished all his work. In fact, he had been so focused on his tasks that he didn't realize he had been sitting in his large office chair for hours.

When Axton glanced at the watch on his wrist, which already read five in the evening, he furrowed his brow. No wonder his shoulders felt stiff from sitting for so long in front of the large desk piled with work. After all, Axton remembered arriving with Emily, and it was only one in the afternoon.

Axton quickly got up from his chair. Emily must be annoyed with him for ignoring her again. He walked towards his master bedroom, the place he had been living in since his divorce from Grace. Axton had decided to return to this house because the one filled with memories of his ex-wife felt too burdensome. Eventually, he had emptied the house, although he had assigned a few employees to maintain it so it wouldn't fall into disrepair.

Axton's steps halted when he reached the doorway and saw Emily asleep on his bed. He approached and raised an eyebrow, observing how Emily slept in an uncomfortable position.

Her body was halfway off the bed, with her legs hanging down. This position would surely make her back uncomfortable, Axton thought. Finally, he gently extended one hand to Emily's knee and the other to her shoulder, lifting her lightweight body to a more comfortable sleeping position.

Axton paused briefly when Emily began to stir in her sleep, but she didn't wake up. Afterward, Axton released his hold gently. This time, Emily was sleeping on her side, facing Axton, and he could only stay silent, gazing at her beautiful face, sleeping so peacefully.

Axton remembered an insane idea that had suddenly come to him a month ago, an idea he was actually implementing now. The idea was to marry his ex-wife's best friend. It was a thought that had never crossed Axton's mind before, and it had emerged when Grace accepted an arranged marriage with a man named Ethan, Emily's friend.

They had been married for four months now, and for Axton, it should have been enough time for Grace to leave her second husband and return to him. But for some reason, Axton felt that Grace always found excuses not to finalize the separation. She searched for too many reasons, and it left Axton truly believing that his ex-wife didn't want to reconcile with him anymore.

However, before Grace's marriage to Ethan, they had planned that the marriage was just a means to reconcile after Axton's divorce. Even though no one knew about this plan, that's what made Axton feel angry and jealous of Grace's attitude. Finally, Axton made this decision, and the only person who could help him was Emily, his ex-wife's best friend.

At first, Axton was hesitant about whether Emily, his ex-wife's close friend, would agree to this unusual plan. However, what Axton had never considered was how easily Emily accepted the proposal. Axton didn't even know how to respond to Emily's reaction because he himself was unsure about his plan.

Initially, Axton had planned to propose to another woman, even though Emily disagreed. But this time, he found himself as the husband of his ex-wife's friend. However, there was one condition that Emily had presented at that time, which left Axton confused and unsure of how to handle it. Emily said she would accept the marriage to Axton as long as he treated her like a proper wife in a legitimate marriage.

Emily didn't want any elements of a contract marriage, legal documents, or anything formal. According to Emily, their marriage had to be lived as a legitimate husband and wife. This puzzled Axton regarding Emily's stance because he believed it would put Emily at a disadvantage. Axton actually wanted to draft some marriage contract agreements with Emily because he was marrying without love, and he also wanted to provide compensation to Emily. However, Emily rejected all of that and wanted a legitimate and respectful marriage.

After a few days of being married to Emily, Axton noticed that Emily was truly playing the role of a good wife. She woke him up, prepared breakfast, reminded him of things he forgot, and even laid out Axton's clothes. Emily said she wanted to do it, although Axton didn't mind too much. However, Axton still had to get used to someone being so involved in his daily life, and he couldn't complain because that's what Emily wanted. For her, it was a wife's duty, even though Axton was still processing his feelings about it all.

Axton's thoughts came to a halt when suddenly Emily let out a sigh in her sleep, and that made Axton gaze at Emily's face for a few seconds. Axton had known Emily for quite a while, especially because he was interested in his friend Grace. From that, Axton knew that Grace was always with Emily. Although he wasn't very familiar with Emily because Axton limited his friendships with the opposite sex, he still knew how close Grace and Emily were.

Currently, Axton felt awkward with Emily's presence after their marriage. Axton also realized that his language might feel stiff, as he didn't know how to interact with Emily. Although he saw that Emily was starting to adjust to her new role, for Axton, it was something challenging. Adapting to new habits with someone different made Axton feel like he was starting life from scratch.

Axton didn't know how long he would endure in this marriage with Emily because, until now, Axton and Grace were still involved in efforts to resolve their issues. Axton hoped that Grace would soon say goodbye to Ethan. However, so far, Grace hadn't given any response, and it left Axton in doubt. Did his ex-wife really want to get back together with him, or had it all been forgotten when she met Ethan, a man who might be better than him?

Previously, Axton had done some basic research on Ethan, Grace's current husband. He was a good man, had a thriving company, and came from a respectable family. Grace's parents even approved of their relationship. It seemed that Axton was having a hard time finding a reason to end their marriage. Axton could only sigh deeply in the face of this situation.