Divorce Never! Love Again?

Episode 4

LUCIAN's POV

I could never understand Adeline. I couldn't figure her out. We hadn’t spent enough time together, we hadn’t shared enough. So, I would like to say that’s why I didn't know her, but I knew the real reason.

She never let me get to know her, and instead of being proactive, I just kept building walls between us. I don't even want to talk about the last mess I got into.

After I became a scandal on the front page of the tabloids, I knew there was no turning back.

As Adeline looked at the granola in front of her, a huge grin spread across her face, reminding me of a very strange memory—our wedding day.

It was the first day I saw the Adeline she hid from everyone.

The wedding hall was packed. My father had taken care of everything, down to the menu, as if he were the one getting married, ensuring everything was the most expensive.

There were real flowers and candles everywhere. A very costly orchestra was playing live soft music. I felt trapped in my tuxedo, wandering around aimlessly.

Of course, I objected when my father told me I had to get married. Why would I want to marry someone I didn’t love? It was madness.

But there was a small detail in his proposal. In exchange for this marriage, he would give me more shares in the company, making me the majority shareholder. I would also become the head of the board of directors.

Naturally, I accepted.

As I wandered around, I saw her in the distance in a white robe. Her assistants were waiting for her in the bridal room to get her ready, but she was busy wandering around. I had only met Adeline a few times before our wedding.

The first time I saw her, I felt something very strange. It wasn’t about her beauty or attractiveness. The moment our eyes met, I felt like I was traveling through time. It was a peaceful, strange, almost nostalgic feeling.

There was a possibility that I had met her before. Due to an accident in high school, I couldn’t remember a large part of my life. When I asked if we had met before, she shrugged indifferently. Even if we had, I doubted she would remember or care enough to acknowledge it.

She was walking gracefully in her white robe. I started following her secretly. I wanted to know where she was going with such determination and ambition.

She approached the wedding planner and, with a radiant smile, checked to see if anyone was around. Hidden behind a column covered with large flowers, she didn’t see me.

“When Elisabeth arrives, seat her at one of the tables in the back near the corridor to the restroom. Tell her there was an issue with the seating arrangement and that moving her would cause a huge mess. If she causes trouble, call me immediately,” she said with a radiant smile, as if she were telling a beautiful story.

The planner’s mouth dropped open in shock. I had to stifle my laughter. Adeline was a piece of work, behaving like a child. Who plots like this at our age?

She hurried back to the preparation room to put on her wedding dress as her father and mother entered the hall.

“I’m so stressed. I wish Lucian were marrying Elisabeth. It would secure our business more. I’ve never seen Adeline do anything properly. I have a feeling she’s going to ruin everything,” her father said, trying to loosen his tie.

“You’re right. I don’t know whom she takes after. There’s a chasm between her and Elisabeth,” her mother sighed.

They started wandering around the hall, looking restless and unhappy. It felt like the blood drained from my body. How could they be so judgmental and cruel towards her? I couldn’t understand why they felt the need to compare the two sisters. Their words were ridiculous.

I didn’t know why I was so angry, but I decided to keep my distance from Adeline’s family. I could overlook Adeline’s childish sabotage schemes, but their harsh words told me a lot.

I headed towards the bridal room. As I pushed the grand wooden doors open, a strange beam of light seemed to fill the room. She was glowing in her wedding dress. Her sight made me feel a strange urge to be dazzled. My heart raced in an unusual way.

I have had many girlfriends in my life. I wasn’t inexperienced or naïve. But her beauty, complemented by the warmest shade of brown in her eyes, felt so strange. There was an unknown happiness and peace in those eyes. A feeling I had never experienced before.

When she saw me, she smiled at the hairdresser.

“Can we have a moment alone, please?” she asked politely. As soon as the hairdresser left the room, she motioned for me to come closer with her finger.

It was the first time someone had called me over like that.

“I know you heard my little secret,” she said, her smile never fading.

I couldn’t focus on her words. She distracted me so much that I lost my focus. I didn’t think she could see that. People usually said I was like a statue.

I couldn’t express my feelings well. I didn’t know why I protected myself this way. My feelings raged inside me like a river, but outwardly, I was just an empty shell.

“Elisabeth cut my prom dress in half with scissors two hours before prom. I saw her through the door crack. When I told my parents, they said I had cut my dress myself and was trying to blame her. Let me have my revenge, at least,” she said, trying to keep her smile, but her tone betrayed her hurt.

I could see what lay behind her strange fierceness and small, funny madness. I was sure she had been hurt countless times. I could see it in her eyes.



“Your secret is safe,” I said in an expressionless tone and quickly turned and left the room. I was marrying her only for the shares. I didn’t like how she distracted me and muddled my thoughts. Marrying Elisabeth would have been much easier.

The moment I saw her, irritation washed over me. She was exactly the candidate I had been searching for.

I wasn’t entirely sure how things had reached this point. Our agreement had crumbled. Throughout our time living together, I had been avoiding Adeline. Now, even after signing the divorce papers, an odd feeling of regret was seeping into my soul.

Maybe it was because her family blamed her that I felt bad. I wasn’t sure. There was such a complex cloud of emotions within me that it even clouded my thoughts.

The smile on her face showed she was up to something again. I glanced at the granola.

What were the odds she had laced it with rat poison?

She wouldn’t go that far, right? No, she couldn’t possibly.

I decided to play along anyway. But just to be safe, I made sure she took the first bite.

I guess I was willing to let her have her revenge in her own way. If it helped her deal with the disappointment and frustration she felt, she could take all the revenge she wanted. I knew that was her way of dealing with her feelings.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, so I guess the same rules apply since I’m still here," she said, sipping her coffee.

The most important rule in our marriage was our freedom on Saturdays. We both drove to a parking lot and then went our separate ways, returning at the same time on Sunday morning. We never asked each other who we were with or what we did.

I knew the scandal we had been involved in had put us under the tabloids’ microscope. This week’s adventure was definitely going to be risky.

"Actually, given everything that’s happened, it might be better if we stayed home this Saturday," I said.

When she shook her head and said she needed to go, a strange cloud of anger and jealousy filled me. Who was this guy she couldn’t bear to be away from? What would it hurt to miss a week?

"You must really love him then. You can’t go a week without seeing him," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Adeline noticed. She looked at me with a strange expression.

The idea annoyed me. What did she see in this man? Was he more handsome than me, better personality maybe?

Was she going to marry him right after divorcing me?

I was getting more and more annoyed.

Muttering something, I quickly left the kitchen. This week, I was definitely going to see who this guy was, at least to know who he was.

Yes, I just wanted to see him out of curiosity, nothing more.