Chapter 1 The first night before the divorce

"Stop, Ethan... Please... what are you doing?"

The weak voice trembled from Aurora's lips, laced with fear and confusion. Her breath hitched, fast and shallow. But the man above her froze, paralyzed as if waking from a nightmare of his own making.

Ethan Blackwell slowly released his grip on Aurora's arm. His eyes were clouded, struggling to breathe like someone who had just escaped drowning.

"Aurora..." he murmured, barely audible. "I... I'm sorry."

Aurora clutched the blanket to her chest, her face flushed with shame and disbelief. She was a wife now, but this first night was nothing like the romantic dream she had imagined. There was no tenderness, no affection-only a sudden, uncontrollable desire from a man who had always been cold and distant.

"I thought... we loved each other," she whispered, lowering her gaze to hide the tears welling up. "You never touched me when we were dating. I thought you respected me."

Ethan took a step back, his broad frame trembling. The walls seemed to close in on him. He couldn't afford to be weak now. He had made a choice-a mad, irrational choice made only moments ago.

He had broken his vow to another woman.

"I'll have the divorce papers ready by morning," he said flatly.

Aurora stiffened. "What?"

"I can't do this, Aurora. I... I can't stay with you."

"After you touched me? After you took something I can never take back?!" she shouted, rising from the bed while keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her trembling body.

Ethan looked at her, his eyes empty but fragile. "I need to make this right. It's the only way."

"Make what right?" Her voice cracked as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm your wife! How could touching me be a mistake?"

Ethan didn't answer. He simply grabbed his jacket and walked out, fleeing the room as though running from the very chaos he had created.

Aurora was left behind-shaking, broken, and alone.

---

Two weeks earlier...

Aurora Claire never imagined marrying someone like Ethan Blackwell-a young, striking CEO, shrouded in mystery, and always keeping his distance from every woman... except one: his former lover, Eliza Monroe.

Their marriage was sudden. Ethan's father and Aurora's father were longtime friends. One disastrous business deal forced Aurora to become the "collateral"-a bride by necessity.

Ethan never objected, but he also never looked happy.

On their wedding day, he didn't even kiss her on the forehead.

Still, Aurora loved him.

She believed that time would warm his heart. That their first night together would be the beginning of something beautiful.

But that hope was destroyed in one night-the night Ethan, usually so distant and in control, gave in to a sudden, consuming desire. Aurora gave herself to him, thinking his heart had finally opened.

The truth?

It was nothing more than an outburst of guilt-guilt from betraying another woman.

Eliza.

---

The next morning...

Aurora sat alone at the massive dining table. Ethan was nowhere to be found. Only a folded note rested beneath a glass of water:

"Forgive me. I cannot be the man you need. The divorce papers are being prepared."

Her hands trembled as she read the short, cold message-each word hitting harder than a slap.

Crushing the letter to her chest, she wept silently. Outside, the house staff pretended not to hear their mistress sobbing.

Her phone buzzed. The screen still read: Mrs. Blackwell-a cruel label that had just lost all meaning.

"Hello?" Her voice was hoarse.

"Ro? It's Rachel," her best friend said. "Are you okay? There's a rumor going around... about Ethan... and divorce..."

Aurora bit her lip. "It's not a rumor."

Silence.

"Ro, I'm coming to your place-"

"No. I need to be alone." Aurora ended the call and stood.

She walked toward the large mirror in the living room.

Her eyes were puffy, her face pale, her body still trembling.

"I won't cry again for a man who never truly saw me," she told her reflection.

But even she didn't believe those words.

---

Elsewhere...

Ethan stood on the balcony of Eliza's luxury apartment. The red-haired woman sat on the sofa, her face tense.

"You actually slept with her?" Eliza asked, her voice sharp as glass.

Ethan remained silent.

Eliza let out a bitter laugh. "So now you're divorcing her... out of guilt for me?"

He bowed his head.

"You have no idea how pathetic that sounds. You're not some sacred god who atones by destroying his own wife's life. She's your wife, Ethan. Lawfully and rightfully yours."

"I made a promise to you, Liz. I swore I would never touch her. And I broke that. I don't want to hurt you."

"And you think leaving her fixes that?"

Ethan met Eliza's gaze, his own filled with torment. "I'm divorcing her... because if she stays close, I'll keep falling. Keep wanting her. And I don't want to want her."

"Why?"

"Because I love you, Liz!"

But the words rang hollow.

Eliza looked at him-something in her eyes had changed. "No. You don't love me. You're just afraid... because you've already fallen in love with your wife."

---

Three days later...

Aurora stood before a towering law firm, divorce papers in hand-papers sent directly by Ethan's attorney. She stared up at the building, her gaze burning with quiet resolve.

Inside, Ethan sat in a sleek black suit, his face unreadable.

When Aurora entered, the entire room seemed to freeze.

"I won't sign these," she said calmly, her voice steady but firm.

Ethan looked up. "What?"

"I won't let you walk away after taking my dignity."

"Aurora, this is for your own good-"

"No!" she cut him off. "This is for your convenience. You're running because you're scared. Scared that you're starting to care about me. But I'm not some toy you can use and discard."

Ethan said nothing.

Aurora stepped closer. "If you really want to end this, then face me. Look me in the eyes and tell me you truly feel nothing for me."

He met her eyes-those once innocent eyes, now ablaze with defiance.

And for the first time... he hesitated.

He couldn't say the words.

Aurora gave a bitter nod. "That's all I needed to know. I'll sign the papers. But one day, when you start missing what you once had... remember, I was the one you threw away."

She walked out without looking back.